Smoky Mountain News | November 16, 2022

On the Cover:

A red wave may have swept over Western Carolina, and the state itself delivered a number of Republican victories. However, Democrats scored huge wins nationally, and the NCGOP has some concerns as it heads toward the 2024 election cycle. (Page 6) Micah McClure illustration

News

Evergreen logs nine environmental violations in 18 months..................................4 Republicans dominate Western North Carolina races..............................................6 Republicans win big statewide, but concerns linger................................................7 Edwards takes 11th Congressional District over Beach-Ferrara..........................9 Haywood Regional Medical Center names CEO....................................................11 Jackson Board of Elections corrects election night mistake................................14 No panhandling ordinance for Sylva............................................................................16

Man faces murder charges in Kobe Toineeta death..............................................19 Jackson allocates funds for parks projects................................................................20

Opinion

Compromise takes sacrifice, not unyielding principles..........................................23 Parks as Classrooms offers unforgettable experiences........................................25

A&E

Choices and changes: A conversation with Sierra Hull........................................26 The good and the bad: two book reviews..................................................................35

Outdoors

Eastern Band Cherokees Work Together to Care for their Rivers....................38 Notes from a Plant Nerd: Pushing leaves..................................................................42

STAFF

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/PUBLISHER: Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com

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Ingles Nutrition Notes

Saving on ThankSgiving Supper

We’re all aware that many items in the supermarket have increased in price, so it will be no surprise to discover that this year it will be more expensive to put a Thanksgiving meal on the table. Here are some ways to save:

• plan ahead Start making lists of what you will need and check for prices and sales on non-perishable and frozen items like canned sweetpotatoes, cranberry sauce, flour, oil, sugar and pie crust mixes or frozen pie shells as well as paper goods like napkins and paper towels.

• diY If you have the time or hands to help, plan on making food yourself instead of purchasing pre-made foods and desserts.

• group efforT If you are having guests over, ask it they can each bring a dish or drinks to help complete the meal. Bread or rolls, side dishes, desserts, beverages… this will help reduce your total cost.

• don’T go overboard Some of us tend to go overboard with food and end up with leftovers that never get eaten and become food waste. Focus on streamlining your meal and feature delicious dishes with quality over quantity.

• plan for lefToverS Keeping food safe after serving by refrigerating and freezing it will mean you can get more meals instead of throwing uneaten food out. Be sure and pick up freezer bags and check to make sure you have enough storage containers.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian @InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

Evergreen logs nine environmental violations in 18 months

Complaints include white dust, fish kill, black liquor seep and turpentine spill

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR

Sept. 27, 2021, was a day of constant phone calls and email notifications for Brendan Davey, regional supervisor at the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality office in Asheville. That Monday, Davey came into the office to find a backlog of messages as he fielded an oncoming river of complaints — 29, in total. They all came from Canton residents who had woken up to a mysterious white dust covering their cars, gritty and resistant to cleaning.

“This morning a strange, thick white fog appeared that left a gritty, fine white powder on both sides of my vehicles,” reads one complaint. “Even after a thorough car wash, the grit remains.”

Other complaints echo that description and voice concerns about potential health impacts from breathing in suspended particles.

“What have we been breathing, who is handling the damage to our vehicles and our persons, are there long-term effects we need to be concerned about?” another complaint says.

The likely source, all agreed, was the Evergreen Packaging paper mill — though, according to Davey, “almost all” said they’d never seen this kind of deposit before. After investigating, Davey wrote that he “strongly suspect(ed)” that the dust came from improper operation of the mill’s No. 5 lime silo dust collection system. When Davey visited the mill on Oct. 1, 2021, he found that the dust collector “appear(ed) to have been repaired,” but noted that the company would still receive a Notice of Violation and Recommendation for Enforcement.

The lime dust collector may have been functioning normally during Davey’s visit, but over the past year that has not continued to be the case. Since last October, the DEQ has received numerous complaints of white dust settling on cars near the paper mill, with four dust-related notices of violation.

Additionally, since May 2021 it has received violation notices related to release of 20 gallons wastewater containing turpentine, a tall oil soap leak that killed at least 25 fish, and a black liquor seep into the Pigeon River. During the same timeframe, Evergreen was going through a contentious public process to have its wastewater dis-

charge permit renewed. The final permit was issued March 25.

WHITEDUSTIN CANTON

In an Oct. 28, 2021, reply to the notice of violation sent following the barrage of complaints in September 2021, Evergreen said the deposits were the result of a pandemicinduced supply chain issue.

Evergreen decided to replace the cartridges in its dust collection system after the N.C. Department of Air Quality observed visible emissions on Sept. 10. It planned to do so during the next scheduled outage on Sept. 23, but when that date arrived the parts had not been delivered.

“These cartridge filters have historically not required an extensive lead time since they are manufactured in Tennessee,” reads a response from Evergreen signed by Fred Perrett, president of operations and acting general manager for Evergreen’s Canton and Waynesville operations, and by David Clemmons, business unit manager for recovery, utilities and mill operations. “This particular manufacturer informed us that a majority of their personnel were out with COVID-19 at the time we placed our order. This led to additional delays in what should have been an ‘off the shelf/ship the same day’ item.”

As visible emissions continued to increase, mill staff looked for other vendors to supply the parts and expedited the order to arrive the weekend of Sept. 25. By Sept. 30, all filters had been replaced — but not before a layer of white dust had settled on Canton. Evergreen said it gave car wash vouchers to anybody who contacted the mill with a complaint, with exterior detailing provided if a car wash proved ineffective. As of Oct. 25, 2021, about 115 cars had been cleaned or scheduled for cleaning.

Replacing the cartridge resolved the issue, and afterward the lime silo dust collector operated without visible emissions, Perrett and Clemmons wrote.

However, just eight months later, lime kiln dust resulted in another violation notice for Evergreen. In March, two air emissions stack testing scenarios were conducted at the mill, and a test of the No. 4 lime scrubber produced emissions of particulate matter — dust — outside the limits set in the N.C. Administrative Code.

The violation proved a harbinger of repeated dust complaints filed over the subsequent months.

Between Aug. 9 and Aug. 11, Davey received six complaints of white dust from the paper mill settling on cars and homes in northeast Canton. The event appeared to be similar to the incident the previous

September, though less impactful, Davey wrote.

“Woke up to a thick layer of white stuff on my cars again today,” reads a complaint from a Thompson Street resident who lives about a half-mile northeast of the mill. “Not sure if it’s the same stuff from Evergreen or not but it seems to be similar. Doesn’t just wipe off like dust or pollen.”

Just a couple of weeks later, Davey received two additional dust complaints, one from a Canton resident whose car was parked in a Main Street parking lot and another from a resident residing a half-mile northeast of the mill. The complaints indicated that the

white particles were larger than they had been before and seemed to wash off a bit easier. In correspondence with DEQ, the mill said it had received 38 complaints from employees and residents during the same timeframe.

Less than two months ago, the same Thompson Street resident who had contacted Davey in early August emailed him Sept. 17-18 to report white dust settling on cars in the area.

Following an investigation, Davey concluded that the material in the early August and September dustings was lime dust, while the mid-August dusting was most likely calci-

The No. 5 lime dust collector emits dust prior to being shut down for repairs Sept. 27, 2021. DAQ photo

In a photo taken Feb. 1, black liquor deposits sit in the Pigeon River. AECOM photo

um carbonate — limestone dust.

“While neither is regulated as a federal hazardous air pollutant or an N.C. toxic air pollutant, any kind of fine or coarse particles are regulated as particulate matter,” said Shawn Taylor, public information officer for the N.C. Division of Air Quality. “Very high levels of particulate matter are known to cause heart and lung conditions, particularly in young children and older adults. As with any pollutant, the level of exposure determines the amount of risk.”

Following the complaints received Aug. 911, Davey visited the mill and saw the No. 5 lime filter operate for only a short time before it was shut down to have all 48 of its cartridges replaced. They’d been completely replaced May 16, but starting July 15 mill staff noticed small, intermittent puffs of dust, and conditions had since continued to degrade. They said they would have replaced the cartridges then, but the replacements ordered in March still hadn’t arrived. They weren’t delivered until the evening of Aug. 8.

“Substandard manufacturing” is a possible culprit of the cartridges’ deterioration, the mill wrote in response to emailed questions from Davey, with about one-third of them plugged up to the point of compromising performance. Since October 2021, the mill had written “numerous” purchase orders to a variety of vendors in an effort to have spare cartridges on site at all times for all its dust collectors. However, supply chain issues had kept those orders from being filled.

“This has proven difficult and certainly played a role in this event, but we do appear to have finally rounded a corner and currently have ample inventory on site,” reads the mill’s response to Davey.

A notice of violation was later issued to the mill for failure to properly operate and maintain its No. 5 lime dust collector.

The dust that fell Aug. 23-24 was a different material — calcium carbonate, or limestone dust, which in precipitated form is used as a filler in paper manufacturing. The airborne particles could be coming from the precipitated calcium carbonate plant, which is not owned by Evergreen, or from machine wet end vents and exhaust points, the mill said. There “does not appear to be a clear air permit violation with this event,” Davey concluded.

When Davey investigated the Sept. 17-18 event, he found another lime dust collector issue related to manufacturing problems.

On Sept. 14, fire blowback from the No. 5 kiln had damaged the No. 5 dust collector. The filter cartridges were all replaced with filters the mill had decided to try on a trial basis, and the dust collector went back into service the next day. However, by Sept. 17 performance had noticeably degraded, with staff noting visible emissions. They tried to manage the situation by lowering the pulse jet pressure, but the degradation continued, with the lime kiln and dust collector ultimately shut down at 6:45 p.m. that day. The next day, new “more robust” cartridges from a different manufacturer were installed, with the failed filters all removed from the mill’s inventory.

Davey noted that even after the new cartridges were installed, he received four addi-

tional complaints of white dust. This may have been due to residual dust being redeposited, he wrote, but it was also possible that the dust deposition issue had not been fully resolved.

Subsequent complaints Oct. 7-19 confirmed that the issue was still ongoing, with 21 people contacting Davey to complain of white dust. This, too, was determined to be lime dust. The regional office is also responding to five more dust complaints, reported Oct. 25, Oct. 26, Nov. 2 and Nov. 9, with the source of these issues still under investigation.

As a result of the dust deposition issues, Evergreen has so far received four notices of violation, with an $8,045 penalty issued for the first one, related to the incident in September 2021. That penalty has been paid in full, Taylor said. No fines were levied in connection with the August and September 2022 dustings because DEQ staff did not observe visible emissions in those events — the mill was already in the process of shutting down to make repairs when Davey arrived.

“More recent dust issues remain under investigation,” Taylor said. “We will require the facility resolve any issues with its controls and will use our enforcement tools to address noncompliance.”

FISHKILLONTHE PIGEON

Even as it’s struggled to control dust deposition, Evergreen has logged multiple water quality violations over the past year and a half.

On May 4, 2021, 20 gallons of wastewater containing turpentine poured to the ground, with stormwater runoff sweeping it into the Pigeon River. Though a “minor” sheen was observed on the streambank adjacent to the release site, it wasn’t visible downstream, reads a May 18, 2021, notice of violation from the Department of Water Quality.

In a reply to the notice, Evergreen wrote that a section of pipe, which was supposed to run from the turpentine storage area to a manhole, turned out to be missing. This allowed the mixture of water and turpentine to spray along the side of the 30-foot-tall manhole structure, splashing at a concrete ledge inside the manhole. Impacted soil around the slide gate was removed, with oilabsorbing booms placed in the Pigeon River. Mill staff walked the riverbank both upstream and downstream to confirm that there was only one point of impact.

“We believe the root cause has been addressed with the installation of the pipe and this issue has been resolved,” the response reads.

However, a few months later a new pollution issue attracted DEQ’s attention.

On Nov. 23, 2021, the mill’s environmental staff found dead fish and trace amounts of foam downstream — with about 25 dead fish observed in a five-day follow-up report submitted Dec. 6. At the same time, a discharge monitoring report found that on Nov. 23, 24, 25 and 30, 2021, biological oxygen demand — the amount of oxygen aquatic microorganisms use up — was higher than allowed under state regulations, posing a problem for native aquatic species. The Division of Water Resources issued two notices of violation, one

on Jan. 3 focusing on the biological oxygen demand exceedance and the other on April 7 citing five specific water quality violations surrounding the fish kill.

“Evergreen Packaging places paramount importance upon permit compliance and water resource protection and regrets the issues that led to the upset of the mill wastewater treatment plant and subsequent, apparent impacts to water quality in the Pigeon River and aquatic life,” General Manager John McCarthy and Wastewater Treatment Plant ORC Tracy Willis wrote in a written response to the violation notice Feb. 3.

They noted that the mill has a “significant history” of wastewater permit compliance, “particularly regarding BOD (biological oxygen demand) limits.” Only two biological oxygen demand exceedances were identified during a review of the last 15 years, the mill said, the most recent in 2012.

“Clearly, the recent BOD limit non-compliance was a rare event and effective treatment of wastewater and discharge of compliant effluent should be expected,” McCarthy and Willis wrote.

The Division of Water Resources determined that the incident was severe enough to warrant two fines totaling $30,548, which have since been paid in full.

“The wastewater plant’s inability to fully treat the effluent resulted in a fish kill with dead and distressed fish observed six miles downstream of the NPDES outfall,” reads a pair of April 27 documents outlining the penalties. “The discharge of effluent having an elevated level of BOD5 could negatively impact the aquatic habitat and not be immediately observable.”

A REIGNITED GROUNDWATERSEEP

Even as the penalty process for the fish kill was wrapping up, another set of environmental violations was brewing for Evergreen.

On Jan. 28, Evergreen’s environmental staff found a production byproduct known as black liquor “visibly present” in the Pigeon River — in the area of a previously documented groundwater seep. The seep has a long history, first receiving a notice of violation in 1994. According to an April 22 letter from Collin Day, regional supervisor for the DEQ’s Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch, the discharge into the river is likely associated with this documented groundwater contamination.

Communication on the issue between International Paper, Evergreen and various divisions of the DEQ has been ongoing since, with the Division of Water Resources issuing a notice of violation on April 11, updating and reissuing it Oct. 17. The Division of Waste Management issued its own notice Oct. 20. Each notice listed three violations, for a total of six between them.

“The seep does not appear to currently be ongoing, but it has been observed in past years, so over a longer time scale it could be considered to be ongoing,” said Anna Gurney, public information officer for the Division of Water Resources.

Analysis is underway to determine how the

seep might impact water quality in the Pigeon River. A 38-page report from TRC Environmental Consulting, filed in October, lays out plans to sample surface water and soils in the area to learn more about environmental impacts and toxicity concerns. On Oct. 17, AECOM Technical Services Inc. submitted a plan to sample groundwater for overall analysis as well as a dissolved metals analysis.

In a Jan. 31 email, the mill’s environmental manager Chuck Cranford said he did not believe the seep contained an “oil or hazardous substance RQ exceedance,” but in a reply Division of Waste Management hydrogeologist David Ramey warned the mill that “responsibility for missing contaminants lies with you all.”

“An immediate need of the DEQ (Inactive Hazardous Sites Branch) is surface water sampling results from the Pigeon River to ensure that black liquor/seep material/discharging contaminated groundwater is not impacting the Pigeon River… we have concerns regarding whether a laboratory analysis has been performed on a sample of the liquor to determine its constituents in terms of contaminants of concern,” Ramey wrote in a March 18 email to mill representatives.

Canton’s drinking water comes from above the mill, outside of the area impacted by the seep. However, the seep could impact downstream water quality and ecology in the river.

‘WE DON’T WANTANY OFTHOSEVIOLATIONS’

Evergreen Packaging is critical to Haywood County’s economy, employing more than 1,000 people with competitive pay rates and benefit packages. But it’s also been a frequent target for criticism from people concerned about impacts to air and water, both of which are vital to the county’s tourism industry.

Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers said that, while he’s disappointed to hear about the recent violations, overall he’s encouraged by the mill’s continual progress in recent decades to reduce its environmental impact and improve its communication with town leaders.

“When you’re operating a major plant, problems develop,” Smathers said. “To me what I look for — and I’ve seen this in the mill in the past, I see it now — is they do not have an attitude of acceptance, to say, ‘Well, this is just this is going to happen. Sorry.’ I’ve had some sincere conversations with many of the leadership in the mill, and there is a sincere belief and understanding that they continuously have to keep doing what they’re supposed to do and do better.”

That said, Smathers is concerned by these recent violations. After all, as exemplified by the recently opened Chestnut Mountain Nature Park, Canton is in the midst of an effort to rebrand itself as an outdoor destination — in addition to its identity as a mill town.

“I’m not a scientist by trade, but each one of those are serious concerns,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers. “We don’t want any discharge — air, water, land. We don’t want any of those violations. No citizen does.”

FROM A RED WAVE …

Republicans dominate Western North Carolina races

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR

The highly anticipated red wave hit Western North Carolina hard on Nov. 8, with Republicans retaining several crucial legislative seats and knocking off some longtime Democratic incumbents on the local level.

“I think that if you look at just the individual counties basically what happened is the Republicans came out more to vote, and independents that voted Republican came out more to vote. That’s the black and white of it,” said Leslie Carey, the newly-elected Democratic Party chair of the 11th Congressional District.

Although the results favored Republicans in most cases, at least a few of those victories could come back to haunt Republicans in 2024 with a case of buyer’s remorse.

Once again, Franklin Republican Sen. Kevin Corbin led the party’s charge, defeating Jackson County Democrat Karen McCracken with 66% of the vote to retain his seat.

The victory allows Corbin to continue his long career in public service that began when he was elected to the Macon County School Board at the age of 22. He spent 20 years there, including 16 as chairman. After four years out of politics, Corbin was appointed to the Macon County Commission and then won a full term, and also went on to chair that body.

From there, he served two terms in the House, representing the 120th District.

Almost exactly three years ago, longtime incumbent, Republican Sen. Jim Davis, announced he wouldn’t seek reelection to his senate seat, and endorsed Corbin. In the 2020 Republican Primary Election, Corbin won handily over upstart challenger Sarah Conway by more than 56 points.

“I appreciate the support,” Corbin said on election night. “I’m an incumbent, so I’m a known quantity and frankly I appreciate the votes we got from Democrats and unaffiliated voters, because Republicans only comprise about 40% of the electorate.”

Corbin’s successor in the House, Macon County Republican Rep. Karl Gillespie, saw no opposition in either the Primary Election or the General Election and will head to Raleigh for his second term.

Mike Clampitt, a Swain County Republican, also won what was thought to be a somewhat competitive race in a rejiggered district.

In Western North Carolina, legislative redistricting had the most dramatic impact

on Clampitt’s 119th House District, removing part of Haywood County and adding all of Transylvania County to the existing counties of Swain and Jackson.

That wasn’t exactly the greatest news for Clampitt, who was serving his second nonconsecutive term representing the 119th District.

Voters in Haywood County who knew Clampitt from his five races against Waynesville Democrat Joe Sam Queen — Clampitt won in 2016 and 2020, but lost in 2012, 2014 and 2018 — could no longer vote for him, so Clampitt had to make inroads in a whole new county.

That county happens to be where Clampitt’s opponent, architect Al Platt, has lived for decades, which would seem to give him an edge there.

Platt couldn’t capitalize on his home-field advantage, but Clampitt certainly did, by posting solid numbers in Jackson (53.2%) and Swain (62.9%) and beating Platt by almost 3 points in Transylvania.

Mapping website davesredistricting.org had put the 119th District at 54.5% Republican, based on voter performance in previous elections. Unofficial results as of Nov. 12 show Clampitt with 53.7% of the vote, a slight underperformance.

However, Clampitt’s victory is all the more incredible once fundraising numbers enter the picture. According to Platt’s third quarter report, Platt raised $401,479 during the 2022 election cycle, including $30,000 he loaned his own campaign. Clampitt’s third quarter report, detailing contributions through Sept. 30, shows total receipts of $23,000 for the cycle.

Haywood County Republican Mark Pless may have produced his share of controversy during his first term in the General Assembly, but he also produced results, bringing tens of millions of dollars in flood relief to Haywood County.

Voters rewarded him with another term, as they selected him over Haywood County Democratic challenger Josh Remillard.

“I appreciate all the support I’ve had,” said Pless. “The voters have enabled me to do a lot of things for Haywood and Madison counties by sending me down there, and I plan to continue that. I want Haywood and Madison to be on top.”

Pless served as a Haywood County commissioner for two years, leaving midway through his term to run for the seat vacated by then-Rep. Michele Presnell (R-Burnsville) in 2020. Pless coasted to an easy victory in that election over Democrat Alan Jones, beating him by more than 27 points in a district

that had included part of Haywood County, along with the entirety of Madison and Yancey counties.

Recent redistricting reunified Haywood County on the House side and removed Yancey from the district.

The new 118th District was thought to be 59.9% Republican — not by registration, but by voter performance from 2016 through 2020 — indicating a slight overperformance by Pless, who ended up with 60.33% of the vote against 39.67% for Remillard.

Like Clampitt, Pless’ performance is all the more notable when considering campaign spending. Pless started the 2022 election cycle with more than $12,000 in cash on hand, raised only $5,576 through the third quarter of this year and spent about $16,000, but Remillard raised more than $79,000.

Although the Republican-held seats of Corbin, Gillespie, Pless and Clampitt were all considered relatively safe, retaining them was

important for NCGOP hopes of a legislative supermajority (see RIPPLE, p. 8), something the party ultimately fell short of by just one House seat.

County-level governments in Western North Carolina also experienced the red wave, turning what were already strong Republican counties into de-facto one-party public bodies.

In Swain County, Republican Kevin Seagle handily defeated Democratic incumbent Ben Bushyhead in the race to chair the Swain County Commission. Seagle had to vacate his seat on the commission to run; that seat, along with another open seat, went to Republicans Phillip Carson and David Loftis. They’ll join Commissioner Kenneth Parton and Commissioner Roger Parsons, the lone Democrat.

The Macon County Board of Commissioners will also shift further to the right, after incumbent Gary Shields and upstarts Danny Antoine and John Shearl both came away with victories, knocking off incumbent Democrat Ronnie Beale and holding off Betty Cloer Wallace and Jerry Moore. Republican commissioners Paul Higdon and Joshua Young weren’t on the ballot this year, so with Beale’s departure Republicans now hold a 5-0 majority.

The final results of the Jackson County Commission race won’t be in until after canvas on Friday, Nov. 18, but however it ends up, it has to be considered a victory for Republicans.

As it currently stands, Republican challenger John W. Smith is leading Democratic incumbent Boyce Deitz by 136 votes. Fellow Democratic incumbent Gayle Woody trails her Republican challenger Todd Bryson by 493 votes.

Republican Mark Letson has a 192-vote lead over longtime Democratic incumbent Chairman Brian McMahan — an interesting

Kevin Corbin

Mike Clampitt

Mark Pless

… TO A RIPPLE

Republicans

secured some big victories on election night. Their future in North Carolina less certain.

prior partisan behavior. For example, while many thought Republican Bo Hines could take NC-13, he lost. Although some analysts are pointing to the fact Hines was flawed and Bitzer agreed a stronger candidate may have fared better, the outcome was generally predictable.

“What that says is North Carolina voting patterns have continued to harden,” he said. “The 13th Congressional District, by 2020, would have been 52-48 for [Congressmanelect Wiley] Nickel. He won 51-49.”

ELECTIONSHAVE CONSEQUENCES

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR

The predicted red wave washed over most of North Carolina’s elections last week, but now as it recedes and parties begin strategizing for the next presidential election cycle amid shifting demographics and potentially contentious primaries in several races, Republicans may have cause to worry about a low tide in 2024.

Leaning on conventional wisdom that the party holding the White House — especially when the president has as low of approval ratings as Joe Biden — will lose a good deal of House and Senate seats, media outlets predicted that the GOP’s midterm momentum might carry them to strong results nationwide. But even with some results still out and a runoff between Democratic incumbent Raphael Warnock and Republican Hershel Walker for a Georgia Senate seat pending, it’s clear that Democrats held more seats than many predicted while also performing better than expected in gubernatorial races.

Republicans fared well overall in North Carolina, winning each statewide judicial race, the U.S. Senate race, and a supermajority in the state Senate. While the party fell one seat short of securing a supermajority in the state House and lost a couple of congressional seats strategists considered winnable, party leadership is still happy with the overall outcome.

Strategists and leaders in both parties are already analyzing successes and failures through the lens of the next big election, and both sides are thinking things may be tougher for Republicans in state races, especially as the divide widens between its establishment and its “MAGA wing” made up largely of ardent Trump supporters who continue to believe the lie that the 2020 Presidential Election was “stolen,” often citing vague and repeatedly debunked claims. If Trump and his supporters down ballot win their primaries, it may spell disaster for the GOP.

BREAKINGDOWNTHERESULTS

Once early voting totals came in last Tuesday night, Democrats predictably took early leads, but as precincts reported, Republicans narrowed the deficits, turned the tables and surged to victory in almost every race they hoped to win in North Carolina. Although closer than Republicans had anticipated, Ted Budd’s Senate victory over Cheri Beasley was one the party celebrated. In that race, while Trump’s endorsement may have helped Budd in his primary, he downplayed that endorsement during the General Election and even accepted the support of former Vice President Mike Pence, whom Trump has soured on since his 2020 loss. Budd also received an endorsement from Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson and was backed by Club

The results of the congressional races came in at an even 7-7 with Democrats and Republicans claiming an equal number of seats.

For Growth, which a WRAL story claimed may have helped push him over the line with $14 million and continued attacks.

But not all congressional races went the way Republicans had hoped. In a state that elected nine Republican congressmen and just four Democrats in 2020, in 2022 under new maps with one more district, the total was 7-7 as Republicans lost two seats they thought could have been theirs in NC-13 and NC-1.

While it’s expected that the party not in the White House might win somewhere around 40 combined House and Senate seats in a midterm year, Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College, said that beyond inflation and gas prices, there was another strong dynamic that may have had a stronger influence on voters than previously thought — abortion.

“If someone said inflation and the economy would be the top issues, I’d say, ‘yep, that fits what we know about midterms,’” Bitzer said. “If somebody said that within four points, abortion would be the second most important issue, most would think, ‘boy, that has some staying power.’”

Bitzer thought the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican Richard Burr would perhaps fall to Budd with a wider margin of victory and that the actual result indicates what some political scientists call “calcification.” Basically, voters are more rigid and more predictable based on

With a supermajority in the Senate and a near-supermajority in the House, Republicans should generally be able to find a way to either bring Democrats over for individual votes or time votes such that the entire Democratic caucus isn’t present to prevent an override of a veto issued by Gov. Roy Cooper. This seems likely as many expect some controversial legislation on things like abortion restrictions and gun rights, and Cooper has vetoed more bills than any other governor in state history.

According to reporting from Carolina Journal during a joint press conference with Senate Majority Leader Phil Berger last week, House Speaker Tim Moore said there are some Democrats he expects will work with Republicans.

“We have some new members coming in, and I feel completely confident that should we need to override vetoes, we’ll be able to do our part in the House as well,” Moore said.

Even without courting new members, there’s reason to believe Moore may be able to secure those necessary Democratic members’ votes. All it takes is one look at the House vote on the latest North Carolina budget to see there are some Democrats who may vote with Republicans in certain instances, and that could translate to veto overrides.

In a tweet, Republican political consultant Jim Blaine said leaders told him there are one to three Democrats who may consider a party switch. Although that seems less likely than bringing Democrats over for individual votes, it isn’t unprecedented as just in the last decade Rep. Paul Tine changed from Democrat to unaffiliated and caucused largely with Republicans in the last year before he retired from the General Assembly.

With last week’s results, when the House and Senate get back to business in January, there will be a greater chance to push the Republican agenda through. While there will be a chance to compromise with moderate Democrats on some things, there could also be a chance to lean right on some issues.

Democrat Graig Meyer has represented the Chapel Hill area in the state House for about nine years and was just elected to the Senate. He said he’s excited to be in the Senate and wield a bit more power even though he’ll be working against a supermajority.

“There’s still an important role to play in giving a voice to people who want to be represented and a chance to work together on things when you can,” Meyer said.

Dallas Woodhouse is the former Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party and is now a columnist for the Carolina Journal. He said that while having sizable majorities in the General Assembly is obviously beneficial to the party’s agenda, he added that legislation isn’t always as simple as whipping the votes, especially on certain issues where Republicans have different beliefs. For example, when it comes to pro-life views, Woodhouse said some Republicans want no abortions under any circumstances, while Berger has said he’d likely side with restricting abortions beyond 12 or 13 weeks. The current law bans abortions after 20 weeks.

“The most likely thing you’ll see is a small change,” he said.

Perhaps the most consequential issue of the next two years will be redistricting ahead of the presidential election cycle. While the state legislative maps may or may not fall under scrutiny, there is bound to be controversy over congressional maps. Notably, those maps drawn by the legislature are not subject to veto. While Democrats and Republicans each claimed seven seats this year, experts think a map could be drawn by the Republican majority that would yield far more Republican seats in 2024.

“I think 10-4 is probably a baseline,” Bitzer said.

THEBIGGESTPRIZES

The two North Carolina Supreme Court races were among the most important of the 2022 cycle.

Trying to hold the 4-3 advantage on the court, Democrats ran incumbent Justice Sam Ervin IV and Lucy Inman, who sought to fill the seat being vacated by Justice Robin E. Hudson. Running against Ervin and Inman were Republicans Trey Allen and Richard Dietz, who won their elections with about 52.5% of the vote each. In 2020, Democrats had a 6-1 majority on the Supreme Court. Now Republicans will hold a majority until at least 2028.

In addition to victories by Allen and Dietz, all four court of appeals seats up for election were won by Republicans.

Democrats are concerned about what kinds of rulings may be coming down the pike from the court that has the final say in any case involving a challenge to a law based on the North Carolina constitution. There has been a trend of increased politicization of the Supreme Court ever since the elections were made partisan in 2017, and people can expect to see challenges to legislation come before justices.

“Expect to see a lot of 5-2 rulings,” Bitzer said.

“Judicial, ideological leaning of the Appellate and Supreme Court is concerning, especially when we look at some of the overreach the legislature has engaged in over the past few years,” said Rep. Brian Turner, who didn’t run for office this go-round. “The check and balance, as it should be, has been the courts.”

When asked how he thought Election Day went, NCGOP Chair Michael Whatley said it was a “very nice day” and immediately cited victories in judicial races.

“We were six-for-six between Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and we’re 14-for14 over the last two cycles,” Whatley said.

The outcome is the result of a concerted effort by Republicans.

The super PAC Results for NC, Inc., which is tied to Sen. Thom Tillis, amid a slew of pinpointed donations, bolstered Republican Supreme Court candidates with donations of $5,600. In addition, former Rep. Mark Walker launched winthecourts.com, a website that supports Republican candidates for the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court. Walker has occasionally promoted the effort on social media, showing off a bus bearing the likeness of each candidate on its exterior.

While Walker finished third behind Budd and former NC Gov. Pat McCrory in a contentious Senate primary, he still found ways to back Republicans in those key judicial races.

“I knew that there was a way that we could help out the party because of how many people supported us and how many places we went and contacts we had made,” Walker said. “I knew it was urgent to roll that back in quickly while those relationships were fresh. Having served three terms in Congress and seeing how the North Carolina Supreme court impacted everything, I was personally vested in making sure we put judges who didn’t use that usurp the legislature.”

Woodhouse said he was happy to see the way Republicans fared, especially within the courts, echoing the Republican refrain that those were the most important elections of the night. He had no problem pointing out what he said were partisan rulings from the Democratic majority, specifically throwing constitutional amendments passed in 2018 requiring photo ID for people voting in person and lowering the personal and corporate income tax caps from 10% to 7%.

“You’re not going to see a Republican court act that way,” he said.

SETTINGTHESTAGEFOR ‘24

Now that the 2022 elections are just about wrapped up, it’s time to start focusing on 2024.

Although this story will have gone to press prior to Donald Trump’s scheduled “special announcement” at Mara Lago Tuesday night, it’s widely expected he would announce his candidacy for the 2024 presidential election. Like in 2016, it’s expected he’ll have primary challengers in the likes of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who overwhelm-

ingly won his reelection bid, and former Vice President Mike Pence. But unlike 2016, this primary is already shaping up to be a fight between the well-established but shrinking MAGA wing of the party and Republicans looking to move on from that movement and the man who spurred it on. And folks are already taking sides. Even over the last week, many in conservative media have turned on Trump.

Something similar is happening in North Carolina as it’s been reported that Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, a brash controversial figure who’s a steadfast Trump supporter, has long been considering a gubernatorial run. But he too will likely have at least one primary opponent in Treasurer Dale Folwell who many

experts believe is posturing himself for a go at the governor’s mansion.

Bitzer said both races will be a “kind of battle for the soul of the Republican party.”

“I think the conventional wisdom would probably err on the side of both Trump and Robinson in these races just because those candidates tend to fit the Republican primary voter base,” he said.

Bitzer is referring to Dan Forrest, the former North Carolina Lieutenant Governor who lost to Cooper in 2020. While Republicans won a number of other statewide races, Bitzer said he believes Forrest’s hard-right views were front-and-center in that high-profile race.

“I would put Mark Robinson slightly fur-

Here’s a look at the North Carolina Legislative Building, where Republicans will enjoy a supermajority in the state Senate but fell one shy of achieving the same in the House.

Republicans Trey Allen (left) and Richard Dietz won their state Supreme Court races to shift the court’s balance from a 4-3 Democratic advantage to a 5-2 Republican majority.

ther to the right than Dan Forrest,” Bitzer said.

On the Democrat side, it’s assumed Attorney General Josh Stein will run for governor, but there have also been rumblings he may be challenged in a primary by at least one serious candidate. Bitzer said it matters that Stein, the elected Attorney General for the last six years, has won two statewide elections.

“That helps in building a campaign toward 2024’s nomination,” Bitzer said.

Some Republicans The Smoky Mountain News spoke with expressed concerns that seeing Trump and Robinson at the top of their ticket may harm down-ballot candidates, and some of the Democrats outright said that’s exactly what they hope to see.

“If you have some of these extremists like Trump and Robinson at the top of the ticket in North Carolina, it’s going to cause a lot of Republicans and unaffiliated voters to reassess what kind of state they really want us to live in,” Turner said.

“I sure hope that Trump and Robinson are at the top of the ticket in 2024 because that would be the stupidest thing Republicans could do,” Meyer said.

In 2022, Trump-supported candidates — many of whom are ardent election deniers — fell short in races across the country, including Kari Lake, who ran for governor in Arizona, and Pennsylvania Senate hopeful Mehmet Oz. in North Carolina, Bo Hines, who lost his run for NC-13, frequently voiced support for Trump.

“Trump candidates are not attractive to a large swatch of voters,” Woodhouse said.

For example, Woodhouse was excited that freshman Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a steadfast Trump supporter, lost his primary to Sen. Chuck Edwards, a Hendersonville Republican who won in the General Election against Democrat Jasmine BeachFerrara and will now represent NC-11 in Congress (see STORY, p. 6). He believes Edwards will be a far more competent legislator than Cawthorn.

“A lot of voters in the middle that are hesitant to vote for candidates that are completely engulfed in Trump. Ted Budd wasn’t, Chuck Edwards wasn’t,” he said.

While Woodhouse thinks Biden or even Vice President Kamala Harris appearing at the top of the Democratic ticket in 2024 would hurt that party’s down-ballot hopes, he also has plenty of concerns for his own side.

“I worry greatly about the future of my party, which I’ve spent a good deal of my adult lifetime working to support,” he said.

The kinds of bills the General Assembly takes up and how those votes shake out, especially how veto override votes and court cases play out, may have an impact on 2024 election results. Multiple people who spoke with SMN expressed the belief that House Speaker Tim Moore is likely to have a congressional district carved out for him in the 2024 maps — something that was attempted in 2022 but ultimately didn’t pan out.

In addition, people believe Moore may use his power to push legislation he could tout in 2024.

“I can say that is commonly believed in Raleigh because it is,” Meyer said.

REACHINGOUT

There’s no shortage of unique dynamics that could shape the crucial 2024 elections, but a big part of success for either party will be identifying areas where they can pick up persuadable voters — which despite a rise of unaffiliated voters still seems to be in shorter and shorter supply.

Republicans interviewed for this story said they need to up their efforts to court urban voters while Democrats wanted to figure out how to reach out to rural folks while also increasing turnout in population centers like Mecklenburg. That county came in under 44% turnout despite a statewide turnout of about 51%, which is itself lower than 2018 and a good deal lower than the 2020 presidential election cycle.

Bitzer noted that where the “real play” will be is in “urban suburbs,” in other words, outlying areas in urban counties, such as Buncombe County outside of Asheville or Mecklenburg County outside of Charlotte. Whoever can win in those areas while also shoring up their weaknesses whether in urban or rural areas, will have the best chance.

Whatley thinks his party has the perfect messaging to attract those traditionally liberal urban voters.

“Long-term, we have to be able to compete in urban, suburban areas and rural areas,” he said. “I think with our economic messaging, we can do that. It doesn’t matter where you live, you’re worried about inflation, gas prices, grocery prices.”

Meyers said that the Democratic brand has been damaged in rural areas in the eastern and western parts of the state, adding that it’ll take local leaders such as Canton’s Democratic Mayor, Zeb Smathers, to begin building a working-class message from the ground up.

“Zeb is taking care of jobs and providing recreation for people who live and retire here, but people hear more about AOC than the work he’s doing,” Meyers said.

Another element that may tip the scales in favor of Democrats is the state’s changing demographics as an influx of millennials and even younger voters continues to come into the state. While those people typically make their way to blue districts, this reliable Democratic voting bloc is also spilling into other counties. Buncombe County is well-known as Western North Carolina’s blue stronghold, however that element may be seeping into surrounding areas. In 2022, Henderson County, typically reliably red, only went 55-45 for Republicans.

“I think that continued in-migration and … the generational transformation of this state will play a large role,” Bitzer said. “Millennials who are now under 41 and particularly Gen Z, if they show up at their respective political weight, the state will go from purple with a slight red tint to purple with slight blue hue in it.”

Edwards takes 11th Congressional District over Beach-Ferrara

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR

Hendersonville’s three-term Republican Sen. Chuck Edwards is moving up in the world, from Raleigh to Washington, after defeating his Democrat and Libertarian opponents in the Nov. 8 General Election.

Now, Edwards will get to work trying to restore the trust of 11th District residents after the previous two Republican representatives basically abandoned the job.

Mark Meadows, now considered a central figure in former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss, resigned his seat in Congress in March 2020 to become then President Donald Trump’s chief of staff, leaving Western North Carolina without a voice in Washington as the country struggled through a global pandemic and passed some of the largest spending packages in U.S. history.

After Meadows’ departure, during which he attempted to block out other Republican candidates in favor of Maggie Valley realtor Lynda Bennett, Hendersonville’s Madison Cawthorn slipped through a crowded Primary Election field to grab a spot in the runoff and subsequently win the nomination over the Trump-endorsed Bennett by almost 32 points.

Cawthorn was criticized for his poor attendance record on the Hill, and alienated establishment Republicans with inflammatory statements and a premature announcement that he’d run in a proposed new congressional district that ultimately never came to be.

Buncombe County Commissioner Jasmine Beach Ferrara became the first Democrat to challenge Cawthorn back in the spring of 2021, but once the final maps came down, Cawthorn had little choice but to return to the district that elected him after saying he’d run elsewhere.

After Cawthorn’s departure, Edwards declared his intent to seek the seat.

While running in the Primary Election campaign Edwards appeared at nearly a dozen forums, calling out Cawthorn’s

absences, and then defeated Cawthorn in a hard-fought Primary Election during which it seemed each day brought a new scandal for Cawthorn.

Of the eight Republicans in the field, Edwards beat Cawthorn by just 1.57%, or 1,384 votes, out of more than 88,000 cast.

After the Primary Election Edwards refused to appear at any legitimate forum with his two opponents, instead opting for a taped appearance on a television station he’d paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to in the past for advertising.

The 11th Congressional District saw some changes during the redistricting process last year but remains largely the same as it was in 2020. Nonpartisan mapping website davesredistricting.org estimates the new 11th should perform at 53.6% for Republicans.

Edwards slightly overperformed; as of press time on Tuesday, Nov. 15, the North Carolina State Board of Elections showed Edwards with 53.94% of the vote.

Like Cawthorn, Edwards won every county in the district except Buncombe. Mark Meadows was the last Republican to win Buncombe, which he did in 2016 by about 1,000 votes.

Also like Cawthorn and Meadows, Edwards does not have a college degree and got his start making sandwiches. Edwards went on to become the owner of several McDonald’s franchises across Western North Carolina, and in 2020 took a $1.1 million PPP loan that he never paid back while also carving out a $50,000 tax break for himself while in the General Assembly.

Last month, Edwards told The Smoky Mountain News that he’d 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,” contradicting previous and subsequent claims by members of his own party.

Small business owner and Libertarian David Coatney finished a distant third in the race with 1.69% percent, but couldn’t outpace 2020 Libertarian nominee Tracy DeBruhl, who ended up with 1.92%.

reversal of fortune for Letson, who lost to Democrat Mark Jones in 2020 by 7 votes.

Jones (Democrat) and Tom Stribling (Republican) weren’t on the ballot this year after their 2020 victories, meaning if current reurns hold up through the election certification date of Nov. 18, the Jackson Commission could go from a 4-to-1 Democrat majority to a 4to-1 Republican majority (see JACKSON, P. 14)

Similar Republican gains were apparent in local school board races. Republicans took both contested seats in Swain County and all four contested seats in Haywood County, but split two seats in Macon County.

Republicans also flipped several sheriff races, in historical fashion. Both Haywood and Jackson counties will have their first Republican sheriffs, possibly ever.

Republican Bill Wilke defeated Larry Bryson by 21 points in Haywood and Republican Doug Farmer topped Rick Buchanan by almost four points in Jackson. In Swain County, Republican Sheriff Curtis Cochran defeated Democrat Doug “Tank” Anthony by more than 43 points.

“We had some small wins,” Carey said. “Just to be frank, I don’t have all the data I need at this point to really take a deep dive, and I really think that’s something that needs to be looked at and analyzed. I think it comes down to us needing to reevaluate our strategy and reevaluating where we fell short.”

Results from other Haywood County races, however, could prove a liability for local Republicans after voters made some questionable choices at the polls that many claim put partisanship ahead of performance, said Haywood County Democratic Party Chair Myrna Campbell.

“It’s like they don’t care about the responsibility that citizens have to uphold the government,” she said.

The most shocking upset came when newcomer Sebastian Cothran, a 21-year-old Republican, defeated incumbent Democrat Greg West for the position of Haywood County Tax Collector.

West had pushed the county’s tax collection rate to new heights — despite being hobbled by the COVID-19 pandemic and tough economic

times — but voters chose Cothran, who’s never had a real job besides mowing lawns.

Cothran is about to graduate from UNCAsheville as a double major in accounting and political science. As he assumes the tax collector position, he’ll have to maintain that collections rate or there will be serious consequences for county commissioners during the next budget cycle — one percent of collections is equivalent to roughly $460,000 in tax revenue.

“It’s just irresponsible,” Campbell said. “You know that the tax collector job is maybe the most critical in county government, because if the revenue doesn’t come in, then the county is in deep trouble and that’s why all the other counties in the state have this as an appointed position.”

The other surprise came in the form of a victory by Terry Ramey on the Haywood County Commission after he’d tried and failed to get elected to the body three previous times.

Generally, Haywood’s Republican incumbents did well on Nov. 8. Commissioner Jennifer Best led the five-way race with 24.58% of the vote, a few points shy of her ticket-leading Primary Election performance.

Tommy Long, who with Pless back in 2018 handed the Haywood Commission its first-ever Republican majority, finished a close second to Best with 22.45% of the vote.

Longtime Democratic incumbent and two-time chairman Kirk Kirkpatrick, however, was ousted by Ramey, who’d run as a Democrat in 2016, a Republican in 2018 and a Republican in 2020. He finished last in each of those Primary Elections.

Just prior to the General Election, it was first reported by The Smoky Mountain News that Ramey was the only candidate who owed back taxes to the county he was running to represent. At the time, Ramey disputed the bills, but told SMN that if they were valid, he’d pay them. Some of the bills are more than a decade old, totaling thousands of dollars.

County administrators confirmed that they’d met with Ramey, and that the bills were valid. Ramey has repeatedly threatened The Smoky Mountain News for reporting on his unpaid taxes.

“You know, they talk about being a lawand-order party and all that,” Campbell said. “Paying your taxes is the law and you’re breaking the law when you don’t pay. So to

support a candidate like that, it certainly doesn’t deliver the right message.”

Putting local Democrats into position to capitalize on the results of the 2022 General Election will take time, and work, according to Campbell. That could involve a more concerted effort to involve Gen Z voters, who are largely credited with helping to break the red wave before it made it all the way from Western North Carolina, through Raleigh, to Washington, D.C.

“We need to start with getting some new blood, some new leadership in the at the precinct level. Young voters are what won for Democrats nationally, and I think we need to push to get more young voters involved here in Haywood County as well,” Campbell said. “That was a priority of mine when I first became chair, but I didn’t focus on it enough. That needs to be the focus in 2023.”

Democrats across the 11th Congressional District and the state of North Carolina will convene this spring to consider new leadership from a precinct to a county level, but when Haywood Dems consider their ballots, Campbell may not be on it.

“I haven’t totally decided that. I really think it’s time to pass the torch. This was my fourth term. I didn’t really intend to run a fourth time, but I formed a nominating committee in 2021 and they didn’t come up with a slate, so I was willing to do another term,” said Campbell, who previously served as a high-level aide to NC-11’s last Democratic Congressman, Heath Shuler. “But I really think it’s time for new leadership all around.”

Carey, who will serve in her NC-11 chair role at least until that position goes up for election in May, remains optimistic about Democratic efforts to regroup by 2024.

“I think, more than anything, this is going to take time,” she said. “It’s going to take time, and we just have to stay hopeful and motivated about the future, which I certainly am. I think we need to work a little bit more closely with the state to make sure that our candidates are also receiving the quality of support that they need. We have some of the most dedicated, talented volunteers working in the Democratic Party and we do not fall short of having people with a lot of heart. Knowing that makes is what makes me feel so hopeful about the future.”

Sebastian Cothran

Jennifer Best Mark Letson

Haywood Regional Medical Center

CEO

aywood Regional Medical Center announced that Chris Brown has been named chief executive officer (CEO), effective Nov. 28, 2022.

With more than a decade of healthcare industry experience, Brown joins Haywood Regional from Frye Regional Medical Center in Hickory, where he previously served as chief operating officer (COO) and interim CEO.

“We are pleased to welcome Chris to Haywood Regional Medical Center as CEO,” said Jamie Carter, Eastern Division President of Lifepoint Health. “Chris began his career in healthcare as a technologist and registered nurse and understands the day-to-day intricacies of a hospital and of patient care. He is a detail-oriented leader with years of healthcare operations experience. We know that Chris will positively lead the Haywood team as they continue to provide quality care to Clyde and the surrounding region.”

During his time as COO and interim CEO at Frye Regional, Brown oversaw the financial performance, strategic planning and day-to-day operations of the facility. He was an integral part of overseeing service line operations and growth projects and collaborations between emergency and laboratory services. Prior to Frye Regional, Brown served as COO at Starr Regional Medical Center in Athens and Etowah, Tenn., where he oversaw regular operations and implementation of a telestroke program and other programs. Brown also was associate administrator at Duke Lifepoint’s Wilson Medical Center in Wilson.

“Chris’ diverse operational and clinical experience contributes to his ability to effectively lead hospital teams through both normal day-to-day operations and times of change,” said Diana Laursen, chair of the Haywood Regional Medical Center Board of Trustees. “His unique perspective has allowed Chris to build on teams’ successes and inspire their dedication to improving the health of their communities.”

Brown has associates degrees in applied science in radiologic technology and nursing from Edgecombe Community College and Nash Community College respectively, a bachelor’s degree in health services management from East Carolina University and a Master of Business Administration from Fayetteville State University. He is a member of the American College of Healthcare Executives and is a Certified Professional in Patient Safety.

“I am excited to join the Haywood Regional Medical Center family,” said Brown. “I look forward to collaborating with the hospital team to serve the Clyde community, improving the delivery of healthcare and positively impacting the lives of people throughout this region.”

Jackson Board of Elections corrects election night mistake

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

The Jackson County Board of Elections held a public meeting Friday, Nov. 11, to inform the public about a misstep in the election night ballot counting process. Thanks to the audit that takes place between Election Day and canvass, the board of elections had found the mistake and accounted for it early Wednesday morning.

“After Election Day, we began a 10-day process to canvass that is full of hard work, auditing, reconciliations, spot checks, hand to eye counts, lots of different things that we do,” said Jackson County Board of Elections Chairman Kirk Stephens. “Every county in North Carolina follows the same procedure. It’s very detailed. It’s very thorough, to go through and make sure that we have the most accurate results possible.”

The bottom line? Jackson County Board of Elections initially double-counted 523 mail-in ballots on election night. The first step in the audit process that begins the morning after Election Day involves comparing the number of people who voted — counted in voter authorization forms that every person fills out before they vote — to the number of votes counted. When the board saw that it had 523

more votes counted than the number of people who voted, they immediately knew what mistake had been made.

A total of 14,969 ballots were cast in Jackson County by the end of Election Day Tuesday, Nov. 8; an additional 136 provision-

al ballots are being investigated and could be counted on canvass day and 63 absentee vote by mail ballots were received between Election Day and Monday, Nov. 15, the last day mail-in ballots could be received. Nothing will be official until after canvass on

Friday, Nov. 18. Stephens said he expects that most of the 136 provisional ballots will not be allowed to count, but that some of them will.

“We are all acutely aware that election night returns are emotional,” said Stephens. “And even though everybody says these are unofficial results, nobody really takes that to heart. I know it was emotional. So if there’s an apology to be made, I absolutely apologize. I apologize for the confusion. What we’re doing here, quite frankly, is more important than any candidate.”

While several members of the public had questions for the board at its Friday meeting, others thanked the board for its hard work on election night, and its effort to inform the public of the mistake that had been made, and how it was fixed.

“Thank you, guys,” one man said. “Election night, it was a very big ‘yay,’ and then ‘whoa.’ You know, it really was, and I’m thinking, maybe we need to get torches and pitchforks out. But at the end of the day, I know several of you on the board. I’ve known you guys my whole life. I know you’re honest people and I know that there was nothing really fishy. So thank you for your dedication. Thank you for allowing this meeting.”

There are two primary ways that people can vote in U.S. elections — mail in absentee voting and in-person voting. Any votes by mail must be postmarked by Election Day and must be received by the board of elections within three business days of Election Day. This year, because Friday was Veterans Day, the last day mail-in ballots could be received was Monday, Nov. 14.

The Jackson County Board of Elections held a public meeting last Friday to inform the public about a counting mistake made on election night. JCBOE photo

According to Stephens, early voting, or one stop voting, is a form of absentee voting. In Jackson County there are five locations open for the 17 days of early voting leading up to Election Day.

On Election Day, there are 13 precincts where people can go vote. Most people can vote using a normal ballot on Election Day; however, if there are any concerns about registration, that person may have to vote by provisional ballot.

“On Election Day, some people show up to vote and there’s a question about whether or not they’re actually registered to vote. We are obligated and we want to count every vote that can legally be counted. So if there’s a question, we don’t just turn people away. We let them vote a provisional ballot,” said Stephens.

“Every county in North Carolina follows the same procedure. It’s very detailed. It’s very thorough, to go through and make sure that we have the most accurate results possible.”

— Jackson County Board of Elections

Chairman Kirk Stephens

“We’ll take your ballot, we’ll seal it in a special envelope. It’s a provisional and then it will come back to the board. During the period after the election day, the staff and the board of elections will investigate to see if that person can legally vote in Jackson County.”

Within the software that boards of elections use to record election night returns, there are four administration groups into which ballots are uploaded — absentee by mail, one-stop voting, Election Day votes and provisional ballots.

According to Stephens, Jackson County Board of Elections uploaded results from all five one-stop early voting locations and all the absentee vote by mail ballots that had already been received before 7:30 p.m. on Election Day so that when polls closed, there were instant results available for the votes that had been counted so far. As the night progressed, the board also uploaded Election Day votes from precincts around the county. At the end of the night, the board saw that there were no votes in the absentee vote by mail group in the software.

Unbeknownst to staff or board, those votes had not failed to upload the first time around, but for some reason had spread out into the precincts from which the votes came, rather than showing up in the absentee vote by mail section of the software. At the end of the night, when the board and staff saw that the absentee vote by mail group was empty, they once again uploaded those votes into the computer system. By doing so, the running totals for all 13 precincts changed.

“That’s where, in my opinion, the confusion started,” said Stephens. “At that point, we over-reported 523 votes. We’re still in the

process. We can still fix this. We did overreport those 523 ballots. So what’s the next step? Well, the next step is let’s start a clean slate, which we’ve done.”

After reentering all available voting data, save provisional ballots and absentee votes not yet counted, the Board of Elections was able to present the most up-to-date, accurate results to members of the public at Friday’s meeting.

WHAT CHANGED

The only local race that changed once the vote data was reentered is the race for county commissioner in district two between Boyce Dietz and John Smith. On election night, results showed Dietz leading Smith 7,656 votes to 7,621. Data presented at the meeting Friday shows Smith leading Deitz 7,450 votes to 7,314. Smith has 50.46% of the vote, Deitz has 49.54%. If the margin of victory stays under 1 percentage point, Deitz would legally be allowed to call for a recount.

The margin of victory for some other races that appeared tight on election night widened after the overcount of mail-in absentee votes was accounted for. Initial results showed Republican candidate Mark Letson beating incumbent County Commission Chairman Brian McMahan by a mere six votes, only a .04% difference.

After the double-counted votes had been accounted for, data on Friday showed Letson leading McMahan 7,501 votes to 7,309. Though there are still votes to be counted, this puts the candidates outside of the single percentage point difference needed for a recount to be called.

Republican candidate for the district one seat on the County Commission, Todd Bryson, asked the Board of Elections whether or not there would be a recount in the race for County Commission Chairman, a possibility he said he had seen reported in local papers on election night, when the margin of victory was within one percentage point.

“Well, you can’t believe a newspaper,” said Stephens. “It’s inappropriate to talk about a recount until after canvass. At that period, the candidate has until 5 p.m. of the following business day to call for a recount.

In the race between incumbent commissioner Gayle Woody and Todd Bryson, initial election night results showed Bryson leading 7,828 to 7,507. Updated results show a larger lead with Bryson winning 7,655 votes to Woody’s 7,162.

Toward the end of the meeting, Stephens noted that although vote data had been updated in Jackson County, the results on the State Board of Elections website would remain the same until after canvas on Friday, Nov. 18.

“There’s one other thing I want to mention, and I want you to take from this meeting, and that is how lucky we are in Jackson County to have the poll workers that we have and one stop and early and Election Day,” said Stephens. “They are your friends and neighbors, most of them are seniors and retirees. They work a 13-hour day. They arrive between 30 and 60 minutes before polls open to get set up. They stay between 30 and 60 minutes after. So you’re talking realistically about a 15hour day. They are champions of democracy. We are lucky to have them.”

Build with Quality, Live with Quality

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BEFORE

For 30 years, we’ve been getting the job done on time and on budget, in a way that is respectful of the clients, the trades people and the environment.

AFTER

No panhandling ordinance for Sylva

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Sylva will not update the Streets and Sidewalks section of its code of ordinances to include a section on panhandling after most of the board and public spoke against such a measure during a Nov. 10 public hearing.

“It’s really important to have these tough discussions,” said Commissioner Ben Guiney. “These are things that impact the entire country. This is a capitalist country where you have rich and you have poor. That’s the way it has been and it’s probably going to be that way in the future. None of these issues are easy to solve and something like panhandling turns out to be more of a symptom than a cause.”

The proposed ordinance came before the board after Sylva residents brought concerns to the board about people soliciting money at intersections, around operating businesses and ATMs.

While Sylva does not have a panhandling ordinance, there are some stipulations already laid out in state law, which reads “no person shall stand or loiter in the main traveled portion, including the shoulders and median, of any state highway or street, excluding sidewalks, or stop any motor vehicle for the purpose of soliciting employment, business or contributions from the driver or occupant of any motor vehicle that impedes the normal movement of traffic on the public highways or streets.”

“It sounds like that’s illegal only if that impedes the normal movement of traffic on public highways or streets,” said Town Attorney Eric Ridenour.

The ordinance also says that local governments “may enact ordinances restricting or prohibiting a person from standing on any street, highway, or right-of-way excluding sidewalks while soliciting, or attempting to solicit, any employment, business, or contributions from the driver or occupants of any vehicle.”

At the direction of the board, Ridenour and Chief of Police Chris Hatton found ordinances common among other municipalities to craft a draft ordinance update for Sylva. According to Ridenour, the draft ordinance update was intended to prevent people from aggressive solicitation.

“Any person is allowed to hold up a sign or something that’s non-aggressive saying whatever they want, that’s the right of free speech,” said Ridenour. “This is truly for aggressive solicitation. It doesn’t prohibit any other type of solicitation. It’s just a tool for the police department to enlighten certain individuals who have a propensity to act in accordance with things that most people would find scary or intimidating.”

The proposed ordinance contained a list of prohibited acts. It would have made it unlawful to beg, solicit or panhandle within 100 feet of any intersection of a public vehicular road or financial institution, within 15 feet of the edge of the pavement of any public vehicular road, within 20 feet of any com-

mercial establishment open for business, while the person being solicited is standing in line for a commercial establishment, by touching the person being solicited without their consent, blocking the path of the person being solicited, following the person being solicited after that person has declined the request, by or with the use of threatening or profane language, between the hours of 8 p.m. and 6 a.m., while under the influence of alcohol or any controlled substance,

including the man who initially brought this to the attention of the board, spoke in favor. At least two of those people speaking against the measure had experienced homelessness themselves.

“Three minutes is just not enough time to really dig into the intersectional problems that come along with criminalizing poverty and poverty culture, of which panhandling is a part,” said Sarah Cochran.

The main concerns of the public were

ing employment due to the inability of finding a safe and regular place to sleep, bathe or wash clothes.

George Neslen, one of the residents that initially brought this issue before the board, spoke again during the public hearing to thank the board for listening to his concern and having the discussion about panhandling in Sylva. He also brought up his concern for the safety of both solicitors asking for money at busy intersections, as well as

using false or misleading information or indicating the solicitor or member of their family suffers from a physical or mental disability when the information is false.

Hatton made it clear that the draft ordinance was in no way intended to be harmful to people experiencing poverty or homelessness.

“Our department works really hard. I spent half my day today doing homeless outreach, handing out resources to homeless people,” Hatton said. “We have a program for that, we’ve been pretty successful at finding people housing and lots of resources. So this is no way to damage any of that, free speech is free speech, we take it very seriously.”

In the end, a strong showing from residents opposed to such an ordinance and similar sentiment among board members stopped the update in its tracks.

“I would never be in support of stopping somebody from being able to tell somebody that they need money ever,” said Hatton. “But just the manner in which they do it is definitely worth consideration.”

At the public hearing, six people spoke out against such a measure, while two,

that the ordinance would criminalize noncriminal behavior, and that the ordinance did not actually address the issue of aggressive solicitation. The public urged the board to work towards addressing the underlying causes of poverty and homelessness, rather than criminalizing its effects.

“According to the national homelessness law center, anti-panhandling not only fails to address root causes of systemic issues but in fact makes the situation worse for these community members by adding arrest records, fees and fines to their already daunting barriers of surviving in society,” said Mary, a Sylva resident.

“Existing laws already address aggressive panhandling, whether it be coercion, touching, harassment, those things are banned at the state level as one would expect, along with not interrupting the normal flow of traffic,” said Garret Craig. “Rather than solve a problem, an unnecessary and redundant ordinance proposed for the town of Sylva actually introduces several new dangers.”

Another member of the public noted that people who are experiencing homelessness have an incredible impediment for find-

the safety of those being solicited.

“To me, this seems like a tool for law enforcement with zero financial investment. It’s not going to increase the budget,” said Neslen.

Another man speaking in favor of the ordinance said he lived in Olympia, Washington, before coming to Sylva. He said that while many people were talking about this as a homeless issue, it was in fact a drug, alcohol and mental health issue. He said that he does not want Sylva to turn into a cesspool similar to that of Olympia.

The last person to speak before the board was Kevin Richie, a man currently experiencing homelessness who claimed to be doing some of the very panhandling people had been complaining about.

“I’m one of the panhandlers out there,” said Richie. “It’s not all just drug and alcohol problems or mental health. I was in a really bad car wreck. As you can hear, this is as loud as I can talk. I can’t breathe well. I smashed my throat and was on a feeding tube and breathing tube for 30 days. Because I was in the hospital for 30 days I lost my house, my vehi- F

cle, everything.”

Richie conceded that while there should be some rules in place, a complete ban on panhandling was uncalled for.

“The problem is the housing,” said Richie. “There is literally nothing I can rent out there that I don’t have to have at least two grand for, if not more.”

Members of the board had several issues with the proposed ordinance. A few commissioners noted that though the draft ordinance update did not ban panhandling outright, the restrictions included in the update would have created a near total ban. By outlawing panhandling within 100 feet of any intersection, 15 feet of the edge of the pavement of any public vehicular road, or 20 feet of any commercial establishment in a small town like Sylva, panhandlers are left with very few places to ask for money where they can see people.

Additionally, by outlawing panhandling within 15 of the edge of the pavement of any public vehicular road, people would not have been able to panhandle on any sidewalk, contrary to what the state ordinance stipulates is allowed.

“This is not just about dealing with aggressive panhandling, this goes way beyond that,” said Commissioner David Nestler. “This essentially is a ban on panhandling, a complete ban. It bans it within 100 feet of any intersection, that’s where you panhandle.”

Other concerns among commissioners were the limiting of panhandling, a form of speech protected under the right to free speech, on public property such as public financial institutions. Commissioners felt they did not have the right to put a time limit on people’s free speech, as the 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. stipulation in the draft ordinance would have done.

“This ordinance, I think, is the one that I despise the most of any that has ever been proposed in the Town of Sylva,” said Nestler. “I think it makes the town look really bad. We’re not trying to make enemies out of poor people but that’s exactly what this ordinance is.”

Commissioner Greg McPherson suggested the town address the issue of safety and ability to panhandle in the redesign of the intersection of Asheville Highway and NC 107 in the upcoming NC 107 road project.

“There are things we can do without passing these judgmental laws on anybody,” said McPherson. “This particular intersection is very dangerous, and I think with this reconfiguration we can probably come up with something to discourage people from standing there.”

Commissioners Guiney, Nestler and McPherson spoke in opposition to the ordinance, while Mary Gelbaugh suggested heavily editing the proposed ordinance.

Commissioner Natalie Newman did not have a comment in regards to the proposed ordinance. After discussion, the ordinance did not make it to a vote for approval.

“A lot of people say they have compassion towards poor people, and they do, when the poor person looks and acts like the Virgin Mary,” said Nestler. “But the thing about panhandling is, it’s a desperate act.”

Seventeen candidates vie for two seats in special election

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

Voters in Cherokee’s Dec. 15 special election will choose from a crowded field of candidates seeking to fill two unexpected vacancies on Tribal Council.

The list of candidates for the Painttown seat left open following the death of 12term Rep. Tommye Saunooke includes two former representatives, Marie Junaluska and Lisa Taylor, among the eight candidates filing to run. Lou Jackson, who chaired the EBCI Board of Elections until resigning her post to run, is in the mix as well. Sean “Michael” Stamper, Jeff Thompson, Stephanie Maney, Bentley Tahquette and André Brown have also launched campaigns.

Wolfetown/Big Y voters will choose a replacement for Dennis Edward “Bill” Taylor, who resigned his seat Oct. 16 in the wake of criminal charges stemming from an alleged incident of domestic violence. Chelsea Taylor, who won the seat in 2019 but lost her re-election campaign in 2021, will seek to reclaim her former position. Jess Sneed, chairman of the Wolfetown Community Club, and former Rep. Mike Parker will also be among the nine candidates. Amy Sequoyah Anders, Andrew W.

Oocumma, Frank Dunn, Susan Coleen Toineeta, Theodore “Teddy” Michael Bird and Sam “Frell” Reed are all seeking election to the seat.

Polls will be open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 15, with no early or absen-

tee voting. The winning candidate will serve until the winner of the next election, slated for Sept. 7, 2023, is seated Oct. 2.

The Smoky Mountain News plans to publish additional information about the candidates prior to the election. Candidates wishing to participate can contact holly@smokymountainnews.com.

Man faces murder charges in Kobe Toineeta death

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The Cherokee community is mourning the death of Kobe Toineeta, 25, who died by homicide Friday, Nov. 11.

First-degree murder charges have been filed in Cherokee Tribal Court against Brandon Tyler Buchanan, 25, in connection with Toineeta’s death. According to court documents, the alleged murder occurred between 4 and 5 p.m. Nov. 11 at 868 Big Cove Road in Cherokee — Buchanan’s residence.

Buchanan, who like Toineeta is an enrolled member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, is accused of shooting Toineeta with a gun, killing him. He is being held without bond until his next court date on Wednesday, Nov. 30. The Cherokee

Indian Police Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation are working together on the ongoing investigation.

Following news of his death, social media broke out with grief and warm memories from those who knew Toineeta.

“As a tribe, our collective hearts are broken over the loss of Kobe Toineeta, such a young and vibrant spirit,” reads a Nov. 13 post from Principal Chief Richard Sneed, which links to a GoFundMe page raising money for funeral expenses. “There are no words to properly express the magnitude of loss his family is experiencing.”

Toineeta was a graduate of Swain County High School and member of its football team. In 2013, he was named to the Smoky Mountain All-Conference team, according to The One Cherokee One Feather’s archives.

Haywood 4 Good program announces enrollment

The Haywood 4 Good community wellness program is pleased to announce a new feature: continuous enrollment. Participants may register for the current session any time before the end of December. This innovative program encourages participant engagement in a variety of wellness activities over the course of six months. Participants may complete all activities safely at home or in an outdoor setting. Haywood County residents may participate at no cost. Participants may register individually; however, teams are encouraged to provide motivation and accountability. For each activity completed, participants earn challenge points. Participants who track their challenge points have the opportunity to win prizes during the program.

For more information about Haywood 4 Good, go to facebook.com/haywood4good. Interested individuals may also contact haywood4good@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.452.6675. Registration for the January 2023 session begins in mid-December.

Vecinos receives federal USDA funding

On Sept. 14, 2022, Vecinos, a free clinic for uninsured, low-income adults in Western North Carolina, received a $1 million grant from the USDA Emergency Rural Health Care Grant to assist in renovating the upcoming Community Health Hub in Franklin. In partnership with other local nonprofits, the Community Health Hub will offer a variety of bilingual, free services for low-income, uninsured community members, including Vecinos’ services of integrated primary and mental healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines. Renovations will begin early 2023 with an opening date of Spring 2024.

Vecinos has facilitated and provided over 7,000 vaccines, testing kits and masks to patients and community members via two mobile clinics and an outpatient clinic located on the Western Carolina University campus in Cullowhee. Funding will assist in renovating the Health Hub in order to increase provision of COVID-19 vaccines and other supportive services.

The USDA Emergency Rural Health Care program provides up to $500 million in grant funding to help broaden access to COVID-19 testing and vaccines, rural healthcare services, and food assistance.

Vecinos is a bilingual, nonprofit, free clinic that serves the uninsured, low-income population in Western North Carolina with outpatient and mobile primary and mental health clinical and supportive services. Many patients have been impacted by COVID-19, from health implications to job insecurity. To assist the community in need and to meet the goals of this grant, their outreach teams continue to identify and assist patients in need.

As a matching grant, Vecinos must raise $2 million in order to receive USDA’s $1 million grant. A $5.6 million Capital Campaign is underway and is seeking support from a variety of sources, including individual donors. Donations are accepted at vecinos.org/donate. For more information regarding Vecinos’ work in WNC, please email info@vecinosinc.org.

Jackson allocates funds for parks projects

Equinox for site design and development of the Qualla/Whittier park for just over $100,000. The board also approved the grant project ordinance to pay for the park.

Total cost for the Cashiers park project is $1,111,691. The scope of the project includes sidewalks and pathways, wayfinding signs, tennis court remodeling, picnic tables, trash and recycling receptacles, benches, planting, a splash pad and additional fees for site preparation, architectural and engineering fees as well as contingency.

Funding for the Cashiers park project will come from the ARPA funds. The board approved the grant project ordinance at its Nov. 15 meeting.

After allocating some of these ARPA funds for both parks projects, the county has over $3 million remaining from the COVIDera money.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

This month, the Jackson County Board of Commissioners took the next steps toward capital improvement and construction projects for parks in Qualla/Whittier and Cashiers.

“What I like about this is the impacts to our community that are long lasting,” said Chairman Brian McMahan.

At a Nov. 7 work session, the board discussed funding options for the park projects, which are coming primarily from Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grants, American Rescue Plan grants and the

The Qualla Whittier park project will cost $2,013,525. The scope of the project includes a picnic shelter, playground, paving, signage and bathrooms, with additional costs for site preparation, land acquisition and contingency.

To pay for the project, approximately $750,000 will be coming out of the CPR Fund, $750,000 out of APRA funds, with an additional $500,000 coming from the Parks and Recreation Trust Fund.

On Tuesday, Nov. 15 the Board of Commissioners approved a contract with

“This proposed Cashiers park plan fits very well within the scope of impact to our community. It’s an outdoor, recreational component, it involves health, it involves several lasting impacts that improve the quality of life for the people in the southern end of the county and I think there is no better way that we could spend those funds and it be something that is so long lasting,” said McMahan. “Not only from a physical standpoint, but from the health and improvement to quality of life of those residents, it would be huge.”

“I totally support that idea,” said Commissioner Gayle Woody. “We know that outdoor activities, no matter what age a person is, greatly improves their mental health.”

Both the Qualla/Whittier Parks and the Cashiers-Glenville Recreation Center improvements are part of a recreation master plan that commissions put together in 2013. Late last year the board approved a master plan for the Cashier-Glenville Recreation Center.

Sylva to fund Art Walk with municipal grant

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

With the help of the Jackson County Municipal Grant, Sylva may soon be able to implement a Sylva Art Walk.

“We did a little research about this grant and want to apply for a Sylva Art Walk launch,” said Main Street Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters.

The Art Walk, developed by Sylva Art and Design, has three main components. The first would be murals on Mill Street, from different artists. Funds would help to compensate artists for their work and supplies. The second component would be Sylva Art Walk rack cards.

“The Sylva Art and Design Committee has done an inventory of all the art projects that have gone on in Sylva and potential canvasses for future art projects,” said Peters. “So our intention is to put that into a website with a QR code on a rack card so people can walk around, just like

they can do with the heritage walk and see all the art and learn a little bit more about the artist and intention and that sort of thing.”

The final piece of the Sylva Art Walk would be the Sylva Walks Kiosk. Residents and visitors to Sylva may have noticed tall, putty-colored kiosks around town. These were funded by the TDA and the Chamber of Commerce and house brochures and other products you can find at the visitor center.

“What we would propose is a shorter version of that, that holds four different pieces,” said Peters. “One would be the existing Sylva map, the second would be the heritage walk brochure, the third would be the Sylva Art Walk rack card, and the fourth would be the future Garden Walk which will replace the old Tree Walk that we have that the garden club is working on.”

The Jackson County Municipal Grant is funded by the county to assist municipalities with implementation of

projects that will directly benefit not only citizens of the municipality, but all citizens of Jackson County. Sylva has submitted an application in the amount of $5,000.

Municipalities are expected to present their requests to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners on Jan. 10, however that is subject to change. The Board of Commissioners will hold an organizational meeting on Dec. 5, where they will adopt the calendar year’s meeting schedule.

Sylva has used the grant opportunity for two sidewalk projects during the last two cycles.

“Sylva is becoming an art-centered hub of Jackson County having many public art murals and smaller art projects throughout the Town of Sylva,” the grant application reads. “The town has considered the need to create a unified economic driver for the downtown area through public art and would like to create a Sylva Art Walk featuring murals on Mill, Art Walk rack cards, and kiosks.”

Jackson County Conservation Preservation and Recreation Fund.

44 Parker Road • Canton 3 Bed/3.5 Bath | 3,057 sq ft $750,000

Country roads take me home to this extraordinary luxury home tucked in The Blue Ridge Mountains of Western NC. Located in the gated community of The River at Shining Rock which backs up to US Forest Service protected land, this beauty sits high on a hill and is just a stone's throw from the Pigeon River. There are over 10 contiguous acres available for sale, not developed, surrounding this home which could be purchased for privacy and/or to create river frontage. Quality of construction is evident in this home from the expansive kitchen with custom cabinets and poured concrete counters, to soaring ceilings in the great room with rock fireplace. Primary suite on main with spa like bath including large soaking tub, custom tile walk in shower and massive walk-in closet. Upstairs you will find a huge bonus room, two more bedrooms and bathroom. Heated salt water pool. Large 2 car garage. Basement makes for great storage. Short term rentals allowed.

Compromise takes sacrifice, not unyielding principles

Leaders in a free republic should serve the common good. That’s why the U.S. system of government and our freedoms have captivated and inspired people around the world. Basically, we are proof that a free people can make the right choices and self-govern and, usually, do the right thing.

We depend on elected leaders to pass ordinances, statutes and laws that don’t serve one political party, one political ideology or one autocratic leader. The best lawmakers try to do what’s best for the majority of our citizens, even those citizens who may not have voted for them.

It’s tough. It takes compromise, but compromise is not really about finding common ground, it’s much more nuanced and much more difficult. It requires sacrificing something important to you in order to accomplish something more important for the country, the state, the county,

Don’t let tunnel vision run your life

To the Editor:

Let me start by saying that on November 8 I worked the polls, and the views I am expressing are strictly my own and should in no way reflect the opinions or policies of the Haywood County Board of Elections and its staff.

The main thing I did on Election Day was to work the voting booths. I found voters an

the town.

Often heard among politicians is this phrase: “I am not going to compromise on my principles.”

Well, see, that’s the problem. If you won’t give in a little — on crime, immigration, abortion, gun control, local zoning, climate change, energy policy, taxes, education, etc. — then nothing meaningful will be accomplished, movement on solving the big issues will grind to a halt … and we’ll have the kind of stalemate that has had D.C. in its grips for a decade or so.

I’m a stubborn man, and so I know how difficult this is, sacrificing for the common good. I grew up with that as a common refrain. Perhaps it will come into vogue once again. One can only hope.

•••

Speaking of politics, it’s always affirming to see elected leaders in the small counties and towns where I’ve practiced my trade as a journalist do what they do for the right reasons. People have different motivations for getting into politics, and many change after they get some power and let it go to their

LETTERS

But it seems to me that maybe this person is not being challenged because they do a great job and the other professionals in that field may respect that and are comfortable with them continuing in that job.

empty booth and was available to answer questions. This Election Day, almost every question was about how to vote only for candidates of whatever party that voter wanted. There were several uncontested races with candidates from both parties running with no challenger. I was asked many times, “Why is there no one from my party there? Do I have to vote for THAT other person? I don’t want them.” I answered that no, you never have to vote for anyone you don’t want to. You can just leave it blank.

But the question that alarmed me the most was the voter who asked why no were no party affiliations in the school board races. I explained that the state legislature determines which offices will be partisan or nonpartisan. That encourages people to get to know the candidates and what their views on local education issues might be. And what they might have to offer. The response I got was that this voter certainly did not have time for that. Just put the party on the ballot.

So here’s what I think. I early voted. I voted for candidates from both parties. I care about the quality of the candidate and their record, not just their party. But, if you want to go in the voting booth and help choose who is going to handle my tax money, or be my judge, then follow through with your philosophy. Next time you need a plumber, don’t ask around to see who is best or cheapest. Your only question should be “How are you regis-

heads.

So here’s a shout out to three Western North Carolina county commissioners who just lost their seats. Haywood County Commissioner Kirk Kirkpatrick, Jackson County Commission Chairman Brian McMahon, and Swain County’s Ben Bushyhead — agree or disagree with them on the issues — but they’ve spent many years serving their constituents.

I’m sure there are others who have lost a race or who are still serving who fall into this category, but these three stand out to me. It wasn’t about the spotlight, they did not grandstand at meetings, it wasn’t about them; they quietly and diligently went about trying to make their counties a better place to live.

We can all be replaced no matter what our jobs, but that does not take away from the lengthy service these elected officials gave to their counties and to the many elections they won without resorting to some of the negative tactics so common in today’s politics.

Jobs well done.

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

tered?” Need a knee replacement? Most people want someone qualified. All of you with your one-party blinders on should only ask “What’s your affiliation?” Stop thinking at all about how well anyone you have contact with is doing their job. Your only query should be, “Are you in my party? If not, hit the road.”

This might make sense to some people, but I think most people don’t want to have party affiliation govern every decision they make day to day. Don’t live your life based on tunnel vision, and please don’t take it into the voting booth either.

And that’s what I think, for what it’s worth.

Rich Byers Waynesville

Why vote for the unqualified?

To the Editor:

Could someone please explain to me why an experienced, qualified tax collector who has successfully run the office for Haywood County was voted out in favor of a college student with no experience and no qualifications that I am aware of? Surely, surely it’s not just because there was an “R” after his name.

Did we learn nothing from the Cawthorn fiasco?

Joanne Strop Waynesville

What I learned running for office

To the Editor:

I would like to express my gratitude to the Macon County community for their support and encouragement throughout my campaign for county commissioner. I knew from the

beginning that running as an independent candidate would present significant challenges for victory. I was even encouraged by many to run as a Republican to have a better chance to win. As I digested the political landscape on a statewide and national basis, I truly believed we had arrived at a time when an independent candidate could enter the arena and make a difference. Of course after the election results were in, I realized how naïve I was to think we may ever vote outside of a two-party system. Even though we have almost 10,000 unaffiliated registered voters out of 27,000 registered voters in Macon County, we are clearly a Republican county and the voters chose accordingly.

Another element of the campaign that surprised me was the constant effort to bring national party politics into our local election. Potential voters were less concerned about where I stood on the issues affecting Macon County, it was more about who I voted for in 2020 and who I may vote for in 2024. I repeatedly told my detractors the voting booth was designed by our forefathers to be private for good reason. As a nation, we never want to be oppressed for who we may or may not have voted for in an election. It is important to remember, a certain political party may not always be in power, but we will always want the protections afforded by our constitution.

As I walk away from my effort to get elected, I better understand the challenges affecting Macon County and I hope our elected commissioners are ready to face these challenges. The effort to vote down the quartercent sales tax increase was successful, but this will leave a significant gap in funding for education infrastructure. It will be interesting to see how a new high school and other important projects will be built without a significant increase in property taxes, considering we

Editor Scott McLeod

Divisive politics isn’t the only way

Does the American political divide have to divide friends? Families? Communities? Or is there an alternative approach?

I have asked myself this question many times recently. It started for me after driving home from college to vote last week. As I walked into the polling station I was warmly greeted by many old friends and people I knew growing up in Waynesville. Some were outside passing out flyers, others were volunteering inside to help with the voting process. I felt good after casting my ballot and contributing to our democracy.

But when I walked outside the polling office, I was caught off guard by a question from an acquaintance passing out flyers. “Did you vote for the right people?” she asked, waving a flyer for her party in my face.

After a moment of shock, I was able to regain my thoughts enough to reply with, “The right people? Yes. Your candidate? No.”

I must admit I had a smug grin walking back to my car knowing that person’s eyes were searing through the back of my head. Despite the immediate satisfaction this comment gave me, the more time passed, the more it bothered me. I realized that more than likely my friend and I would no longer be on good terms. I had let American politics divide me from a friend … I am sure that many can relate.

Part of my discomfort with our political divide stems from an experience I had last summer during a study abroad trip to Nepal. During my stint of research and teaching in a small mountain village, I was honored with invitations to participate in many rituals and practices unlike anything I have experienced in the United States. Among these, one memory stands out with regard to the turmoil of our winner-takes-all

election system.

Whenever this mountain community needed to make decisions, they didn’t have an election. Instead, they held community meetings in which men, women, children and village officials alike come together to hash it out. They invited me to one of these meetings even though I was an outsider who would be gone in a few weeks.

At this meeting, everyone gathered around in a circle in the middle of the village. There was laughing, comradery and the sharing of Tik Tok videos. After the jokes and small talk that are standard in Nepalese culture, the officials and townspeople began to deliberate. Everyone’s voice was heard, and everyone was happy to listen. Eventually they came to an agreement and passed around a paper for everyone to sign. For those who were too old to enjoy the first schools in the area, help was given in signing their names. I was even asked to sign my name (for what good that did).

At the end of it all, when I was able to talk to one of the meeting’s initiators, I found they were discussing the installation of an irrigation system, deciding where it would be most productive and what community members needed it the most. With my limited Nepalese, this meeting had just sounded like old friends chatting.

This stands in stark contrast to my returning to the United States and experiencing the divide in families, friends and communities over politics. Cooperation and middle ground are not words often heard in American politics unless it is to say there will be no cooperation from my party.

While this divide has always felt like a given in America, I have realized that it doesn’t have to be. The Nepalese village meeting taught me that we can cooperate with our neighbors, co-workers, friends, family and even outsiders. We can listen to each other. We can work through our differences. We can remember that in the end, people — not political parties — are what’s important.

(Andrew Wampler was raised in Waynesville and is a student at Appalachian State University. wampleras@appstate.edu)

LETTERS,

CONTINUED FROM 23

walked away from approximately $2 million in annual revenue, of which 45% would have been paid by non-residents.

The most talked about issue on the campaign trail for me was access to high speed Internet. Making headway into this issue will require significant collaboration from our elected leaders and community leaders, and it will need to be accomplished if we do not want our children and community left behind. Other issues that will continue to have a significant impact on the day-to-day lives of Macon County residents include affordable housing, mental health and sub-

stance abuse treatment, access to healthcare and economic development. There is much work to be done.

I would encourage the people of Macon County to stay involved in the policy making process by reading the newspapers and attending or watching online the county commission meetings. We all need to be held accountable for our actions and this new board will need input from you to keep Macon County a great place to live and raise our families. I am grateful I had a chance to be a part of the election process and I look forward to staying involved as a citizen.

Jerr y Moore Highlands

Guest Columnist

Andrew Wampler

Word from the Smokies

BY FRANCES FIGART

Parks as Classrooms offers unforgettable experiences

Courtney Lix grew up entwined in the natural and cultural history of Great Smoky Mountains National Park like a vine climbing up an ancient tree. Her grandfather, Henry Lix, was a park service employee who came to the Smokies to work as a naturalist in 1951. By 1953, he had founded the Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association (today Great Smoky Mountains Association) in order to enhance visitor understanding of the many remarkable attributes of the Smokies.

“Most of my memories from elementary school in the 1990s have faded with the decades,” wrote Courtney Lix in an article for the spring 2022 issue of Smokies Life. “But a handful are still as sharp as the day they happened: stepping from bright sun into the cool, musty darkness of the grist mill at Cades Cove. The surprising sweetness of a wild blackberry. Squeals and nervous giggles as my classmates and I crouched at the side of the trail, looking for bugs in the leaf litter.”

These experiences were all part of Parks as Classrooms, a decades-old educational collaboration between schools and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The program’s lessons for kindergarten through high school students focus on science, culture and history intermingled with emotional development and an appreciation for nature.

“PAC is one of our longest-running educational programs,” said Laurel Rematore, CEO of Great Smoky Mountains Association. “Nearby Pi Beta Phi Elementary School in Gatlinburg has a GSMA employee, Melissa Crisp, embedded in the school as a coordinator. She ensures students have about 40 experiences in the park between first and sixth grade!”

Starting out in the early 1990s as a partnership with Pi Beta Phi, the program has grown to reach more than 80 elementary, middle and high schools in Tennessee and North Carolina annually. In a typical school year, more than 14,000 students and several thousand adults participate in the program. Kids learn about everything from air pollution and biodiversity to African American history and the Civil War.

“It’s a really unique teaching role,” says Crisp, who has been in the position since 2009. “I’ve got a foot in two different worlds. I’m working with the national park, but also with school administrators, teachers, parents, and kids to facilitate the field trips, while also making sure our curriculum is updated every year to best match changes in state testing.”

The park is able to partner with Pi Beta Phi Elementary through the support of GSMA and Friends of the Smokies. Park rangers work closely with teachers at Pi Beta Phi in the development of new programs and improvement of existing programs. Park staff also attend family nights and award ceremonies at Pi Beta Phi multiple times each year to connect with students and their parents and families — all with the goal of creating stronger relationships in the park gateway community of Gatlinburg.

“Park staff also work closely with teachers to provide staff trainings in the park,” said Jessie Snow-Neeley, an education ranger

Education park ranger Jessie Snow Neeley teaches a group of young PAC students about their five senses on a sensory hike in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Parks as Classrooms photos

who has taught PAC lessons for five years. “In the past few years, we have seen that more and more students are Spanish learners. So, one emphasis is to develop program materials that are understandable and relevant to this demographic with the ultimate goal of having more staff who are able to communicate with students and their families in Spanish.”

Thus far during the 2022-23 school year, park staff have provided one teacher workshop in the park (serving 20 teachers) and three community/family days at the school for Pi Beta Phi Elementary. As Lix explains in her article, “A Great Place to Learn: Celebrating over 30 years of Parks as Classrooms in the Smokies,” park staff as well as administrators and teachers from many different schools are dedicated to securing funding so that students who have never visited the park before, often from underserved populations, can step into the lush beauty of the mountains.

“Sometimes kids get off the bus and can’t quite place what they’re hearing — and then they realize it’s a mountain stream,” wrote Lix. “They are literally discovering a new world.”

Lix confesses that, as a kid growing up enmeshed with the park, she took the PAC experiences for granted. “I got to see the effects of ozone pollution on plants firsthand. I could learn about a food web by identifying aquatic insects in a mountain stream and talking about what might eat them. As an adult, I marvel at the planning, care and extraordinary amount of work it took to create the program, and how Parks as Classrooms has continued to evolve and thrive for decades.”

Earlier this year, Great Smoky Mountains Association received a certificate of appreciation from Sevier County Schools Superintendent Stephanie Huskey on behalf of Pi Beta Phi Elementary for the park’s continuing partnership with them. Snow-Nealy wrote to GSMA CEO Rematore: “Thank you from the Smokies team for the work you do to care for this partnership!”

Becoming immersed in the biodiversity in the national park inspires younger generations to care about and protect Great Smoky Mountains National Park. If you would like to read more about this historic educational partnership, visit smokiesinformation.org and order the Spring 2022 issue of the award-winning Smokies Life journal.

Frances Figart is the editor of Smokies Life and the Creative Services Director for the 29,000member Great Smoky Mountains Association, an educational nonprofit partner of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Learn more at SmokiesInformation.org and reach the author at frances@gsmassoc.org.

GSMNP Education Branch Coordinator Susan Sachs shows students how to weigh a salamander during a Parks as Classrooms session.

The ozone garden biomonitoring project at Purchase Knob is one of many different curriculum-based community science projects coordinated with Tennessee and North Carolina middle and high schools. Parks as Classrooms photo

CHOICES AND CHANGES

A conversation with Sierra Hull

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR

At just 31 years old, Sierra Hull is already a legend in the bluegrass world. With her signature songbird vocals and mandolin virtuosity, the performer has also taken home “Mandolin Player of the Year” at the International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards five times.

And yet, for every mountaintop Hull has summited, she’s constantly gazing across the musical landscape at other peaks to traverse and tackle. As the “Father of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe always said, “if you can play my music, you can play anything,” so goes Hull down the rabbit hole of melodic possibility.

This past year, Hull was part of Bela Fleck’s return to the “high, lonesome sound” with his highly anticipated “My Bluegrass Heart” album. Hull was also alongside country star Sturgill Simpson with his acclaimed “Cuttin’ Grass, Vol 1 & 2” records. And, most recently, she’s been collaborating with popular funk/soul rocker Cory Wong on his nationwide tour.

Smoky Mountain News: You’re someone who’s always looking for new people to play with, to collaborate with, to record with. Why is that important as part of who you are?

Sierra Hull: I think I’ve always been a bit of a curious musician. I grew up so rooted in the bluegrass world, and I love that — that’s always going be home for me in so many ways. [Bluegrass] is an incredible foundation to be able to really get your chops, where — as a musician, singer, songwriter — you learn how to sing harmony. You learn how to really play your instrument and improvise.

And those are skillsets that lend themselves to a lot of other places, too. If you’re a curious musician, you can take those things that you’ve learned from the bluegrass community and use them in other places.

I’m a music fan, first and foremost. I just love a lot of different styles of music. So, when the opportunities come to do some kind of interesting collaboration, I’m always really inspired and excited by that.

It’s not that I’m trying to step away from my roots, necessarily. I just think, as a music fan, why not explore all the things in music that come my way?

SMN: Bill Monroe always said, “if you can play my music, you can play anything.”

SH: It’s true. It really is. In bluegrass, you learn how to play from an instrumental standpoint. There’s so much value and celebration of the instrumental side of that music. But, at the

Want to go?

The annual Balsam Range “Art of Music” festival will take place Dec. 2-3 in the Stuart Auditorium at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.

Alongside two performances by Balsam Range, other stage acts will include Sierra Hull & Justin Moses, Travelin’ McCourys, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, Atlanta Pops Orchestra Ensemble, Shannon Wright and Adam Wright, and The Studio Dream Team Band.

For more information, a full schedule of performances/workshops, and to purchase tickets, click on balsamrangeartofmusicfestival.com.

same time, you have all this great vocal music. Singing harmonies and really understanding how to sing with other people is such a huge part of it — you can take that to a lot of different places.

SMN: And what’s funny is now someone who jumps over the fence of bluegrass is considered to have a “crossover factor,” where before an artist might not make that jump in fear of losing

their audience. Today, it’s more about creative fulfillment.

SH: Totally. Well, we live in a time where we have access to [all forms of] music. At our fingertips, we can pull up anything we want to listen to in seconds. The possibilities as a listener are endless, and the things to be inspired by is kind of endless, too.

I’m grateful that I was brought up in bluegrass, and so rooted in something [like that]. And you learn a lot when you’re really sort of living in one zone heavily for a long time. But, I also think it’s part of the beauty of just having all these different things, is that there’s a musician trying to create art or just as a listener where you can dabble in all these different areas — it’s so much fun.

SMN: It’s like, how could you not be inspired by all this music?

SH: I know, exactly.

SMN: The beauty is you do what you want to do, you follow the muse, which is one of the great things that’s happened with your Cory Wong collaboration — you took a leap and kicked some doors down.

SH: Well, that’s a perfect example of something that just came my way — Cory reaching out to me on Instagram saying, “Hey, do you want to play on my record?”

And, what you find is, that sometimes the most unlikely of pairings can be this magical thing. If you’re not open to those [opportunities], you won’t ever have that excitement of collaboration, and you just live in your zone the whole time.

[Now], there’s nothing wrong with that, if you find something you love and that’s what excites you. But, for me, I love trying to be open-minded for any kind of collaboration that might come my way, because I learn something new in every situation I walk into.

Being able to go play with Cory, or any of the number things that I’ve done this year, just makes me be able to come back and think about my own career and band dynamic differently — all of these things I’m learning are inspiring what I’m trying to ultimately do and create.

“I’m a music fan, first and foremost. I just love a lot of different styles of music. So, when the opportunities come to do some kind of interesting collaboration, I’m always really inspired and excited by that.”

— Sierra Hull

Sierra Hull. (File photo)

One

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

pulls

Ihad about an hour window of no rain before the remnants of the tropical storm would slowly, but surely, slide into the North Country. The clouds were already darkening above the Adirondack Mountains as the nose of the truck was aimed west, heading out from my parents’ farmhouse on the outskirts of Plattsburgh, New York.

Early Friday afternoon and the destination was Ampersand Mountain, the trailhead located between Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake along a lonely section of Route 3 in the heart of the Adirondacks. With an hour or so drive, I’d be parking the truck and hitting the trail right as the first raindrops began to descend upon the cold, silent earth.

New York State Route 3 is quite possibly my most beloved stretch of road in America. Partly, because of the desolate beauty of the ancient Adirondacks that it meanders through. And partly because of the countless memories I have from innumerable treks back and forth between Plattsburgh and the Tri-Lakes region of Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake, and Lake Placid.

The people, places and things along Route 3 will forever haunt my thoughts and dreams, happily. Whenever I find myself motoring along the road, I’ll immediately become lost in thought, usually some Crosby, Stills & Nash melody echoing from the stereo, with last Friday being “Do for the Others” and its mesmerizing tone, “Loving people everywhere/But, where is she?/She is not there/A chill wind hits his face/Was that a tear I thought I saw a trace?”

As a kid, my folks, little sister and I would head up Route 3 to Saranac Lake often, either to go hiking or camping in the

summer and fall, or hit downtown for the annual Winter Carnival, a fiercely loyal weeklong celebration in the middle of another frozen winter. Each February, the town comes together for the carnival to get rid of the cold weather blues.

To kick things off for the carnival, an enormous ice castle is proudly constructed by volunteers on nearby Lake Flower. Soon, a parade takes place along Broadway Street, drinks hoisted high by the boisterous multitudes dressed in their warmest winter garb, the procession reaching its true culmination once it passes by The Waterhole — a dive bar of legendary merit and lore.

And it wasn’t long after I finally got my driver’s license when I was 16, that I found myself cranking over the engine of my crappy 1989 Toyota Camry and making trips each — and seemingly every — weekend to Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake. Back then, I was traveling from my hometown of Rouses Point, about an hour and half give or take from my new group of friends that I’d made the summer before my junior year of high school at track camp held at St. Lawrence University.

It was that group of cronies that sincerely shifted the trajectory of my life. This group of teenage boys and girls from Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, who were — when not training for a race — camping and hiking in their native Adirondacks, sneaking beers at cabin parties on some lake in the middle of nowhere, heading to the bright lights of affluent Lake Placid to see a movie or perhaps go ice skating on the oval in the shadow of Herb Brooks Arena where the “Miracle on Ice” occurred in 1980.

Wandering along Route 3 to Ampersand Mountain last week, visions of those longgone days dancing across the dashboard, my eyes aimed straight ahead through the windshield, occasionally gazing to the left or right in awe of the emerging High Peaks

Wilderness unfolding alongside the hard pavement. Memories of high school proms and formal dances at Saranac Lake and Tupper Lake, of muddy cross-country races in the backwoods in the late fall, and cold rain

HOT PICKS

1The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 2526 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville.

2Regional rock group Arnold Hill (rock/jam) will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

3Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Shane Meade & The Sound Trio (indie/soul) at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18.

4A stage production of “Once Upon a Mattress” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

5Singer-songwriter Wyatt Espalin will hit the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City.

and snow track meets in the early spring.

And I think of my friends from the TriLakes, many of which I still keep in touch with on a regular basis, those familiar faces that are still on same page with you this many years, a rare and cherished thing as time continues to tick away as it always does. Keep moving. Don’t stop. Keep your head up. Keep chasing your dreams with a reckless abandon. Most importantly, don’t forget those who stood beside you at the starting line those many years ago.

Reaching Ampersand, fat raindrops started to hit the windshield. I emerged from the truck, zipped up the windbreaker, tightened my laces on the trail shoes, and walked across Route 3 to the trailhead. A steady drizzle hovered above my trek the entire 5.5 mile out-and-back (with 1,800 feet of elevation gain).

The first half of the hike up is a somewhat smooth and free-flowing trot through the depths of the thick forest, only to experience that 1,800-foot elevation gain for the last 1.5 miles, not to mention the muddy trail, slippery boulders, and fallen foliage leaves covering tree roots and other things to trip one up along the way.

A strong wind from the tropical storm howled at me when I reached the bald summit. The 360-degree view of the Adirondacks and High Peaks was most obscured by dark clouds and harsh raindrops that stung the face when you turned towards the wind. In the distance, I could see the silhouettes of those peaks, as if the ripples of gigantic waves on an unforgiving ocean.

And, even in that moment of being soaked to the bone and body cold, my heart and soul were vibrant and alive, as always in these moments of sheer solitude and gratitude within the mysteries and mesmerizing state that is Mother Nature — I was standing atop the core of my absolute being, the mighty Adirondacks.

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

man practicing kindness in the wilderness is worth all the temples this world

The North Country.

(Garret K. Woodward photo)

On the beat

Nicholson & Friends at Folkmoot

Americana/bluegrass star Darren Nicholson will be joined by Tim McWilliams, William Ritter and Audie Blaylock, with the group performing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.

Nicholson is a Jackson County native and founding member of the nationally-known, award-winning Western North Carolina bluegrass group Balsam Range.

He is a Grammy award nominee (2006) and a recipient of numerous International

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.

Folk, soul at Mountain Layers

Singer-songwriter Wyatt Espalin will hit the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City.

Born and raised in Hiawassee, Georgia, Espalin has been entertaining audiences since he was eight years old. A blend of Americana, bluegrass and indie-roots music, he’s a beloved fixture on the Southern Appalachian live music circuit.

Free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.538.0115 or click on mtnlayersbeer.com. To learn more about Espalin, go to wyattespalinmusic.com.

Rock rolls into Scotsman

Regional rock group Arnold Hill (rock/jam) will perform at 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

The performance will also be a fundraiser for Youth Villages, a national nonprofit serving kids and families with the most significant community based mental and behavioral health needs. The Holiday Heroes Event Holiday Heroes event allows donors to directly support kids and families through monetary donation or purchase of a complete wish list.

Arnold Hill will be donating its gig pay

Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) awards with Balsam Range, including “Entertainer of the Year” (2014, 2018), “Album of the Year” (2013, 2017), and “Song of the Year” (2011, 2015).

Nicholson has appeared countless times on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry, at the Ryman Auditorium, and many of the world’s most famous venues, stages and festivals.

Doors open at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door. For more information, click on folkmoot.org.

and show tips to this cause, with The Scotsman matching the gig pay and donating to the cause, as well. Representatives from Youth Villages will be there collecting donations and wish list items.

With its recent debut album, “Back to Life,” Arnold Hill sets to change the tone and tempo of what folks might expect on a given night onstage at their nearby bars and breweries in our mountain communities.

Formed in 2011, the Jackson County band is named after a road in Sylva where the musicians lived and practiced. In method, Arnold Hill adheres to the playful nature and creative possibilities that reside in the rock quartet. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Wyatt Espalin.

Darren Nicholson.

(Jeff Smith Photography)

Arnold Hill. (Garret K. Woodward 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 and host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Scott Stanbaugh (singer-songwriter) 7 p.m. Nov. 19. 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. For tickets, click on oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Darren Nicholson w/Tim McWilliams, William Ritter & Audie Blaylock (Americana/bluegrass) 7 p.m. Nov. 17. 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.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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, Christina Chand Nov. 17 and JR Williams Nov. 26. 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” w/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 semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• 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 semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host Open Mic Night w/Ivor Sparks every Wednesday, Steve Heffker (singer-songwriter) Nov. 18 and 26, Twelfth Fret (Americana) Nov. 19, Wyatt Espalin (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. Nov. 20 and Heidi Holton (blues/folk) 5 p.m. Nov. 27. All shows begin at 6 p.m unless otherwise noted. 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.

• Nantahala Outdoor Center (Nantahala Gorge) will host Shane Meade & Friends (indie/soul) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 26. All shows behind at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. noc.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 Shane Meade & The Sound Trio (indie/soul) 7 p.m. Nov. 18. 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’s Dogs Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105.

• Satulah Mountain Brewing (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.482.9794 or satulahmountainbrewing.com.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host The Carter Giegerich Trio (Celtic/bluegrass) from 2 to 5 p.m. every Sunday, Ginny McAfee (singer-songwriter) 8 p.m. Nov. 17, Arnold Hill (rock/jam) Nov. 19 and Bridget Gossett & Tyler Kirkpatrick (Americana/blues) Nov. 25. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• 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. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on 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.

• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.479.3364 or stecoahvalleycenter.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host JC

“The ParrotHead” Nov. 16, Kim & Curtis Jones Nov. 17, Brian Ashley Jones Nov. 18, Jon Cox (country/rock) Nov. 19, Tricia Ann Nov. 25 and Carolina Freightshakers (rock/oldies) Nov. 26. 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 semi-regular live music on the weekends. 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 semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• 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.

• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

• 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.

The annual Franklin Christmas Parade will be held at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 27, in downtown.

The Grand Marshall will honor all our essential workers. The floats will line up on Church Street, entering Main Street through the Town Hall parking lot. The parade will continue down Main Street, turning left onto Porter Street at the Lazy

Hiker. Turning left again onto Palmer Street at the red light, continuing to the Highlands Road intersection, turning on the Highlands Road, and ending at the Flea Market.

The parade will feature fire trucks, EMS, police cars, floats, trucks, cars, and walkers. For more information, contact the Franklin Chamber at 828.524.3161.

• “Winter Wonderland Nights” will return at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 26, in Franklin. Downtown will feature living window displays of the holidays, live sounds of the season outdoors at the gazebo and inside stores, free holiday attractions (weather permitting), refreshments, hot cider, great sales from local merchants, and much more. franklin-chamber.com.

• “Christmas Hayrides Through the Lights” will run on Wednesdays through Saturdays until Dec. 23 at Darnell Farms in Bryson City. Enjoy the hayride and a cup of hot cocoa. Limited Seating available. Reservations are priority with limited walk-ins. darnellfarms.com or call 828.488.2376.

ALSO:

• The popular “Polar Express” train ride will resume rides on select dates from the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad depot in downtown Bryson City. For a complete listing of departure dates and times, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

• “Letters to Santa, Cocoa & Cookies” is now being offered by the Swain County Heritage Museum and Visitor Center in Bryson City. Complimentary hot cocoa and cookies. Kids will love the opportunity to write and mail their letters to Santa. Materials provided, with the last day to submit letters being Christmas Eve. greatsmokies.com.

• “Christmas Lights Drive-Thru” will run through Dec. 31 at the Great Smoky Mountains Event Park (formerly Inspiration Park) in Bryson City. For more information, a full schedule of activities and/or to purchase tickets, click on greatsmokies.com/christmas-light-show-bryson-city.

The Franklin Christmas Parade. (File photo)

Stecoah Drive-About Tour

The annual “Stecoah Arts & Crafts Drive About Tour” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 25-26 at featured studios in Bryson City, Stecoah and Robbinsville. With their studios open to the public, the self-guided driving tour highlights artisans who have built a livelihood with their creative talents. Media include pottery, beeswax lanterns and pillar candles, origi-

nal paintings and drawings, fiber, quilts, photography, artisan cheeses and more.

The tour includes: Gallery Zella, Local Handmade Pottery, Stecoah Artisans Gallery, The Shed Gallery, Wehrloom Honey & Essentials, Junk N Style, Hunting Boy Wood Carving, and Marie’s Lavender Farm.

For more information, click on stecoahvalleycenter.com.

Recent artwork by Justin Moe (pictured) will be on display during the month of November in the cabinet outside of the meeting room at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Stop by to see his sketches made by gel pens on cardstock whenever the library is open.

Library hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

WCU student art exhibit

Western Carolina University will host its annual “Bachelor of Fine Art Portfolio Exhibition” through Dec. 9 at the Fine Art Museum in Cullowhee.

This exhibition gives graduating students in the WCU School of Art and Design the opportunity to share their work with the wider community in Western North Carolina.

Fourteen studio art majors and 16 graphic design majors, all who have followed a rigorous art curriculum during their time at WCU, will share their creations ranging from paintings and book arts to motion graphics and poster design.

The BFA program of the WCU School of Art and Design prepares emerging artists for a career or postgraduate study in art, design, or related disciplines. BFA students gain a foundation in observational drawing, 2D design, 3D design, and art history, and then select a studio emphasis to focus their area of study.

Studio art majors choose an emphasis in painting and drawing, ceramics, photography, sculpture, or print and book arts.

Graphic Design majors explore communication design, interactive media, typography, and motion design, all the while developing professional production skills.

The Bardo Arts Center echoes the WCU School of Art and Design’s goal of preparing students for a career after they have finished their degree. BAC not only works with the students through this exhibition but also through curriculum and performances that enrich their college experience and provide a different perspective on the world around them.

In this exhibition, the students are given the freedom to create, explore their artistic voices, and collaborate with a museum that is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.

There will be a reception for the exhibition from 5 to 7 p.m. Dec. 1. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks will be available at the reception. Free parking is available at the BAC lot at 199 Centennial Drive.

To learn more about the exhibition, click on arts.wcu.edu/bfa2022. To see BAC’s full calendar of events, please visit arts.wcu.edu/explore or call 828.227.ARTS.

‘Hard Candy’ holiday craft show

The 35th annual “Hard Candy Christmas” arts and crafts show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 25-26 inside the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University. This mountain tradition started in 1987 in Franklin with eight local artists. It has grown to over 100 regional artisans who sell their work at great prices. Expect a dazzling display of fine hand-crafted creations such as Father Christmas dolls, fresh mountain greenery, and folk dolls. The ornament collectors always find new additions for the tree.

Admission is $5 for a two-day pass. Children under 12 are free. Parking is also free. For more information, click on mountainartisans.net or call 828.524.3405.

‘Rubbish’ by Amber Rousseau.

Hunting Boy Wood Carving.

On the wall

HCAC ‘Small Works’ exhibit

The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) “Small Works” exhibit will run through Dec. 31 at the HCAC Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville.

The annual exhibit that expands the types of work for sale in the downtown Waynesville gallery, as well as who can display their work. Other than specially curated exhibits, which occur a couple times annually, this exhibit is the only one that allows any artist within the western mountain region to participate for a small fee.

With dozens of artists participating, the exhibit promises to be eclectic. Although the only requirement is that the pieces be 12 inches in any dimension or smaller, HCAC challenged participants who are making holiday themed works to consider artistic expressions that are multicultural in nature and celebrate the many different holidays, ways of celebrating, and ways of experiencing holidays.

HCAC also encouraged participants to create works that celebrate Appalachian heritage and craft.

“Our vision is that this exhibit embodies not only the giving spirit, but also a multicultural spirit that speaks to the diversity of people, cultures, and religions that make up Appalachia,” Beryl said.

A reception for the exhibit will be held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2, at Gallery & Gifts. 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.

ALSO:

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

• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will host an array of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, click on dogwoodcrafters.com/classes.html or call 828.586.2248.

On the stage

HART’s ‘Once Upon a Mattress’

The cast of ‘Once Upon a Mattress.’

A stage production of “Once Upon a Mattress” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 18-19 and 2 p.m. Nov. 20 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

Many moons ago in a far-off kingdom, Queen Aggravain decreed no couples could marry until her son, Prince Dauntless, found a bride. Princesses came from far and wide to win the hand of the prince, but none could pass the impossible tests given to them by the Queen.

That is, until the “shy” swamp princess, Winnifred the Woebegone (or Fred), showed up. Would she be able to pass the Sensitivity Test, marry her prince and help Lady Larkin and Sir Harry to the altar?

Carried on a wave of wonderful songs, by turns hilarious and raucous, romantic and melodic, this rollicking spin on the classic tale The Princess and the Pea provides some sidesplitting shenanigans. For after all, a princess is a delicate thing.

“This is truly a spectacle with fabulous costumes designed by Lise Hoffman, with assistance by Becky Johnson, and a wonderful set by Nora Bierce,” said Director Shelia Sumpter. “With creative lighting by Dana Wm. Bierce, and the professional music direction of Maria Frost, this is a production that is certain to be enjoyed by all.”

For more information and/or to purchase tickets, click on harttheatre.org or call the Box Office at 828.456.6322. Winter Box Office Hours are from 3 to 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

On the stage

• “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 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.

(Courtesy of HART photo)

The good and the bad: two book reviews

À chacun son gout, as the French say: “To each his own,” or if you prefer, “There’s no accounting for taste.” Best to keep that thought in mind in this review.

Regarding fiction, my taste runs to welldeveloped characters, a plot line that keeps me flipping the pages, some overarching point to the story, a verbal stew with at least a dash of humor, and writing that demonstrates vigor and skill.

In “The Book Haters’ Book Club” (Park Row, 2022, 352 pages), Gretchen Anthony gives us all these elements, and more. Her story of Irma Bedford, coowner of the Over the Rain Bookshop in Minneapolis, her grown daughters Laney and Bree, her beloved and deceased best friend Elliot, and others offers an abundance of intrigue, humor, lots of chatter about books, and insights into the human personality.

For some reason unknown even to her daughters, Irma is selling the shop at a rockbottom price to a shady firm that intends to tear down the building and replace it with condominiums. Laney, who left Minneapolis years ago becoming the lover of a stock-car driver whom she later married — they now own a tire store together in California — has little interest at first in what happens to the shop, but Bree, who has worked since she was a girl, is devastated.

And so is the grieving Thom Winslow, life partner of Elliot, the man who had invested his time and treasure in the store along with Irma until his unexpected death. While Elliot still lived, Thom was deeply jealous of that relationship and of the time Elliot spent at the shop. As “The Book Haters’ Book Club” progresses, Thom, Bree and Laney join forces to save Over the Rainbow and unravel the mysteries Elliot left behind, secrets hidden away by Irma. Meanwhile, all of them, plus Irma, learn more about themselves as well, about the choices they’ve made in life, the mistakes they’ve made, and the value of family, true friendship and love.

Every few chapters, Elliot breaks up the narrative of this story, speaking from a place

beyond the grave where he seems to spend a good deal of time drinking cocktails and conversing with another love of his life, Judy Garland. Elliot comments on the rest of the characters, offers information about his own life — “I was born to a mother so cold she wore a cashmere coat in Miami Beach” — and several times blows the rest of us kisses: “Mwah! Mwah! Mwah!”

YOUR LIVES!’”

If you want a good story, and if you’re a sucker for books about books as I am, then Gretchen Anthony’s “The Book Haters’ Book Club” is made for you.

•••

That same week that I read Anthony’s novel I also plowed through “No Plan B” (Delacorte Press, 2022, 368 pages), the latest in the

stores, and living by his wits. Like an oldtime knight errant, he defends the weak and the helpless he meets on his travels against bad guys. He’s 6’5” tall and weighs 250 pounds, so pummeling many of his opponents rarely causes him to break a sweat.

In “Plan B,” Reacher punched out so many thugs and crooks that I gave up keeping count, though I did wonder what his knuckles must look like after so many collisions with the skulls and jaws of his enemies. After a while, I also lost track of his reasons for tearing apart this spider web of criminals in “No Plan B.” Some of these villains operate a corrupt private prison system, while another man, a pyromaniac tracking down those he blames for his son’s death, enjoys killing his victims by spreading a napalm-like substance over their naked bodies and then lighting them up.

I finished “Plan B,” but before I was even halfway through, the popcorn had grown stale. The characters, the plot, were all cardboard and no corn.

For me, the part of “The Book Haters’ Book Club” that sparkled brightest was the repartee between sisters Laney and Bree, and their humor. Here, for example, is Laney’s description of another long day of dealing with the trials delivered by the bookshop. “The past few hours had left her drained, as if Pandora hadn’t just opened her box, but jumped out naked and high, hallucinating and screaming ‘RUN FOR

Martin, Zacharias book reading

Cynthia Newberry Martin and Lee Zacharias will be reading from their respective works at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.

Zacharias will give us a sense of her latest novel, “What a Wonderful World This Could Be.”

Martin’s first novel, “Tidal Flats,” won the Gold Medal in Literary Fiction at the 2020 Independent Publisher Book Awards and the

Inspired by a friend several years ago to give the Reacher series a try, I’ve read a good number of these novels. They’re what I think of as popcorn books, a tasty treat to munch on but not particularly memorable.

And memorable the Reacher books are not. They are formulaic, their plots as predictable as the sunrise. Ex-military policeman Reacher roams the United States, hitching rides or taking the bus, carrying only a toothbrush and cash, replacing his clothing with garb purchased from second-hand

14th Annual National Indie Excellence Award for Fiction. Martin’s second novel, “Love Like This,” will be published in April 2023. citylightsnc.com or 828.586.9499.

Sylva monthly book club

The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is starting a new monthly program.

Each month, a library staff member will be discussing some of

My Reacher-enthusiast friend once owned a T-shirt inscribed “What would Reacher do?” At this point, I admit I don’t really care. I imagine the Child brothers will keep pumping out books about Reacher’s exploits — they do make money — but I won’t be there to read them. As Jack Reacher says in the final line of “Plan B,” when he’s once again hitting the road, “It’s time for somewhere new.”

Agreed.

(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)

the new book titles that the library has received. Particular attention will be paid to “under the radar” titles and authors, new releases and other books that the staff is excited about.

All are welcome and no registration is required. For more information on when the club will meet, please call the library at 828.586.2016.

This club is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The JCPL is a member of Fontana Regional Library (fontanalib.org).

Jack Reacher series by Lee Child and his brother, Andrew Child.

Writer Jeff Minick

Celebrating ‘Long Man’

Eastern Band Cherokees work together to care for their rivers

BY G REGORY D. S MITHERS CONTRIBUTING WRITER

(This story was originally published in New Security Beat, the blog of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars’ Environmental Change and Security Program.)

On a crisp autumn morning, the Yellowhill Community Center in Western North Carolina buzzed with excitement as more than 120 Cherokees and their allies shared conversations, laughter and a hearty breakfast. They had descended upon the center in the Qualla Boundary on Oct. 19 to mark the second annual Honoring Long Man Day in the homelands of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

Part river cleanup and part celebration, the day was an occasion to take climate action and reflect on the ongoing importance of rivers in Cherokee life.

After morning prayers and a few words of gratitude were offered by Principal Chief Richard Sneed, the purpose of the gathering was articulated by Juanita Wilson, an EBCI member and the driving force behind Honoring Long Man Day: the participants were present to take care of “Ganvhidv Asgaya

(Long Man), the river, with his head in the mountain and feet in the sea.”

Micah Swimmer, another EBCI member and driving force behind Honoring Long Man Day, seconded Wilson’s message. In coming together to “clean up our rivers,” observed Swimmer, “it is also important, as Cherokee people, to remember the respect we have for the water. That is our medicine. Nothing survives without water.”

LIVING RIPARIAN HISTORY

For centuries, Cherokees have shared reverential stories about rivers and riparian landscapes. The branches and streams that flow into rivers all display unique personalities. These waterways teem with life during the day and sleep at night. The Eastern Band’s ancestors followed these rivers, building impressive earthen mounds and establishing villages along fertile riverbanks.

But Cherokee ancestors didn’t simply live “in” the mountains of Southern Appalachia; they lived “with” them and became part of the riparian world of Southern Appalachia.

When Europeans began invading the Cherokees’ mountain homelands in the 16th century, local knowledge keepers continued to follow well-established practices of going to water to cleanse bodies and souls. Medicine people turned to nearby streams to heal the sick, and Cherokee horticulturalists carried

baskets of water to irrigate crops. Most importantly, rivers were, and are, storytellers, sharing knowledge about the health of riparian ecosystems to those willing to listen.

EXPLORING BIG COVE

This history was at the forefront of my mind on Oct. 19 as cleanup crews broke up to receive last-minute instructions and head off to the different communities on the Qualla Boundary. I joined a crew headed for Big Cove — a small, relatively isolated community, located in the northeast corner of the Qualla Boundary.

It takes about 20 minutes to drive from

downtown Cherokee to Big Cove. When we arrived at our rendezvous point, I was reminded of the beauty of this part of the Boundary, and also why Cherokees fought so hard to resist removal and remain rooted to this place in the early 19th century. Soaring mountains reach toward the sky here, while streams and branches trickle and flow through the hollers before discharging into the Oconaluftee River downstream.

With fall leaves crunching under our feet, I comment on the low water levels.

“It feels like Hurricane Ian has sucked all the moisture out of this place,” one crew member responded.

A quick glance at the USGS National Water Dashboard confirmed what we could see: river discharge was well below average. The low water levels revealed a riverbank in which sediment had started to conceal empty beer cans, discarded silverware snagged between rocks, and the scourge of our time — plastics — which have seemingly taken up residence under virtually every tree and fern.

This stream at Big Cove also draws our attention to this waterway’s resilience. Despite pockets of trash, the ecosystem still looked healthy. Yet this narrow branch tells us something essential about our own role in preserving it. Over lunch, an elder reminded me that we “two-legged creatures” need to act with greater “care and responsibility for our water.”

IDENTITYAND INTERCONNECTEDNESS

Chief Sneed shared a similar message with me earlier that morning.

“Days like this create opportunities when we work together,” Sneed explained. “It brings us back to center, to that interconnectedness as tribal people.”

Sneed evoked two principles that are fundamental to Cherokee identity: gadugi, the concept of working cooperatively together, and tohi, or health and balance. Honoring Long Man Day showcased gadugi, revealing how 21st-century F

Clement Calhoun speaks to students from New Kituwah Academy about the cultural importance of Long Man.

Abby Cantrel/N.C. Arboretum photo

Students search for aquatic life in the Oconaluftee River.

Scott Campbell/Casablanca Digital Media photo

Basketball registration open

There’s still time to sign up for the Rec Basketball League at Haywood County Recreation and Parks.

Registration is open through Friday, Nov. 18, with the league open to ages 5-14, including threeversus-three play for ages 11-14. Cost is $40. Register online at bit.ly/haywoodrec or in person at the Recreation Office.

Volunteers remove 3,380 pounds of trash from EBCI waters

More than 200 people came together to remove 3,380 from the waterways of Cherokee lands in Western North Carolina during the second annual Honoring Long Man Day Wednesday, Oct. 19. The day included a breakfast, blessing and river cleanup in recognition of the Cherokee Long Man, Ganvhidv Asgaya, whose head lay in the mountains and feet in the sea — a living river. A revered figure among the Cherokee, Long Man provided water for drinking, cleanliness, food and numerous cultural rituals tied to medicine and washing away bad thoughts and sadness.

During the inaugural event in 2021, 460 pounds of recyclables were collected in Snowbird, while 2,200 pounds were collected in the Cherokee area. This year, 206 volunteers collected 1,240 pounds of trash in Snowbird and Cherokee County plus 2,140 pounds in the Cherokee area. This volunteer force included 43 students, teachers and parents from New Kituwah Academy; 126 adults from Cherokee; and 37 volunteers in Snowbird and Cherokee County.

Members of the Mississippi Band of Choctaw and Poarch Band of Creek Indians joined in solidarity. Organizer Juanita Wilson hopes to expand that intertribal connection in 2023. Also new this year was a land stewardship component for kids that involved planting native trees such as white oak and hickory, and learning about aquatic creatures and native reptiles.

— Holly Kays, outdoors editor

Cherokees are leading a coalition of Native and non-Native people to duyuk’dv’I, “the correct way” or “right path,” by caring for local waterways.

Walking on the right path is not done alone; it involves a whole of community effort. This ethos buttresses all elements of Honoring Long Man Day. “Water is life,” Swimmer reminded me, “that’s true. That’s what we believe. All tribes believe that.” In the Cherokee language, ama gvnida, “water is life,” remains a fundamental tenet of Cherokee thinking.

THE NEXT GENERATION

Both Wilson and Swimmer understand this. And it is why they are passionate about sharing this message with Cherokee children.

At Oconaluftee Island Park, located in downtown Cherokee, a group of 43 students, teachers and parents from the nearby New Kituwah Academy listened to lessons about riparian ecosystems and got their hands dirty planting nine trees — a combination of white oak and hickory. These students embodied duyuk’dv’I, speaking to each other in Cherokee and working together to care for a popular picnic spot.

Watching the students from New Kituwah plant those trees, I couldn’t help but feel that they were exemplars of ulisgedi detsadayelvsesdi, which calls upon us to

“treat each other’s existence as being sacred or important.” They treated each other, those young trees and the waters of the Oconaluftee with immense care.

As the day’s activities came to a close, Wilson referred to those who participated

as “just a small community group” coming together to care for Cherokee rivers. Yet this “small community” is powerful. With Cherokee leadership, they are showing that movements often begin from a small group of dedicated volunteers who care for the land and water and are willing to work together. In being part of Honoring Long Man Day, I observed that something special seems to be happening in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Gregory D. Smithers is professor of history at Virginia Commonwealth University and a British Academy Global Professor based at the University of Hull, England. He is currently writing a book about water in Cherokee history and culture.

Scott Campbell/Casablanca Digital Media photo

Gatlinburg Trails reopen

After two weeks of closure, Gatlinburg Trail and Twin Creeks Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are fully reopened.

The park announced their closure on Wednesday, Oct. 26, due to a large concentration of bears eating acorns along parts of the trails. The groups of bears are gone now, but hikers should remain watchful while hiking.

For information on what to do if you encounter a bear while hiking, visit nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/blackbears.htm.

Hike through Thanksgiving

Give thanks outdoors with a Thanksgiving Day hike at Panthertown, 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23.

The group will meet at the Cullowhee Recreation Center and head up to the trail-

head for a hike of 4-6 miles, rated as beginner to moderate in difficulty. Hiking time should be between two-and-a-half and four hours.

Cost is $5, with children under 18 accompanied by a parent. Open to ages 10 and up. Register at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program. Contact Trevor Brown with questions at 828.293.3053, ext. 9, or email trevorbrown@jacksonnc.org.

Land navigation course offered

Learn how to stay found with a land navigation course offered 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in Haywood County.

Course instructor Steve Kuni, who is a trainer for the Haywood County Search and Rescue Volunteers and a former U.S. Army Officer, will cover the fundamentals of traditional map and compass land navigation, and apply those fundamentals to navigation with modern cell phones. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec. For more information, contact recreationandparks@haywoodcountync.gov or 828.452.6789.

Cataloochee opens

Cataloochee Ski Area opened for the season Monday, Nov. 14, after starting snowmaking with the onset of cold weather the previous day.

For opening day, one aerial lift operated 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. with skiing and riding on five trails: Upper Omigosh, Rock Island Run, Lower Omigosh, Rabbit Hill and Beginner’s Luck. Through Dec. 9, the ski

area will be open 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on non-holiday weekdays and 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekends and holidays, including Thanksgiving. Special hours Nov. 23, 25 and 26 are 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Last year, Cataloochee opened for the season on Nov. 20. For updates on the 2022 season, visit cataloochee.com or follow the ski area on social media.

A snow machine blows snow onto one of Cataloochee’s ski slopes. Cataloochee Ski Area photo

Tribe, Forest Service sign co-stewardship agreement

A new agreement between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the U.S. Forest Service will allow the two entities to collaborate on management of the tribe’s 54,000 acres of forestland.

The agreement, the first of its kind in the Forest Service’s Southern Region, opens funding and support opportunities for the Forest Service to perform management activities on trust and tribally owned restricted lands bordering or adjacent to the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.

“Our partnership with the U.S. Forest Service is a testament to what can be achieved for tribes when representatives of the government come to table with genuine, meaningful thoughts and dialogue,” said Joey Owle, Secretary of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “We have been able to advance our tribal interests, such as strategic forest management, along with pursuing mutually beneficial goals and objectives, that at the foundation of it all, co-stewardship of lands that we all come home.”

Principal Chief Richard Sneed and Regional Forester Ken Arney signed the proposal, authorized under the Tribal Forest Protection Act, during a ceremony Sunday, Nov. 6, preceding the U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree tour celebration at Oconaluftee Island Park. The tribe’s Timber and Natural Resources Committee gave its support to the proposal during an Aug. 17 meeting, and on Thursday, Sept. 1, Tribal Council unanimously approved it.

“Our people have always maintained a strong connection to the earth. Cherokee culture is imbued with gratitude for our

land and its countless resources,” Sneed said.

EBCI already has a strong relationship with the Forest Service, helping to incorporate traditional ecological knowledge into forest management.

“I deeply value the relationship that has developed between the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and our Forest Service team,” Arney said. “It is engagement and commitment like this that allows us to manage the landscapes for mutual benefit.”

Managing fire and white oak are important elements of Cherokee relationships with forests in the Southern Appalachians. Settlement, logging and fire exclusion have altered forests and impacted culturally important forest products and practices. Integrating artisan and traditional ecological knowledge with silvicultural and fire research will inform forest management. Planned work includes prescribed fire, treating non-native and invasive species, and managing species and places valued by tribal members. Projects will provide multiple benefits to the Forest Service, EBCI and the local community, including restoring forest resiliency and productivity.

“Tribal connections in Western North Carolina extend to time immemorial. As costewards of the national forests, we’ll continue working together to manage forests for shared values while simultaneously reducing fire risk, making forests resilient to climate change and protecting places of tribal significance,” said National Forests in North Carolina Forest Supervisor James Melonas.

The latest drought map released Nov. 10 shows strengthening drought in the mountain region, but significant rain from Tropical Depression Nicole that fell after the Nov. 8 data cutoff may result in an improved situation when the new map comes out Nov. 17.

The Nov. 10 map lists Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Clay and Cherokee counties

as experiencing severe drought, with an additional 19 counties — including Haywood, Buncombe, Transylvania and Henderson — in moderate drought. Fifty-six counties are labeled abnormally dry. The Town of Franklin asked its residents to reduce water use by 5% until the supply from Cartoogechaye Creek improves.

However, rainfall from Nicole was significant, with the National Weather Service reporting 1.69 inches in Waynesville and 0.81 inches in Bryson City Nov. 10-11. Cullowhee got 1.58 inches Nov. 11-13, but no precipitation is recorded for Franklin.

Drought strengthens, but recent rains could reverse trend

Federal energy production revenues to fund conservation

The U.S. Department of the Interior has disbursed $21.53 billion in fiscal year 2022 energy production revenues, the secondlargest disbursement since 1983.

The money, generated from energy production on federal and tribal lands, as well as federal offshore areas, provides money to states and tribes to pursue a variety of conservation goals, including irrigation and hydropower projects, historic preservation initiatives, efforts to protect public lands and

waters, and investments in much-needed maintenance for critical facilities and infrastructure on our public lands.

This year, tribes and individual Indian mineral owners received $1.59 billion, the Reclamation Fund $3.32 billion, the Land and Water Conservation Fund $1.02 billion, the Historic Preservation Fund $150 million, federal agencies $460 million and the U.S. Treasury $10.64 billion. In addition, 33 states received a total of $4.36 billion from oil, gas, renewable energy and mineral production on federal lands within their borders and from offshore oil and gas tracts in federal waters adjacent to four Gulf states’ shores. North Carolina received a miniscule share of this funding, $111.

Tree discounts available for military members

During the month of November, military members can receive a discount on tree seedling orders from the N.C. Forest Service.

The 25% discount is open to active, honorably discharged or retired military personnel, and it applies to the first $500 of all orders, up to $125. Proof of service — valid military ID, Department of Defense Form 214/215 or National Guard Bureau Form 22/22A — is required to obtain the discount. Standard shipping rates apply.

Order seedlings at buynctrees.com or call 1.888.NCTREES.

Turn soil tests in soon

Peak-season soil testing fees will take effect Dec. 1, lasting through March 31, 2023, so submit soil tests soon to avoid the $4 per sample fee.

Fall is the busiest time of the year for the soil testing lab, so the peak-season fee was instituted in 2013 to encourage early sampling. Outside of peak season, testing is free.

Samples with completed soil information forms must be physically delivered and received by the Agronomic Services Division before Dec. 1 to avoid the peak-season fee. Information forms for all soil samples must be present for samples to be received.

For more information, visit ncagr.gov/agronomi/uyrst.htm.

Tremont plans second campus

A $250,000 grant from the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Connected Communities Pilot Program will support development of a second campus for the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont.

The funds will allow Tremont to complete a detailed engineering design to retrofit an existing house into a regenerative education center, the first phase of the ambitious project. The second campus will allow for greater program capacity while demonstrating sustainability and equity efforts. It will meet International Living Future Institute’s Living Building Challenge, a framework of

rigorous regenerative building standards that incorporate clean energy goals, sustainable building practices and a positive impact on the surrounding community. It aims to be the first retrofitted Living Building Challenge building in the TVA region.

Knoxville-based McCarty Holsaple McCarty Architects has been chosen for the first phase of the project, and the firm will work closely with Hennebery Eddy, an architecture and planning firm with offices in Oregon and Montana.

To learn more about the project, visit gsmit.org/second-campus.

Water system upgrades to move forward at Balsam Mountain and Heintooga

An environmental assessment investigating potential impacts of water and wastewater system repairs at Balsam

proceed with the project.

The selected alternative calls for replacing water lines, sewer lines, a well pump and a water storage tank, as well as installing two new conventional septic systems and a quarter-mile gravel access road. The improvements will support visitor services in this remote location by providing safe drinking water and proper wastewater treatment and disposal while also reducing system maintenance requirements.

Mountain Campground and Heintooga Picnic Area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park came back with a finding of no significant impact, meaning the park can

Located on the North Carolina side of the park at about 5,300 feet in elevation, the campground and picnic area are typically open mid-May through mid-October. To minimize inconvenience to visitors and campers, most construction will occur during the seasonal closure.

Tremont President and CEO Catey McClary and board members discuss the future of the second campus while visiting the Townsend property. Erin Rosolina photo

Located on the North Carolina side of the park, Balsam Mountain Campground and Heintooga Picnic Area sit at 5,300 feet. NPS photo

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Notes from a Plant Nerd

BY ADAM B IGELOW

Pushing Leaves

Every year, the fallen leaves blanket the forest floor in the fall. And every spring the wildflowers have no trouble pushing up through them to bloom. They’ve had this relationship worked out for a very long time. This carpet of leaves helps to insulate the forest floor for the winter, providing shelter and food for overwintering insects, fungi and worms. These leaves also contribute nutrients to the decomposition process that is a foundation of the soil food web, a community of organisms living in the soil that includes bacteria, fungi, other microbes and plant roots.

Nobody needs to clean up the forest floor from this so-called leaflitter and nobody needs to fertilize the forest. Yet Southern Appalachian forests are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. Neither do you need to clean up the leaves around your home or fertilize the plants and trees for that matter. All you need to do is leave the leaves. Yet every year out come the leaf blowers, leaf bags and vacuum trucks blowing and sucking up the leaves to get them out of lawns and gardens, often sending them to a landfill, or hopefully to a compost pile at least.

Just days after the summer solstice, triggered by the lengthening nights, trees begin the process of going dormant for the winter. They have to start so early because trees move at a different speed than we animals do. This work, detailed in a previous column, culminates with the trees sealing off the place where leaves attach to the stem, and then ejecting or pushing the leaves off. This is an active, and not a passive, process. The leaves don’t just fall, y’all. They’re pushed.

Fallen leaves like this tulip-poplar leaf provide a natural fertilizer, as well as winter shelter for a variety of animals and insects.

Puzzles can be found on page 46

These are only the answers.

If I was a superhero, the gaspowered leaf blower would be my archnemesis and I would swoop into a landscape being manicured, snatch away the leaf blower, hand the operator a broom or a rake, and say, “Shhhhh” before flying away to the next yard. See, leaf blowers are as loud as a jet engine taking off and running a gas-powered leaf blower for one hour can put out the same emissions as driving a giant SUV on a 3,000-mile journey. The idea of using fossil fuel-powered machinery to remove leaves, using fossil fuel-powered vehicles to haul them away, and then using fossil fuel-derived fertilizers on that same landscape makes no sense to me. Guess what’s in the leaves being removed? Most all the nutrients the plants and trees need to grow next year. You know, like fertilizer?

Allowing leaves to drop and lay where they were pushed is a really great way to reduce your impacts on the environment, and not just with reduced emissions. Many insects like moths and butterflies will spend the winter hiding in the leaves, even making their cocoons to look like dead leaves. Frogs, snakes, salamanders and other animals will use the fallen leaves as shelter. And the aforementioned wildflowers love having the warmth a blanket of leaves provides.

Some trees choose to hold onto their leaves through the winter, but they’re not evergreens, they’re marcescent. Young American beech trees (Fagus grandifolia) oaks (Quercus spp.) amd musclewood (Carpinus caroliniana) among others will keep their leaves on until spring, shedding them just before new leaf growth occurs. Theories about why they do this include waiting for spring to decompose the leaves, protecting the trees from deer and other animals browsing, or to catch and direct water to the root zone. I believe another benefit could be to help give shade to saplings and young branches, protecting them from sun scald, which can damage young trees.

So, this fall I encourage you to be a beech, to practice marcescence, to hold onto your leaves around your home and provide a home to the critters that rely on the fallen leaves of autumn. To move at the speed of trees and wait to clean up. The fireflies, butterflies and birds will thank you. And so will I.

(Adam Bigelow lives in Cullowhee and leads weekly wildflower walks and ecotours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. bigelownc@gmail.com.)

Adam Bigelow photo

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

• The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m.-noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists. Jared Smith ‘Blue’ will play Oct. 22, Taylor Knighton will play Oct. 29, Wooly Booger will play Nov. 5, Clayton Justice will play Nov. 12.

• Cowee School Farmer’s Market is held Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.

• Share Your View, a community conversation about local issues, news and information needs will be hosted 5:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at Western Carolina University. For more information, or to register visit tinyurl.com/8uyrec3w.

• Dillsboro Lights and Luminaries will take place 5-9 p.m. Dec. 2-3 and 9-10. There will be live music, visits with Santa, shops and restaurants open late, and free old-fashioned buggy rides.

• Smoky Mountain Christmas Light Spectacular will take place 6-10 p.m. Nov. 10-Dec. 31, at the Great Smoky Mountain Event Park. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays in November, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. BrysonCityChristman.com

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• Cherokee journalist Rebecca Nagle will deliver this year’s Cooper Memorial Lecture in Cherokee Studies at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, at Western Carolina’s UC Theater, and 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

• A ribbon cutting ceremony for the new Health Sciences Education Building will be held at Haywood Community College 2-4 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 29.

H EALTHAND WELLNESS

• Every third Thursday of the month The Mariana Black Library in Bryson City, in partnership with the VAYA Health, hosts a free educational series on adult mental health from 2-3 p.m. “A Rainbow of Mental Health: An Introduction” course will be held Thursday, Nov. 17. To register go to vayahealth.com/calendar or call the library at 828.488.3030. Registration is required.

R ECREATIONAND FITNESS

• Registration for the Rec Basketball League at Haywood County Recreation and Parks is open through Friday, Nov. 18. The league is open to ages 5-14, including three-versus-three play for ages 11-14. Cost is $40. Register online at bit.ly/haywoodrec or in person at the Recreation Office.

CLUBS AND M EETINGS

• The Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society will hold its Holiday Party, “Mountain Holiday Traditions” at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 1, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, in Bryson City.

• The Canton Branch Creative Writing Group meets 10:30 a.m.-noon on the second and fourth Tuesday of

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

the month. For more information, email Jennifer at jennifer.stuart@haywoodcountync.gov or call 828.356.2561.

P OLITICAL CORNER

• The Swain County Democratic Party Whittier-Cherokee precinct will meet at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21, via Zoom. Agenda items include evaluating midterm election results and setting priorities for 2023. For more info or the Zoom link, email maryherr2017@gmail.com or call 828.497.9498.

AUTHORSAND B OOKS

• Storyteller Donald 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.

• The Jackson County Public Library is hosting the monthly book discussion group at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Conference Room. The book to be discussed this month is “There There” by Tommy Orange. Registration is required, email JCPL-Adults@fontanalib.org.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• 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.

• The Jackson County Public Library is hosting a Dinovember Family Night at 5 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in the Community room. There will be dinosaur-themed games, crafts, and more. For more information call the library at 828.586.2016.

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.

F OODAND D RINK

• 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.

• 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.

CLASSESAND PROGRAMS

• Folkmoot USA and Daydreamz Project will host two lantern making classes from 1-3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Folkmoot center. For more information on any of these events, visit daydreamzproject.org or call 828.476.4231 or email info@daydreamzproject.org.

• 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, 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 medi-

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

n Complete listings of local music scene

n Regional festivals

n Art gallery events and openings

n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers

n Civic and social club gatherings

ums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

Outdoors

• Take a hike on the High Bethel Loop at 2:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 16, with the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department. Register for $5 at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program.

• The Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation will celebrate its 25th anniversary during an event 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, at the Highland Brewing Company Event Center in Asheville. Tickets are $25 and available at BRPFoundation.org/events.

• A strenuous 4-mile hike exploring the Waynesville Watershed will embark at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 17. Reserve a spot with Christine O’Brien, Christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 1.

• A navigation course will be offered 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 18, in Haywood County. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec. For more information, contact recreationandparks@haywoodcountync.gov or 828.452.6789.

• Youth ages 11-18 are invited to head to Chestnut Mountain Park in Canton 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Nov. 19, for coaching on basic mountain biking skills. Coaches will see participants through beginner and intermediate trails at Chestnut Mountain Park, with loaner bikes and helmets available. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

• Howard Browers will lead a birding trip at Lake Junaluska 9 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. Sign up at bit.ly/haywoodrec.

• The Mountainfilm festival will come to Asheville at 7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19. The films will be shown at New Belgium Brewing Company, with doors to open at 6 p.m. Learn more or buy tickets at muddysneakers.org/mfot.

• Amber and Joshua Niven, authors of “Discovering the Appalachian Trail,” will hold a fireside chat about the book noon to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Swain County.

• Hike Panthertown at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 23. The group will meet at the Cullowhee Recreation Center and head up to the trailhead for a hike of 4-6 miles. Cost is $5, with children under 18 accompanied by a parent. Open to ages 10 and up. Register at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program. Contact Trevor Brown with questions at 828.293.3053, ext. 9, or email trevorbrown@jacksonnc.org.

• Tickets are now on sale for Winter Lights, an open-air walk-through light show of more than 1 million lights running Nov. 18-Dec. 31 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville. Ticket prices range from $30 to $60 per car depending on the date and entry time, with members receiving a $5 discount. Flex tickets are $75. For more information or to reserve tickets, visit ncarboretum.org/winter-lights.

Market PLACE WNC

Legals

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)

• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4

• Boost in Print

• Add Photo $6

• Bold ad $2

• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

• Border $4

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

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

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION

Case No.22-E-653 Mary Q. Welch aka Mary Noland Welch, having

Employment

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT

STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA

Announcements

DRINKING PROBLEM? Auction

SMITH RIVER LAND AUCTION.

a four year degree in a

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com

• Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com

• Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

• John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

• Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com

• Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com

• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@beverly-hanks.com

• Darrin Graves - dgraves@beverly-hanks.com

Emerson Group - emersongroupus.com

• George Escaravage - george@emersongroupus.com

• Chuck Brown - chuck@emersongroupus.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

• Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

• Steve Mauldin - 828-734-4864

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

Lakeshore

Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

• Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

Mountain Creek Real Estate

• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Premier Sotheby's International Realty

• DeAnn Suchy - deann.suchy@premiersir.com

• Kaye Matthews - kaye.matthews@premiersir.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com

• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

• Mary Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net

• David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com

• Sara Sherman - sarashermanncrealtor@gmail.com

• David Rogers- davidr@remax-waynesville.com

• Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

Rob Roland Realty

• Rob Roland - 828-400-1923

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