Bill would cut red tape in lumber industry Page 13
On the Cover:
A leaked email has shined light on the fact that the Trump administration has had a hand in creating a list of over 300 words that, if included in federal grant applications, will work against the entity seeking the grant.
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News
VA secretary greeted by demonstrators during visit to Asheville..........................4 HCS grapples with tight budget ....................................................................................6
Tough budget discussions ahead for Waynesville....................................................8 Social worker program lauded by Waynesville police chief....................................9
Utility customers in Waynesville may get budget billing option..........................11 Solar panels proposed for Town of Waynesville facilities ....................................12 Bill would cut red tape in lumber industry..................................................................13
Opinion
Lying about Social Security isn’t the answer............................................................14 Trump’s cronies don’t live in our universe..................................................................15
A&E
What I want: A conversation with Wyatt Espalin....................................................16 Pigeon Community Center hosts ‘Storytellers Series’..........................................22
Outdoors
Sicklefin Redhorse fish officially deemed new species..........................................24 North Carolina sees drought, widespread abnormally dry conditions ............25
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VA secretary greeted by demonstrators during visit to Asheville
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Less than a week after a raucous congressional town hall where Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards faced intense criticism over cuts to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs — a disabled retired Army veteran was kicked out of the event after causing a disturbance — VA Secretary Doug Collins visited the Charles George Medical Center in Asheville to try to ameliorate some of those concerns. Demonstrators outside weren’t buying it.
Collins began his remarks by acknowledging the fact that Asheville’s VA hospital is consistently rated as one of the top facilities in the entire system.
In 2024, for the second consecutive year, Western North Carolina’s VA system, with outpatient clinics in Forest City, Franklin and Hickory and the Charles George Medical Center as its centerpiece, earned a five-star rating from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services based on quality and patient care.
Orange, burn pits and other toxic substances, begin to seek care.
During the Biden administration, the VA saw significant increases in staffing, hiring 61,000 in 2023 alone. That increase comes as veterans made 116 million appointments systemwide, up from 113 million the previous year, according to Government Executive, which also reported new records in both the number of veterans seeking services and the dollar amount of benefits provided. Nearly 2 million out of 2.4 million claims were processed that year — also both records.
Collins acknowledged that 14 employees at the Charles George Medical Center had indeed been fired but snapped back against claims of further cuts.
“What I spend most of my time doing is fighting innuendo and rumor. That’s what I’ve been fighting. And I’ve been fighting [everyone] from members of Congress in the House and the Senate to labor unions to people who have vested interests, even VSOs,” he said. “This is why I’m here to say,
“One of the things that I’m emphasizing as I go forward here is, how do we take what is good in places like Asheville and Western North Carolina and make that something we can model elsewhere in the country?” Collins said.
A native of Hall County in upstate Georgia, Collins won three terms in the Georgia House and later four terms as a congressman. During the 1980s, he served two years as a Navy chaplain. Shortly after the Sept. 11 terror attacks, Collins joined the Air Force Reserves, again as a chaplain, and retired as a colonel in 2023. He was appointed by President Donald Trump last November and was confirmed as VA secretary in February.
Collins confirmed during a press-only briefing that 2,400 of 482,000 VA employees had already been fired; however, a leaked memo recently revealed plans to reduce the VA’s workforce to align with staffing levels from fiscal year 2019, targeting a workforce size of around 399,000.
These reductions are part of broader federal efforts to decrease government spending and have raised concerns about potential impacts on services provided to veterans especially as newly eligible veterans under the PACT Act, which expands coverage to veterans exposed to Agent
‘Quit scaring my veterans. Quit scaring my employees.’ We got a lot of change coming, and we’re going to work together to have it. But when you tell me we’re gonna lay off doctors and lay off nurses, that’s not even in our consideration right now. I need more good doctors. I need more good nurses. I need more who are taking care of people on the front line. You know where we’re going to be looking? At the bureaucracy layer that goes from my doctor to the central office in Washington, D.C.”
Among the 14 fired, Collins said, were an executive assistant, an interior designer and “also some stock clerks.” Privatization of VA services, Collins explained, was also misinformation; like in other localities, the medical community surrounding the Charles George Medical Center simply does not have the capacity to accommodate the sheer number of patients that utilize the facility each year, he said.
“Can you imagine if this wonderful facility right here had to take all the patients that it had and they had to then put [them] into the system that is out there in Ashville, the surrounding areas?” Collins asked. “We would have a crisis here. So no [to privatization], but we can do a better job partnering. We can use our resources better.”
Another major concern for Collins, and the nation, has been the alarming rate of veteran suicides.
“We’re spending $588 million on prevention — $588 million on prevention — and we’re still staying between 17 and 40 [veteran suicides per day], depending on what number you want to look at. I don’t accept that as a veteran,” Collins said. “I don’t accept that. I want to find better ways, and I’ll partner with anybody willing to help us.”
Collins rebuked claims he wanted to spend less money on veteran suicide prevention because the $588 million appeared to have little effect on lowering veteran suicide rates.
“I’m not sure where we’re getting less money being spent — what I’m saying is we’re spending $588 million. Are we doing it effectively? Let me make this clear. I’ll foot-stomp this all day long. I want you to understand something. If I’m going to spend $588 million, I’ll spend a billion to save one life. Hear me clearly … if $588 million is not being effective, then let’s take the programs, let’s take the outreach we’re using and maybe redirect that $588 million to suicide prevention programs that are working. Am I making myself very clear there?” Collins said, agitated. “Because I don’t want any misconstruing on that one. I’ll fight that one all day long. We’re not cutting suicide prevention, we’re making it more effective.”
“We’re spending $588 million on prevention — $588 million on prevention — and we’re still staying between 17 and 40 [veteran suicides per day], depending on what number you want to look at. I don’t accept that as a veteran. I don’t accept that. I want to find better ways, and I’ll partner with anybody willing to help us.”
—
Doug Collins, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Outside, protestors began to gather along Tunnel Road more than two hours before Collins’ visit.
“I wouldn’t use this word, but stop the bullshit and quit this talking about cuts and quit treating people the way they are,” said Larry Sorrells. “I met a guy the other day that just got out of the Marines not too long ago, had taken a job with a VA and he was probationary employee, so guess what? He got fired. He probably left another job to go to this job. That’s a real kick in the face, especially to a guy like him. I’m sure he had a family or whatever.”
Sorrells is a Buncombe County resident and registered Democrat who was drafted into the Army, served two years as a military policeman and then worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 38 years. He’s also a patient and lauded the quality of care he receives at the Charles George Medical Center.
With him was Glen Meadows of Leicester, also a registered Democrat. Meadows said he’d received a Purple Heart in Vietnam and still receives care related to the injury. Like Sorrells, Meadows had nothing but praise for the level of service and the employees at the Charles George Medical Center, but was deeply upset about cuts to the system.
“If this stuff keeps going on, there’ll be veterans die because you can’t take 73,000 or 83,000 people out of the VA and keep up the quality care that F
The Charles George Medical Center, named after a Medal of Honor recipient and Cherokee native killed in Korea in 1952, has consistently appeared on lists of the best VA hospitals in the nation.
Cory Vaillancourt photo
we’ve got,” Meadows said. “What you’re doing is going to kill people. It’s going to end up with veterans being dead, that’s exactly what I would tell [Collins], and that’s the truth. It will be beyond the shadow of a doubt.”
Joining the roughly 100 demonstrators outside the VA was Jay Carey — the disabled retired Army veteran who garnered national recognition after being thrown out of Edwards’ town hall on March 13. Seated near the front of the event, Carey hurled expletives at Edwards until he was removed. Carey, whose family lost everything during Hurricane Helene, accused Edwards of silencing him and not doing his job and. In front of the VA while waiting for Collins, Carey said that cuts to the VA could set an ominous precedent.
do we stop without them privatizing or ending the VA as a whole?”
Carey and other vets said they were disappointed they weren’t able to address Collins directly; however, Carey walked into the VA anyway, asking to attend the event. When he was denied, he said he sat in the waiting area and was able to catch Collins on his way into the hospital. Carey said he asked Collins why the VA was taking away health benefits for trans veterans, but Collins wasn’t interested in having that conversation.
“Vets are vets, regardless of how they identify or what their sexual orientation is,” Carey told SMN March 20.
“We’re letting the secretary of the VA know that we’re not going to sit and roll over and just take whatever they want to do to us,” Carey said. “They’re ending care for trans veterans. I wonder what’s next? Is it going to be Black veterans? Is it going to be Latina veterans? Is it going to be disabled veterans that aren’t going to be able to get care here anymore? I mean, where
Carey said he was then “swarmed” by police, who told him he was a danger to other veterans and that it was time to leave.
When asked about his newfound notoriety and political future — Carey had run for Congress in 2022, finishing third in the Democratic Primary Election — he said he had no aspirations “whatsoever” to run again, and that he was focused solely on a nonprofit advocacy group he’d recently founded, resistpersist.com.
359 homes and businesses in Haywood County to receive high-speed internet
The N.C. Department of Information Technology’s Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity announced a $1.2 million Completing Access to Broadband (CAB) program fiber project to connect 359 households and businesses in Haywood County to high-speed internet. This project will be funded by more than $850,000 from the federal American Rescue Plan awarded by NCDIT and nearly $365,000 from the selected broadband provider:
• Haywood County: Skyrunner, Inc. This award will provide high-speed internet access to 359 locations (27.24% of the county’s 1,318 eligible locations).
NCDIT announced the award during the 2025 North Carolina Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Conference in Winston-Salem to highlight the significant role mapping plays in both the state’s emergency response efforts for Hurricane Helene and in closing North Carolina’s digital divide.
The CAB program’s procurement process creates a partnership between counties and NCDIT to identify areas that need access, solicit proposals from prequalified internet service providers and quickly make awards. Awardees must agree to provide high-speed service that reliably meets or exceeds speeds of 100 Mbps download and 100 Mbps upload.
For more information about the NCDIT Division of Broadband and Digital Opportunity, visit ncbroadband.gov.
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Doug Collins speaks to reporters on March 18. Cory Vaillancourt photo
HCS grapples with tight budget
BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
Haywood County Schools Board of Education passed its budget for 2025-26, and despite multiple years of contraction and yet another budget focused on offsetting losses and minimizing expenses, the school system continues to outperform other districts across the state. But this year, administration says, the budget is as tight as it can get.
“We are as lean and efficient as we can be,” said Haywood County Schools Superintendent Trevor Putnam. “I’m just not comfortable going below that, and so we must seek out additional funding.”
The primary focus points for Haywood County Schools’ 2025-26 budget are to recruit, retain and support employees, limit expansion items in the local current expense budget and adjust the budget as needed to account for loss of ESSER funding, declining enrollment and associated issues with the Canton mill closure.
Several factors are impacting the creation of the 2025-26 budget for Haywood County Schools, including the loss of ESSER III funding which provided an additional allocation of $15,692,592 to Haywood County Schools.
“These funds were expended over four years,” said Finance Officer Leanna Moody. “We got these funds in the 2021-22 fiscal year, and they ended in September of 2024. So, we had them for three months this [fiscal] year.”
Salary-related expenses paid with ESSER funds for the current fiscal year totaled $878,278. Haywood County Schools did not pay for newly created positions using ESSER funds, but some were used for remediation tutoring and to help offset some expenses paid for by local funds.
“That is a huge impact affecting our budget this coming year,” Moody said.
What’s more, Haywood County Schools lost 117 students this year and that reduction will be reflected in the 2025-26 fiscal year state, federal and local funding allocations.
Additionally, after the mill closure in Canton in 2023, Putnam was able to secure a $3 million grant from the North Carolina Department of Public Safety. Those funds were used to offset some local expenses for utilities, to the tune of about $1 million during the current fiscal year.
“We will not have those next year, so that’s a huge hit to our budget for next year,” said Moody.
According to Moody, utility costs have increased approximately $450,000 over a two-year period.
There are six separate funds that make up the total budget — the local current expense, local restricted funds, capital outlay, child nutrition, state public schools and federal grants.
The local current expense budget provides for a broad spectrum of school system operating costs which include supplies, repairs, utilities and contracted services, as well as instructional support personnel.
Because the school system is creating its budget prior to the passage of the new state budget, the development of the local current expense budget depends on certain assumptions that administration expects to see in the state budget. Those include a 3% salary increase for non-certified personnel, a 5% salary increase for certified personnel, a 7.65% employer matching FICA (Federal Insurance Contributions Act), 24.75% employer matching retirement and $8,662 annual costs for employer-matched hospitalization.
next year. So that could substantially change. All those are unknowns.”
The anticipated county per pupil appropriation rate is $2,591.43 for the 6,370 Haywood County School students, plus 686 charter school students. This is up $81.57 from the county per pupil allocation rate of $2,509.86 in the current year budget.
The loss of 117 students has significant impacts on next year’s budget.
“I want to bring this into perspective,” said Moody. “If our ADM had remained the same, and we hadn’t lost those 117 students, our county appropriation this coming fiscal year would have been $18,544,273. So just the loss of those students, that’s a net loss of $259,000 to the school system.”
“The current funding formula provides a 3.25% per pupil appropriation increase; but however, due to the loss of the students, the total percentage increase will only reflect about a 1.81% increase in overall funding,” Moody Continued.
The fiscal year 2025-26 anticipated county appropriation is $18,285,134. This amount is combined with $345,000 in fines and forfeitures, $24,000 in ABC revenues and a $719,483.75 fund balance allocation to make revenues equal expenditures, for a total $19,373,617.75 local current expense budget. This marks the second year in a row that the school system has had to allocate more than $700,000 from its fund balance to balance the budget.
About 50% of local funds are allocated to instructional services. This year that amount is $9,883,350.81, up from $9.5 million in the current fiscal year. Moody says the increase is mainly due to salary and benefits.
Another 41% of local funds are spent to support activities that provide system-wide support for school programs such as maintenance, central office, operational support and liability insurance.
“This year’s budget is a flat budget; we’re not trying to increase anything,” said Moody.
About 9% of local funds go directly from Haywood County Schools to charter schools. That amount is increasing from $1,680,000 in the current fiscal year to $1,720,000 in the 2025-26 fiscal year.
According to the HCS administration, of the 117 students HCS lost over the last year, only 17 were lost to the brickand-mortar charter school Shining Rock Classical Academy. The other 100 are assumed to have been lost to a mix of displacement, as well as virtual charter schools.
“Obviously the general assembly has not concluded their session,” said Putnam. “We’ve seen them release [a budget] as late as October, November, so there has to be some budget assumptions, and we typically calculate just a little high, in anticipation for any decisions they may reach.”
Moody said that there may be changes ahead for the employer matching rates.
“The North Carolina State Health Plan has a $507 million deficit, and they are currently discussing the best way to move forward with that regarding premiums,” Moody said. “They’re also discussing implementing a salary-based premium for employees. So, the higher your salary, the more you’ll pay for health insurance. That is being discussed and that sounds like that will go into effect, but there is no information available about what our matching rates are going to be
Trevor Putnam.
File photo
“Could be the impact of the flood, could be the result of the mill closure, but only 17 are [to Shining Rock],” said Putnam. “And a lot of times, we get those students back. Gone for now and back tomorrow. But far bigger than that I think are other factors, like I said the mill closure, the flood, and these virtual charters are rampant. I mean rampant. A new one pops up it seems like about every two months.”
Associate Superintendent Jill Barker said that many of the students who are attending virtual charter schools in Haywood County have never been enrolled in the Haywood County School system.
“But if they live in our county and they enroll in a virtual charter, then we have to pay for that,” said Barker.
For each student within a local school’s administrative unit who attends a charter school, North Carolina law requires the public school system to pay the charter school the amount equal to the school system’s per pupil local current expense fund appropriation for the fiscal year.
This is required even if the school is not located within the county, or if the student is attending a virtual charter school.
According to Barker, in addition to paying out for students attending Shining Rock, HCS is paying virtual charter schools in Raleigh and F
Haywood County Board of Education approved the 2025-26 budget on March 10. File photo
the eastern part of the state. Putnam estimated that roughly 20 of those students living in Haywood County and attending virtual charter schools had never been enrolled in Haywood County Schools in the first place.
Of the 686 charter school students in Haywood County, an estimated 38 attend a virtual charter school.
Moody explained that because charter school student numbers are determined during the first two months of each school year, even if students return to Haywood County Public Schools at some point during the school year, Haywood County Schools has to continue forwarding that student’s per pupil allocation to the charter school for the rest of the year.
“So, if they come in mid-year and the numbers fluctuate, which they often do, we don’t receive funding for those,” said Moody.
Chairman Chuck Francis said, “we need to fix that.”
“I think that it’s only fair that if that kid moves back to us or comes from them to us, then it penalizes us for the rest of the year, I don’t agree with that,” Francis said.
Other board members agreed.
“The money should follow the student,” Board Member Marla Morris said.
The anticipated local restricted funds are just over $3,000,000.
“Local restricted funds are not permitted for use in the current expense budget,” said Putnam. “This number varies based upon grant receipts. These funds are reserved for use and set forth by grant or policy guidelines.”
Additionally, the system-wide student device replacement schedule for Chromebook will cost an estimated $350,000.
State public school funding provides for everything from repairs to contracted services, to instructional and support personnel. The state public school fund is the largest funding source for the school system and is based on the ADM of 6,370 students.
“We have no preliminary planning budget data from the state,” said Putnam.
So, the school system creates its budget using the current year allocation for state public school funds, which is $53,341,808.
Federal grant funds are restricted for use in federally regulated areas, including Title I, Title II and Title IV. The current year allocation of federal grant funds is $4,590,102.
Board members said that there has been a “lot of buzz” around the federal funds right now and asked Putnam whether he had heard anything regarding those funds.
“I’ve been asked that question,” said Putnam. “If you work in education long enough, you’re kind of immune or numb to that. We are used to a $15 pay rate minimum with no additional funding; we’re used to state money pullbacks, we will deal with that when or if we see it. It’s sad, but true, if you work in public education, you’re used to being shorted on money.”
“The bottom line is our revenue does not match our expenditures,” Putnam said later in the budget work session. “If you look at inflation in general it’s about 7% ... Yet not only are we not seeing an increase because of the loss of students, we’re seeing a negative residual. So, we’ve got to remedy that.”
The overall increase in the budget from local funding is estimated at 1.8%.
“If you look at an inflation rate of seven or eight percent, 1.8% [increase] is not going to cut it,” said Chuck Francis. “Because we still got the same number of lights to turn on, the same heat, and you know you say, ‘well, you can cut your teachers,’ but if it was all out of one classroom, that’s easy. We’re also mandated by how many teachers we get allocated for by enrollment, and mandated how many can be in a classroom, so you’ve got a doubleedged sword. It’s not fair; we’re not playing with a good hand, in my opinion.”
where we could; we showed that two years ago,” said Putnam. “I’m no longer in that place. We are as lean and as efficient as we can be.”
Over the last few budget cycles, HCS has eliminated a high school director out of central office, it has eliminated half of what it normally contributes to lead teachers and reduced the number of teaching assistants.
“I can assure you, we are as lean as we need to be,” said Putnam. “I’m just not comfortable going below that and so we must seek out additional funding.”
Despite the measures impacting the HCS budget, performance has continued to increase. Testing data released in 2024 showed HCS ranked sixth in the state out of 115 school districts. That is up from its seventh place ranking the year before and 10th place just a few years prior.
“We have seen a rise in our scores during this; we’re looked at very differently now,” said Barker. “There’s a ranking that they give high schools when kids are applying to college.”
According to Barker two HCS students have already received Goodnight Scholarships at NC State this year, two more are still finalists and two other students are finalists for the Morehead Scholarship at UNC Chapel Hill.
“That used to never happen here,” said Barker. “We had six kids go to Governor’s School last year. Just the amount of success that our kids are having because of these academic programs, our partnerships with the community college, all those things.”
Capital outlay budget funds cover maintenance repair and renovation projects, equipment needs and capital safety support efforts throughout the school system. The requested capital outlay budget is $1.25 million.
This money will be used to replace the roof of the Bethel Middle School cafeteria for $150,000, replace an HVAC system at Clyde Elementary for $100,000, replace the roof of the K-1 building at North Canton for $60,000, upgrade the fire alarm system at Pisgah High School for $160,000, finish paving the parking lot at Tuscola High School for $300,000, install new controls for the HVAC units at Waynesville Middle School for $55,000 and paving at Waynesville Middle for $75,000.
Barker explained that while class sizes are mandated in grades K-3, there is no class size limit for grades 4-12.
“We started out at 26 kids, and we keep moving that number up. Our classrooms are getting really big and that’s because there’s no maximum, you can have 40 kids in a classroom. The reality is, they don’t fund that like they do in K-3,” said Barker. “What’s happening is because of this loss, we’re just getting huge classrooms.”
Francis said it might be time to start a conversation with the county about restructuring the funding formula, as well as certain costs to the school system.
“It’s great to have a funding formula but if the funding formula’s not working …,” said Francis. “I think we might need to be arguing about the electric bill. If there’s that much of an increase, and we didn’t get that much of an increase in our funding formula, then it’s not a realistic number to me.”
And while the school system has spent the last several budget cycles figuring out how to cut costs, administration say those opportunities may be at an end.
“I think we demonstrated a willingness to cut and trim
“A top tier school system should get paid top tier,” said Francis. “Time to renegotiate.”
The child nutrition program operates independently of the school system and its revenues include cash from meals and supplemental items sold, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) cash reimbursements and USDA donated commodities.
“Our budget for the 25-26 school year shows an increase of 1%,” said School Nutrition Director Allison Francis.
The budget for the coming year is $5,558,306, and with revenues at $5,395,800, the child nutrition department will allocate $162,506 from its fund balance in order to meet expenses.
Labor and benefits make up 55% of the school nutrition budget, food and supplies make up 40% and overhead costs are 5%.
The USDA commodity rate that the nutrition department receives is $0.45 per lunch based on the previous school year’s lunch claims. Those funds are used to purchase commodity foods and farm-to-school produce.
The nutrition department gets reimbursed $2.84 for free breakfasts and $0.39 for paid breakfasts, as well as $4.54 for free lunches and $0.53 for paid lunches.
“87% of the meals that we claim are at the free rate and the other 13% are at the paid rate, based on our CEP [Community Eligibility Provision] standings for the school year, and we’ll get to reassess that percentage April 1 when I pull that data for next year,” said Francis.
The main increases in expenses are based on the increase in benefits and labor including the 3% increase for non-certified staff, as well as increases in insurance and retirement.
The proposed 2025-26 fiscal year budget for Haywood County Schools was approved unanimously during the March 10 meeting.
Canton’s mill closure has affected the anticipated Haywood County Schools budget. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Jill Barker. File photo
Chuck Francis. File photo
Tough budget discussions ahead for Waynesville
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Preliminary projections from Town of Waynesville show a tight budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Elected officials don’t want to raise taxes, fees or utility rates, but a variety of factors that all came together in a perfect storm will leave Town Council with some tough decisions after a budget retreat held March 21.
“We certainly can balance, but it’s going to be the leanest year since I’ve been here,” said Town Manager Rob Hites, who was hired in 2016 and called this year’s proposals “a hold the line” budget.
tures of $19.7 million, but $1.4 million in fund balance is either restricted or already assigned, bringing the total available to just over $12 million. Hites said that to keep the town in good financial shape and qualify for the best loan rates, the town can’t dip below 36%, meaning there’s really only $3.3 million left to spend, with $3.8 million in projects not yet complete.
Municipal governments often use fund balance in annual budgeting to make relatively small adjustments that balance the budget, or to make minor purchases that aren’t budgeted for in other categories, but that doesn’t seem to be an option for the town this year.
That “perfect storm” includes Hurricane Helene, which decimated Western North Carolina, Haywood County and parts of Waynesville on Sept. 27, 2024. The Town’s damages totaled nearly $4.7 million, including $2.1 million in recovery projects from the general fund, $2.4 million from the sewer fund, $155,000 from the water fund and $35,000 from the electric fund.
More than $800,000 has already been spent on completed projects.
Those projects are paid for from the town’s fund balance accounts — the equivalent of a household savings account — and are later reimbursed through insurance or by FEMA. Municipalities, however, must maintain a certain level of fund balance to avoid running afoul of the state’s Local Government Commission, a financial watchdog.
Waynesville’s general fund balance is currently $13.9 million, or about 73% of the town’s estimated annual expendi-
Adding to the complexity of the 2025-26 fiscal year budget, which must be passed by July 1, sales tax revenues are projected to be down slightly due to commercial disruptions caused by Helene; state-mandated retirement plan contributions will go up; the first $1.2 million loan payment for the Town’s new wastewater treatment plant comes due; employee salaries and cost-of-living increases are optional, but important for employee retention.
Department heads have submitted requests for an additional $1.75 million in capital projects, but those will be a tough sell this year. Over the past few years, Council Member Anthony Sutton has pleaded with Council to establish a capital project priority list to no avail. A list, or rather schedule, would help the town peck away at its growing capital project backlog each year, instead of scrambling for money to pay for the most urgent needs at the last minute as equipment and facilities near the end of their useful lives or
fail.
A previously scheduled county-wide property tax reappraisal — which had been trending towards a 20-30% increase in property values — was postponed by Haywood County Commissioners a month after Helene, to allow businesses and property owners to focus on recovery in the absence of meaningful aid from the state and/or federal government.
When a reappraisal occurs and property values go up, elected officials have basically three choices: lower the existing property tax rate to maintain revenue collections at prereappraisal levels, maintain the existing property tax rate to cash in on additional taxable value or split the difference with property owners, setting the tax rate so that some additional taxable value can be captured as revenue.
That option would have given the town some flexibility, but it won’t be an option for this budget year, or for the 2026-27 fiscal year.
Even optimistic financial news is tempered by the impact of Helene. Since 2020, taxable value of all property within the town has increased from $1.26 billion to $1.55 billion, despite a development moratorium tied to capacity issues with the town’s old wastewater treatment plant. Over the past year, the town added $38 million in taxable value, but the town doesn’t yet know how much taxable value properties may have lost due to storm damage.
“I’m very leery of [anticipating] any tax [collections] increase,” Sutton said.
One positive — and highly anticipated — development that could help next year is that when the new wastewater treatment plant comes online later this year, development can begin again. With that comes increasing property values, and therefore increasing property tax revenue collection.
“They’re standing in line outside of Olga [Grooman, assistant development services director]’s office right now,” Hites said of developers waiting for approval to begin projects.
But that, too, has a downside — most development projects take two to three years to come to fruition, meaning there’s nothing in the pipeline right now and it’s unlikely the town will see new developments come online for a few years, as the affordable housing crisis continues to price middleclass Americans out of home ownership.
“Could you imagine what would happen if we could have had additional housing coming online? How many thousands of people in Haywood County are without homes because of the flood?” Sutton said. “To me, that was very short-sighted.”
The Town expects to hold another public meeting for budget discussions in the near future, and hopes to present the first formal draft of the budget at Council’s first regular meeting in May.
Members of the Waynesville Town Council at the budget retreat. File photo
Social worker program lauded by Waynesville police chief
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Waynesville Police Chief David Adams had a simple answer when Town Council Member Jon Feichter asked him if he thought the department’s utilization of a social worker to handle some calls had been worthwhile.
“Yes sir,” Adams said.
The exchange took place near the end of the Town’s annual budget retreat March 21, after Adams detailed the history of the program.
Two years ago, Council Member Chuck Dickson had asked Adams to look into the possibility of integrating social workers into policing.
One such example, Hatton told The Smoky Mountain News in 2022, was of a wellknown local man who regularly “goes off the rails” each year around the anniversary of a traumatic life event, halting his medication, acting out and getting the police called on
Katy Allen, then-assistant professor of social work at Western Carolina University, and WCU criminal justice Professor Cyndy Caravelis had also been looking into the issue and approached Sylva Police Chief Chris Hatton about giving it a try. That conversation resulted in Sylva’s Community Care program and a WCU undergrad in social work embedding with the Sylva Police, handling situations that didn’t necessarily require an officer — people experiencing mental health episodes and/or substance use disorder.
Waynesville wants input on street paving priorities
The Town of Waynesville has released its proposed list of street paving work for 2025, including 41 locations and nearly 5.5 miles of asphalt at a cost of nearly $400,000. The list is ranked by priority, from highest to lowest, based on usage and a recent pavement condi-
tion survey. The town, however, wants to hear from residents about places that might not be on the list. To submit a location for consideration, email Town Council before April 4 at towncouncil@waynesvillenc.gov.
Cory Vaillancourt, politics editor
him sometimes multiple times a day.
Chris Martinez, the WCU social worker, was able to get the man referred for treatment that Hatton said “broke the spiral.”
Adams called Hatton, who apparently had good things to say about the experiment, because not long after, the Waynesville Police Department did the same thing.
Originally from Ashe County, Kasey Curcio graduated from WCU in 2024 with a bachelor’s degree in social work after serving her required field work internship with the Waynesville Police Department.
“In the year and a half she’s been here, she helped create a reference map of all the places in the community, Western North Carolina, all the resources. What she’d do, initially she did ride-alongs, getting to know the community, getting to know the hospitals, and she put together a packet that referred to REACH, CARE, VAYA, Mission Hospital,” Adams said. “The she’d go back and do follow-ups on her own, a domestic violence victim or somebody who’s been service resistant over the years — drug rehab, drug treatment, she keeps going back and meeting with them and gives them
resources. She does that on her own time, without an officer.”
One example of her impact cited by Adams was helping a woman who had been living in a burned-out trailer for several months. Curcio connected her with resources and housing assistance.
Adams said he’s been “pleasantly pleased and surprised” by Curico, who will have her master’s degree by May, but in April, she’ll begin basic law enforcement training paid for by WPD and upon completion join the department as a sworn officer.
Another WCU student is already lined up to fill Curico’s position, but Adams wouldn’t mind seeing the department invest in a full-time, permanent social worker in the near future, as a permanent employee would have the opportunity to build longstanding relationships in the community, making the job somewhat easier. Seven other Western North Carolina agencies, Adams said, are currently using social workers alongside law enforcement. Adams acknowledged that Waynesville’s budget may not allow for such a hire for the next year or two, but he may recommend funding during the 2026-27 budget cycle.
Waynesville Police Chief David Adams. File photo
Kasey Curcio. File photo
Whether you’re Black, Hispanic, Indigenous or White — LGBTQ+ or cisgender — if you’re thinking about promoting equity and inclusion in historically marginalized communities by combating institutionalized discrimination, racism and sexism, congratulations! You just committed thoughtcrime, because some words are more equal than others.
That’s the message getting out to municipal and nonprofit administrators across the country after a leaked email from a National Science Foundation program officer revealed a list of hundreds of terms that will send your federal grant application straight to the trash bin — or at the very least, draw increased scrutiny.
During a March 21 Town Council budget retreat, Waynesville’s Grant Manager Charam Miller mentioned she’d received a copy of the list and forwarded it to the town’s leadership team.
“With the swiftly changing grant landscape due to the new administration and new laws going into effect, I thought it was vital to share some of the new/evolving grant information,” Miller wrote in a Feb. 27 email.
The list lays bare the Trump administration’s ideological stance and war on language, eschewing issues framed in terms of oppression, systemic inequity or identity. Words like diversity, inclusion, privilege and climate change are seen as disqualifying, reflective of a broader political and cultural divide and a reaction to DEI and green initiatives that some groups believe have gone too far.
“I think it's absurdity at its best, not being allowed to say certain words because they find them offensive,” said Waynesville Town Council Member Anthony Sutton. “It’s the epitome of being a snowflake.”
STATUS
activism, activist, activists, advocacy, advocate, advocates, affirmative action, bias toward, bias towards, biased, biased toward, biased towards, biases, biases toward, biases towards, decolonization, de colonize, de colonized, de colonizing, de segregate, de segregated, de segregates, de segregation, decolonization, decolonize, decolonized, decolonizing, desegregate, desegregated, desegregates, desegregation, discriminate, discriminated, discrimination, discriminatory, divisiveness, excluded, exclusion, exclusive, feel seen and heard, hate speech, historically, implicit bias, implicit biases, injustice, injustices, institutional, institutionalize, institutionalized, institutionally, intergenerational trauma, intersectional, intersectionality, marginalization, marginalize, marginalized, micro aggression, micro aggressions, micro aggressive, micro aggressiveness, microaggression, microaggressions, microaggressive, microaggressiveness, minorities, minority, oppressed, oppressive, oppressiveness, oppression, polarization, polarize, politicization, politicize, political, prejudice, prejudices, privilege, privileged, privileges, reparation, reparations, segregated, segregation, socio economic, socioeconomic, status, statuses, stereotype, stereotypes, stereotypical, stereotyping, system of oppression, systematic oppression, systematically oppressed, systemic, systemic oppression, systemical, systemically, systemically oppressed, systems of oppression, systems of power, trauma, traumatic, under appreciated, under appreciation, under privilege, under privileged, under representation, under represented, under served, under serving, under valued, under valuing, underappreciated, under-
Silenced 307 words, phrases and acronyms
Trump doesn’t want you to use
shutterstock.com image
Grants, Sutton explained, are an important part of any municipal budget — essentially, free money. Screwing up a grant application has financial implications.
“A lot of our parks and rec money comes from grants, and also highways,” said Sutton. “You don't think of highway funding, such as Russ Avenue, as federal funding. I recently ran into some issues with the [French Broad River] MPO, where some of our projects are put on hold until we can change some language.”
On March 4, Asheville released a draft plan for community development block grants related to Hurricane Helene recovery that included priority funding for women- and minority-owned businesses. U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner took offense
appreciation, underprivilege, underprivileged, underrepresentation, underrepresented, underserved, underserving, undervalued, undervaluing, unjust, victim, victimhood, victimized, victims, voices are acknowledged, voices heard, voices matter, unequal opportunities, unequal opportunity, safe space, safe spaces, sense of belonging, sense of belongingness, welcoming environment, barrier, barriers, disabilities, disability, ally, allyship.
SOCIAL JUSTICE
advance diversity, advance inclusivity, advance the diversity, advancing diversity, advancing inclusive, alliance for diversity, background inclusivity, bi cultural, bicultural, black cultural, black culture, black cultures, broaden diversity, broaden the diversity, commitment to diversity, community diversity, community equity, community inclusivity, cultural activism, cultural activist, cultural activists, cultural advocacy, cultural advocate, cultural and ethnic, cultural and racial, cultural appropriation, cultural appropriations, cultural bias, cultural competency, cultural connections, cultural differences, cultural heritage, cultural humility, cultural inequalities, cultural inequality, cultural inequities, cultural inequity, cultural injustice, cultural injustices, cultural justice, cultural relevance, cultural segregation, culturally attuned, culturally biased, culturally responsive, culturally sensitive, culturally sustainable, culturally sustaining, culture and ethnicity, culture and race, cultures and ethnicities, cultures and races, DEI, DEIJ, diverse background, diverse backgrounds, diverse communities, diverse community, diverse group, diverse groups, diverse individual, diverse
and told the city the plan was unacceptable. The town revised the plan a week later.
“They wanted to be equitable to small businesses, and just the words alone, without even going into the context of the meaning of what they were trying to accomplish, was what caused them to almost lose millions of dollars,” Sutton said.
Waynesville recently hired Miller to go out and get the grants the Town uses to enhance services and the quality of life for residents. Sutton said he’s grateful for her work and that she’s been productive in securing grant funding, but he’s disappointed she’ll have to waste time policing her words. Below is the full list of prohibited words leaked from the National Science Foundation.
individuals, diverse status, diverse statuses, diverse voices, diversified, diversify, diversifying, diversity and equity, diversity and inclusion, diversity and inclusivity, diversity awareness, diversity equity, emphasis on diversity, emphasize diversity, emphasizing diversity, encourage diversity, encouraging diversity, enhance diversity, enhance the diversity, enhancing diversity, equal opportunities, equal opportunity, equalities, equality, equitable, equitable and inclusive, equities, equity, ethnic and cultural, ethnic cultural, ethnic culture, ethnic cultures, ethnic diversity, ethnic equity, ethnicities and cultures, ethnicity and culture, foster diversity, fostering diversity, fostering inclusive, fostering inclusivity, fostering the diversity, group equity, group inclusivity, Hispanic cultural, Hispanic culture, Hispanic cultures, inclusion, inclusive, inclusive language, inclusiveness, inclusivity, inclusivity and diversity, increase diversity, increase the diversity, increases diversity, increases the diversity, increasing diversity, increasing the diversity, indigenous cultural, indigenous culture, indigenous cultures, inequalities, inequality, inequitable, inequities, inequity, inter cultural, inter culturally, intercultural, interculturally, lack of diversity, Latinx cultural, Latinx culture, Latinx cultures, multi cultural, multi culturally, multicultural, multiculturally, promote diversity, promoting diversity, segregated cultures, social activism, social activist, social activists, social advocacy, social advocate, social bias, social biases, social inequalities, social inequality, social inequities, social inequity, social injustice, social injustices, social justice, social justice activism, social justice advocacy, social justice advocate, socially biased, socio cultural, socio culturally, sociocultural, socioculturally, structural inequali-
ty, structural inequity, support diversity, supporting diversity, trans cultural, transcultural, socially relevant, culturally relevant.
Utility customers in Waynesville may get budget billing option
Seasonal billing surprises can leave utility customers sweating summer spikes or shivering in anticipation of winter surges, but a budget billing program being considered by the Town of Waynesville would help keep those bills steady as a spring breeze.
Customers of Duke Energy or the Haywood Electric Membership Corporation may already be familiar with the practice, which basically averages out electric usage over the course of the year and bills the same amount, every month.
During a March 21 budget retreat,
ity; mis gender; misgender; misogynistic; misogyny; non binary; non binary gender; non conforming gender; nonbinary; nonbinary gender; nonconforming gender; oppressed gender; oppressed genders; oppressed sexualities; pansexual; predominately male; preferred gender; preferred identity; preferred sex; primarily male; pronoun; pronouns; queer theory; self identify; sex change; sex preference; sex transition; sexism; sexist; sexual discrimination; sexual disparities; sexual disparity; sexual identity; sexual minorities; sexual minority; sexual preference; sexual preferences; sexualities; sexuality; straight white; toxic masculinity; transgender; transgenderism; transitioning gender; transitioning sex; transjustice; transphobia; transphobic; underrepresented gender; voices of women; white female; white females; white male; white males; white men; white women; women; women and gender; women and underrepresented; women underrepresented.
RACE
anti black, anti black racism, anti racism, anti racist, anti white, antiblack, antiblack racism, antiracism, antiracist, antiwhite, BIPOC, BIPOCX, black and Latinx, black communities, black community, black indigenous and Latinx, black indigenous and other, black indigenous Latinx, black indigenous other, black individual, black individuals, black intellectualism, black lives matter, black minorities, black minority, black people, black person, black thought, black voices, blackness, colored communities, colored community, colored individual, colored individuals, colored minorities, colored minority, colored people, colored person, colored voices, critical race theory, ethnic and racial, ethnic bias, ethnic communities, ethnic community, ethnic identities, ethnic identity, ethnic individual, ethnic individuals, ethnic minorities, ethnic minority, ethnic people, ethnic person, ethnic racism, ethnic segregation, ethnic voices, ethnical racism, ethnicities and races, ethnicity, ethnicity and race, Hispanic communities, Hispanic community, Hispanic individual, Hispanic individuals, Hispanic minorities, Hispanic minority, Hispanic people, Hispanic person, Hispanic voices, historical racism, historically racist, historically white, indigenous communities, indigenous community, indigenous individual, indigenous individuals, indigenous minorities, indigenous minority, indigenous people, indigenous person, indigenous voices, institutional racism, institutionalized racism, institutionally
Waynesville Town Council Member Jon Feichter proposed just such a plan, noting that for the elderly and for people in poverty, wide fluctuations in utility billing can wreck a household budget for months.
Council passed a motion to explore the pros and cons of relevant policies related to budget billing, including that customers must have a clean billing record for 12 months or that automatic drafts be mandatory for program participation. The program would, however, be strictly optional.
At the end of each 12-month cycle, accounts would be re-averaged and trued up either through credits going forward or additional charges for excess use.
Feichter’s plan is in the exploratory phase; Council would have to vote to adopt it.
— Cory Vaillancourt,
politics editor
racist, inter racial, inter racially, interracial, interracially, Latina communities, Latina community, Latina individual, Latina individuals, Latina minorities, Latina minority, Latina people, Latina person, Latina voices, Latinx communities, Latinx community, Latinx individual, Latinx individuals, Latinx minorities, Latinx minority, Latinx people, Latinx person, Latinx voices, multi ethnic, multi ethnically, multiethnic, multiethnically, non black, non white, nonblack, nonwhite, people of color, POC, POCX, predominately white, primarily white, privileged white, pro black, pro white, problack, prowhite, race and culture, race and ethnicity, race based, racebased, races and cultures, races and ethnicities, racial, racial and cultural, racial and ethnic, racial bias, racial biases, racial disparities, racial disparity, racial diversity, racial identity, racial inequalities, racial inequality, racial inequities, racial inequity, racial injustice, racial injustices, racial justice, racial minorities, racial minority, racial oppression, racial prejudice, racial prejudices, racial segregation, racial socialization, racial solidarity, racial stereotypes, racial violence, racially, racially and culturally, racially bias, racially biased, racially oppressed, racism, racist, segregated ethnicities, segregated ethnicity, segregated race, segregated races, structural racism, structurally racist, systemic racism, systemically racist, tokenistic, tokenism, trans ethnic, transethnic, white colonialism, white colonization, white colonizer, white colonizers, white fragility, white historically, white nationalism, white nationalist, white people, white person, white privilege, white serving, white supremacy, whiteness.
Solar panels proposed for Waynesville town facilities
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Two members of Waynesville’s Town Council, Chuck Dickson and Jon Feichter, have come forward with a bold proposal that could save the town thousands of dollars over decades if they can find a way to pay for it.
“Several years ago, [Council Member] Julia [Freeman], the mayor and I were on the board when we took a stand and said Waynesville is going to do its part to achieve the goal of 100% renewable energy sources in the state of North Carolina by 2050,” Feichter said during a March 21 Town Council budget retreat. “I would have a hard
The annual savings of $38,000 a year means the project will have paid for itself in less than 11 years. With an estimated lifespan of 25 years or more, total savings after payoff would be more than $500,000; however, as energy costs increase over the coming years, that number could end up closer to $750,000.
Dickson added that by including a battery storage system, they’d also be hardening the rec center’s power supply, which would have come in handy when Hurricane Helene devastated local infrastructure in 2024.
“The idea is to make the rec center here a resiliency hub so in the event of future disasters, power outages, this would be an area
through 2050. The systems would also prevent the release of almost 9,000 tons of carbon dioxide that contributes to humancaused climate change.
“So, how can we pay for it?” Dickson offered rhetorically.
Nonprofit small business lender Mountain BizWorks, Dickson said, is currently offering 10-year loans at 2.9%. If the town financed the rec center’s $412,000 project cost, the monthly payment would be $3,960 a month. But, the town would be saving $3,200 a month in electric bills, leaving the net cost of the loan around $760 a month. On similar terms, financing the roof — which will be needed soon anyway — would add $961 to the total monthly outlay.
Council Member Anthony Sutton, an early adopter of solar and electric vehicle technology, was enthusiastic about the proposal but warned that the savings were not a guarantee and that the tax credits could vanish at any time.
“I’m excited about solar … but I am very cautious, and I think that we need to do a lot of due diligence,” Sutton said.
time coming up with projects that the Town of Waynesville has done in furtherance of that goal. This is one big way that we can do that, and that’s important — that we took a stand and said we’re going to do our part. Waynesville needs to lead in this area, and we can, and we can do it in such a way that is not going to break the budget.”
Feichter’s comments came as Dickson was presenting an ambitious plan to outfit the Waynesville Recreation Center and the town’s public works building with solar panels.
According to Dickson’s presentation, prepared by Asheville-based Rhino Renewables Solar & Electric, the system at the rec center would cost $588,000 before a federal solar incentive tax credit estimated at $177,000, leaving the net system cost at $411,835. The system would generate nearly 60% of the energy used at the rec center.
Currently, the monthly utility bill at the rec center is about $6,500, but with the system installed, it would drop to about $3,300.
for people to come together,” he said.
One complication, though, is that the rec center will need a new roof in five years, so the only way to implement the solar system is to do the roof first. That would add about $100,000 to the project cost.
For the public works building, which is much smaller than the rec center, a solar system would produce savings on an appropriate scale.
The total system cost is estimated at $160,000, but an estimated $48,000 federal tax credit would bring it down to about $112,000. The public works building’s $912 monthly power bill would drop to about $268, saving about $7,700 a year. At that rate, the project would be paid off in less than 15 years. Again, estimating a 25-year lifespan, total savings after payoff could approach $80,000.
Together, the two systems including the new roof at the rec center would cost around $625,000 after tax credits and turn a profit of $600,000 to $900,000 after payoff,
The possibility of starting with just the public works building was mentioned as what Town Manager Rob Hites called “a great demonstration project” — and, much more manageable financially — but Dickson offered a motion directing the Town to perform the diligence Sutton asked for, and prepare RFPs for both projects.
“We’re not going to be looking at writing checks right away,” said Feichter, who seconded Dickson’s motion. “We just want to be able to move forward and take steps so that if we get to the point where we have certainty about the 30% tax credit that we’re going to be in position move forward fairly quickly.”
Sutton and Mayor Gary Caldwell voted for the motion, with Freeman offering the only opposition.
Freeman later explained to The Smoky Mountain News that while she supports the idea of saving taxpayer money, any little miscalculation or change in circumstance on the solar projects could produce the opposite result.
“We’ve made commitments to our recreation department and our fire department that have not been fulfilled, so in tight budget year,” she said, “we need to focus what’s already on the table.”
An artist’s conception of solar panels on the roof of the Waynesville Recreation Center shows areas with higher (yellow) and lower (red) levels of solar irradiance. Rhino Renewables Solar & Electric illustration
Bill would cut red tape in lumber industry
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Abill introduced by Macon County Republican Rep. Karl Gillespie that seeks to bolster North Carolina’s local sawmill industry has garnered widespread bipartisan interest for its potential economic, environmental and housing affordability benefits.
“It resonated with me and our district and the needs that we have,” Gillespie told The Smoky Mountain News. “Talking to folks across the state, it was evident that there was a need for this.”
The bill, titled “Promote North Carolina Sawmills,” would amend the North Carolina Residential Code to allow lumber that has not been grade-stamped by a grading bureau to be used in one- or two-family residential construction.
Lumber grading is a system or process used to classify lumber based on appearance, quality and strength utilizing a visual inspection or machine grading to scope out defects. Grading helps to ensure that different kinds of lumber meet quality standards for different applications.
Manual lumber grading takes just a few seconds per board, so trained graders can grade 800 to 1,200 boards per hour — about the number of boards in a typical single-family home. Automated systems use optical scanners to grade lumber almost instantly. Softwoods like pine and spruce are easier to grade than hardwoods, which have more defects and require more scrutiny, especially for appearance grades.
Large sawmills usually employ their own in-house graders; however, the bill only applies to operations that mill less than 1 million board-feet per year. West Frasier, the largest softwood producer in the United States, mills about 7 billion board-feet each year, so an operation milling less than 1 million board-feet would truly be among the smallest of the small.
“These mills are typically portable mills, not all but some are, or they're a portable
mill that’s set up permanently in a location,” said Gillespie. “They're all over my district.” Gillespie’s bill is not a new idea in the North Carolina legislature. A similar bill was introduced in 2019 but failed to gain traction, however the current version has a number of Democratic co-sponsors and sailed through the House in less than a month, passing into the Senate by a vote of 114-1.
Rep. Karl Gillespie has a plan to
The structural integrity of the wood isn’t an issue, Gillespie said. During a committee hearing, he was asked about safety concerns and said that he wouldn’t have supported the bill if safety was even a remote concern.
“Almost all of us are able to look from our front porch in one direction or another if you live in the rural parts of North Carolina and see a home that's built out of
west district made up of Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Macon counties wasn’t hit as hard by Helene as other counties to the east, there’s plenty of downed wood just waiting to be dragged out and milled. Large sawmills often overlook these smaller loads, whereas small operators may be more willing to process them into usable lumber.
There are some caveats to the bill. The lumber must meet or exceed the requirements of the NCRC and be sold directly to the owner of the dwelling or their authorized representative by the owner or an employee of a qualifying sawmill that milled the lumber and has a certificate from a stateapproved lumber-grading training program. The sawmill owner must also have a certificate that states the wood meets standards, and the structure must be inspected by code enforcement officials.
ungraded lumber — truly rough-sawn, no grading whatsoever done on it,” Gillespie said, mentioning that some of the oldest extant homes in the state were constructed before grade-stamping was even a thing.
Benefits of the bill are threefold.
Environmentally, people who own forested land that practice active management cut certain amounts of timber at certain times, leaving a steady supply of ready local lumber on hand.
Economically, although Gillespie’s far-
Governor’s Advisory Committee for WNC Recovery holds meeting at WCU
Nearly six months after Hurricane Helene ravaged Western North Carolina, the region's recovery efforts continue.
The bill also directs the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service to establish a lumber grading training program, providing career opportunities for those who might want to work in the timber industry and ensuring small sawmill operators can adhere to the law.
And on the affordable housing front, Gillespie says the bill would have a positive impact on both the price of lumber and the speed at which it goes from forest to families building homes.
“There's no doubt that if you are buying this lumber from your local mill, that it will cost less for a twoby-four, two-by-six or whatever you're using,” he said. “We have not done a study to try to determine what that percentage is, but yes, it will certainly save money.”
Large-scale lumber producers and grading bureaus that currently control the grading process, along with Industry lobbyists, may argue that grade-stamped lumber provides an extra layer of quality assurance that should not be bypassed; however, the state of New York is similarly permissive on the use of lumber that isn’t gradestamped for residential construction.
The bill passed its first reading in the Senate on March 20, and was subsequently referred to the rules committee.
“I support that bill completely,” said Sen. Kevin Corbin (R-Macon). “I think anything we can do that has the potential for making building easier and/or lowering building costs makes sense.”
Gov. Josh Stein's advisory committee, formed to aid in the recovery, held its first in-person meeting Friday at Western Carolina University. The committee, which first met virtually in February, is cochaired by Sen. Kevin Corbin and Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer. It includes key regional stakeholders who provide expertise to advise Stein and the Governor’s Recovery Office on strategies to support affected communities.
Melissa Wargo, chief of staff at WCU, welcomed committee members on behalf of Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, who was abroad with WCU students and faculty.
The meeting featured updates from Matt Calabria, director of GROW NC, and presentations from the NC Division of Emergency Management, NC Department of Public Safety, NC Department of Transportation, WNC STRONG, FEMA and the Army Corps of Engineers South Atlantic Division.
Officials reported that the debris removed so far could stretch from Western North Carolina to Los Angeles and halfway back, underscoring the extensive cleanup still required. Visuals of the $60 billion in damage caused by Hurricane Helene were also shared. Following Stein’s remarks, Corbin outlined legislative requests and actions. The committee also heard from staff of sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis, and representatives from the Division of Community Revitalization, Department of Commerce, Telecommunications Infrastructure and Department of Information Technology.
The next meeting is scheduled for April 2025.
Governor's Advisory Committee members from left co-chair Esther Manheimer, mayor of Asheville; Sen. Kevin Corbin, co-chair, Gov. Josh Stein, Lee Lilley secretary, Department of Commerce and Stephanie McGarrah, deputy secretary, Department of Commerce. Donated
photo’
axe restrictions on timber trade. NCGA photo
Lying about Social Security isn’t the answer
As an attorney, I have direct experience and the unique point of view that comes from working with the Social Security Administration daily and remain in awe at its ability to serve millions of Americans with a wide array of needs. What is deeply troubling to me is to see local offices like Franklin be threatened with closure knowing how many rural Western North Carolinians depend on being able to visit or call its staff. The day the news broke it was closing, I was leaving the Franklin field office after a hearing and their parking lot was full of everyday citizens who need their assistance that are unable to use online services — these folks will now have to drive 3 hours round trip to access services when they need them most.
If cuts to Social Security occur, prepare to see immediate and drastic changes in our community. Nearly half of American children are dependent on Medicaid services, as are one-fifth of our overall population. Prepare for waiting times to increase and claims for services such as disability to grow from two years to four years as Social Security is currently operating with the smallest staff in over 50 years.
It’s troubling to hear misinformation spread, for example that it’s a Ponzi scheme or that the trustees at SSA did not plan for this. SSA planned for the increase in demand on the system with there being more boomers and a lower birth rate resulting in fewer young people paying in. What they did not account for was the tremendous redistribution of wealth to a growing billionaire class and away from the middle class. Individuals stop paying Social Security taxes when their income reaches roughly $174,000, so the precipitous drop in
Appeal of election needs to end
To the Editor:
middle class workers paying in coupled with the current cap on the wealthiest earners has strained the fund, and even a modest increase in that cap could make SSA solvent for generations to come. I suspect a lot of readers would be surprised to learn the wealthiest in our country pay the same amount of Social Security tax they do.
Critics will point to fraud. There are fraud cases in our government and Social Security is no exception. SSA has a fraud investigation unit that addresses these issues, and considering the magnitude of the Administration, the cases are negligible. Under the guise of fraud, a policy was changed that now requires people to appear in person at the local office to prove their identity if they are unable to do so online, the very local office being threatened with closure. So many people in our community either have no reliable internet service or are not comfortable getting online to create an account with SSA and a separate virtual ID. In the thousands of cases I have worked on I have never seen fraud occur — the prior process to prove one’s identity requires knowing your Social Security number, date of birth, city of birth, mother’s maiden name and father’s first name.
Pause and think about life before Social Security, and the financial and health care we have provided to our citizens to live a more dignified life, whether young, old, disabled, or widowed. Consider those around you who depend on retire-
LETTERS
ment benefits, and the difference that makes. Consider the elderly who receive skilled long-term care funded by Medicaid, and how few could afford their end-of-life care without it. Let’s have an ongoing discussion about improving Social Security, yes, but if we are going to be critical of what are seen as social welfare programs, let’s be critical of corporate welfare programs as well. It’s ironic to me that some elites are attacking the programs that benefit the vast majority of Americans considering they pay little to no more in Social Security taxes than those who depend on these services.
I’ve had a front row seat watching everyday people go through the worst times in their life, losing their jobs and having limited access to healthcare and desperate for help which most ultimately receive from their government. I have experienced clients die as they wait for their case to be reached, as the system is stretched thin — this has improved with the recent Medicaid expansion in North Carolina resulting in an increase in access to medical care, but we are in the infant stages of seeing those benefits and a disruption in services will cost lives.
Any additional closings or layoffs will be detrimental to someone close to you, and my understanding of the proposed budget in Congress seeks to cut over $880 billion in Medicaid services while extending even further tax cuts for the wealthiest. Social Security is something to be proud of as an American. I ask you to use your own eyes, judgment and experience in assessing Social Security during these changing times.
(Scott Taylor is an attorney from Waynesville. scott@wncjustice.com.)
Griffin has also challenged 5,509 absentee ballots cast by military and overseas voters covered by the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act, which contains no provision for providing photo identification. For all the rules Griffin is claiming were broken however, he’s not chal-
lenging every voter who committed alleged violations; his challenges target certain demographics and counties that lean Democratic.
It’s unfathomable that the citizens of North Carolina are still dealing with delays in the certification of Justice Allison Riggs’s November 2024 election to the state Supreme Court because of baseless attempts to overturn the results of a legitimate election. Her opponent, Judge Jefferson Griffin, rightfully asked for a recount because of a close election where Riggs was ahead by only 624 votes. Recounted twice, with both finding Riggs ahead by 724 votes, instead of gracefully accepting the outcome Griffin has shamefully sued the North Carolina State Board of Elections, seeking to throw out over 60,000 votes on unfounded claims that they are invalid. According to the North Carolina Board of Elections, even if a voter does not have a driver’s license or Social Security number in their voter file — which could be due to a clerical error in the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles or Social Security Administration databases — the voter law states neither are required. Persons are entitled to vote by showing a valid ID. All voters on the Griffin list showed an ID to vote or included a copy of a valid ID with their stateside absentee ballot.
The case went to Wake County Superior Court where Griffin lost, and Judge William Pittman ruled that the State Board of Elections had every right to dismiss Griffin’s attempts to throw out the ballots. After his loss at trial, Griffin appealed to the Court of Appeals where he is currently a judge. The Board of Elections then asked the N.C. Supreme Court to skip the Court of Appeals and head directly to theirs for a speedier trial, which was supported by Riggs as well because if there is a tie in the judgement, it follows the last court’s judgement — the Wake County judgement. On Thursday, February 20, the Supreme Court shot down that request in a 4-2 vote allowing the case to take the slower path that Griffin sought through the Court of Appeals.
There are two dissenting justices on the N.C. Supreme Court, one Democrat and one Republican. Republican Justice Dietz wrote in his dissent, “Permitting post-election litigation that seeks to rewrite our state’s election rules — and, as a result, remove the right to vote in an election from people who already lawfully voted under the existing rules — invites incredible mischief.”
The interference of the state Supreme Court in the electoral process sets a dangerous precedent. Recounts of close elections are customary in democracy; however, disregarding the results of those counts is dangerous and undermines the people's will.
Jefferson Griffin needs to respect the democratic process and concede, while the court needs to dismiss the baseless accusations and
uphold the results of the Riggs election. Kelli Davis, Cashiers Karen Hawk, Highlands
It’s time to stand
against hate
To the Editor:
I am a retired military officer (veteran); senior citizen; middle class; have grandchildren that are part of the LBGQ+ community; live in a rural area; have a grandchild still in school; and, I am a female. As I watch what Trump and Musk are doing to our country (and Constitution), I realize every facet of my life is being attacked — veteran benefits, Social Security and Medicare, higher costs, quality education for all on the chopping block and classes of people being targeted and their contributions being erased.
It’s time to be honest with the American people. This administration is using DEI as an excuse to promote racism, sexism and to spread hate. They are using DEI to try and erase history—ignoring the contributions of blacks, women and pretty much anyone who isn’t a white male. The latest is erasing the Native American code talkers from military websites. The fact that they were trying to erase the Enola Gay shows the absurdity of what they are doing.
It’s time to stand up against the hate. Mary Ford, Major, USAF retired Waynesville
Guest Columnist
Scott Taylor
Trump’s cronies don’t
live in our universe
To the Editor:
Every so often, some politician will say something so arrogant and tone-deaf as to be compared to Marie Antoinette, the doomed queen who supposedly said of France’s starving peasants, “Then let them eat cake.”
There has never been any evidence that she said anything like that and no serious historian believes she did.
What Howard Lutnick indisputably did say sounds worse.
Lutnick, President Trump’s secretary of commerce, doesn’t think people should complain if their Social Security checks happen to go missing on account of what Elon Musk, the unelected co-president, has done to disable the Social Security Administration (SSA).
“Let's say Social Security didn't send out their checks this month — my mother-inlaw, who's 94, she wouldn't call and complain. She just wouldn't. She'd think something got messed up, and she'll get it next month," he said on a podcast.
In the context of the conversation, Lutnick seemed to be implying that those who did complain would likely be drawing benefits fraudulently.
Thank God we elected Trump
To the Editor:
Thank God, most Americans were intelligent enough to see through the sleazy leftist persecution of President Trump and to realize that life was so much better under Trump's leadership. Gas prices were lower. Trump brought back jobs that Obama said would never return and kept Iran too broke to fund terrorist proxies. Other nations respected us.
When I saw America rise up and soundly trounce the leftists who had been fast-tracking our country toward complete economic and societal collapse by electing President Trump and taking back the House and Senate, I could have cried with pride. Democrats who rant and rave against President Trump after living through four years of the most incompetent, corrupt leadership in American history just don't get it. As it now stands, their party has all but collapsed because they underestimated the will of the people to choose common sense over lunacy. The Democrat Party will either heed this wakeup call and move closer to the center or their party is toast. Every time they rant and rave against President Trump instead of dealing with the disaster they created in their own party, they lose another dozen voters.
AK Hendrix Clyde
According to the SSA, more than 7 million Americans 65 and older receive at least 90% of their income from Social Security. Some have no other resource.
It’s unlikely that Lutnick’s mother-in-law would miss a meal or run out of medicine on account of a month’s missing deposit. What’s significant and hard to accept is that anyone in his position could be so insensitive to the millions of Americans who don’t have a rich son-in-law to save them in such an emergency.
It’s just as significant that the president hasn’t called him on the carpet to make him apologize.
It’s like Mitt Romney’s foot-in-mouth moment.
That was his inaccurate remark, to an audience of millionaires during his 2012 presidential campaign, that 47% of Americans don’t pay taxes. It was not his job, he said, “to worry about those people.”
“Even Marie Antoinette thought the peasants deserved cake,” commented an article in Forbes.
But Romney’s off the hook now.
Lutnick takes his place.
Martin Dyckman Asheville
Trump agenda hurts the working man
To the Editor:
Is it really necessary to make getting Social Security benefits harder, if not impossible, for elderly and disabled beneficiaries?
The Trump administration wants to force people to file Social Security claims in person — you won’t be able to do business online or on the phone any more.
Worse, they have slated the Social Security Administration office in Franklin to close on June 23. That office obviously served the western counties — I used their services and they were knowledgeable and helpful. Is it really necessary to cut Social Security benefits simply because Elon Musk (with the president’s knowledge and blessing) alleges that undocumented immigrants are receiving benefits as part of a grand Democratic Party plan to get votes (no evidence offered of course)?
Is all of this really necessary simply to make millionaires and billionaires wealthier through anticipated tax cuts for the upper class, or to justify moving the services to private businesses that are run/owned by the same millionaires/billionaires (privatization)?
Keep your eyes and ears open. Changes are coming that have nothing to do with serving and helping us.
Ann Fulton Sylva
What I want
A conversation with Wyatt Espalin
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
As far back as he can remember, singersongwriter Wyatt Espalin has been not only surrounded by music in the mountains of his native North Georgia, but also enamored with the sights and sounds of live performance.
“I started in music as a clogger/buck dancer when I was eight years old. I fell in love with the sound of the fiddle,” Espalin said. “So, my granddaddy got me a fiddle, but no lessons. I learned how to play by ear watching the old fiddlers at the Log Cabin and Hiawassee Opry.”
Immediately taking to the fiddle, Espalin
eventually took up the clarinet and trumpet. As a college student, Espalin taught himself how to play guitar and began writing songs. From there, it’s been this ongoing journey of the troubadour for the rising musician.
“I love celebrating singer-songwriters because my passion is the original song,” Espalin said. “One can listen to covers anytime, anywhere. It's rare to discover a new artist with something new to say.”
Later this year, Espalin will be releasing a whole new batch of tunes, with an 11-song LP expected to be put out into the world.
“It's vulnerable putting something out there no one has heard and hoping the audience will like something you create,” Espalin said. “And I love performing so I would always prefer delivering them to an audience in a live setting.”
To note, Wyatt Espalin & The Riverstones
will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28, at the Peacock Performing Arts Center in Hayesville.
“I love being onstage performing,” Espalin said. “The adrenaline, the exposure, the chance to move an audience and the exhilaration of messing up in front of hundreds, maybe thousands of folks watching.”
Espalin admits he was shy onstage as a kid. But, as he got older and more comfortable underneath the bright lights, to where now he’s completely immersed — more so, this deep sense of creative liberation — in the sacred two-way street of energy exchange between a performer and their audience.
“I'm pretty free onstage. What I can't control is what others onstage do when I'm up there with them. So, a lot of trust goes into the musicians and other artists I invite on stage with me,” Espalin said. “It can be a very intimate experience, especially when something works well and there's that moment of bliss knowing the audience is listening now and you've got them right where you want them.”
And as he has navigated his musical career, Espalin made the leap to Nashville, Tennessee. But, after a decade of wandering and playing around Music City and beyond, he yearned for Hiawassee, Georgia. Twelve years ago, he decided it was high time to come home.
“It's in my blood,” Espalin said. “I was raised here by eccentric grandparents who embraced the region.”
According to Espalin, his grandparents owned and operated a campground in North
Georgia, one where his grandfather would often pick up Appalachian Trail hikers and, in the pure sense of “trail magic,” would offer the utmost southern hospitality to help those passing through the area from somewhere, anywhere.
“I grew up idolizing the region and always wishing I could live here again,” Espalin said. “I take advantage of the outdoor space. The rivers, mountains, lake, that big ole sky.”
For the last eight years, Espalin has been an instructor in the highly popular Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program at the John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown. The program provides lessons and instruments to young kids around Western North Carolina in an effort to perpetuate Appalachian and old-time musical traditions.
“These students really love learning those old songs and I've incorporated the stylings of some of that old sound into my own original songs,” Espalin said.
In terms of his songwriting process, Espalin usually pulls his melodies from extended jam sessions. From there, the lyrics develop serendipitously from any sort of happenstances Espalin may find himself in — cruising in his car, that dreamlike state before bedtime.
“In my opinion, when one sets out to create something, there should be no rules,” Espalin said. “The artist must learn when and what to reign in, to set their own boundaries with their expressions and find their voice, so to speak. I believe it's the only way anyone will listen.”
While constructing a tune, Espalin also looks to offer a message.
“Sometimes the message is as simple as a little reminder to myself. Sometimes, I present the message as a public service announcement to my audience,” Espalin said. “I try not to be polarizing, though. I want to entertain more than anything. But, I always look for ways for the audience to do more than just hear it.”
And, for the last four years, Espalin has taught songwriting workshops in prisons where musical therapy is offered to inmates as a way to find solace and meaning in their existence.
“I have seen great healing in this work of creating art and it has instilled in me a new desire for my songs,” Espalin said.
And when posed the query about the role of the singer-songwriter in the 21st century, this digital age of white noise and distraction, Espalin looks at his position as one of connectivity and compassion.
“A song that has a true lyric and melody that one can resonate with has the power to change something,” Espalin said. “Songs can help one feel seen and heard and that's important for a population of hurting and broken people. Songs can be political and encourage thought and change. Songs can uplift and songs can bring on the melancholy. Songs can be designed for dancing, moving, shaking. Songs have the power to capture a memory that one has lost. Writing songs requires a journey into the human condition and spirit.”
Wyatt Espalin will play Hayesville March 28.
Lisa Saines photo
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
Your flag decal won’t get you into heaven anymore’
It was one of those moments that I don’t think I’ll ever forget.
A moment just to myself, where when the moment was unfolding in real time, you feel an immediate and deep gratitude for, this intrinsic connection to the universe.
Yesterday afternoon, while wandering and pondering the roads of Florida, I found myself driving from Jacksonville Beach to St. Augustine. Since I really had nowhere to be at a specific time, I took the scenic route down A1A along the mighty Atlantic Ocean.
Windows rolled down in the pickup truck. Sunshine streaming into the vehicle. Warm, salty air swirling around my mind and body, heart and soul. My right foot holding steady on the gas pedal. The doldrums of winter fading in the rearview mirror.
It was right then and there, I felt like listening to John Prine. I mean, any time is a good time for Mr. Prine. But, in that moment, I played his seminal 1971 self-titled album. Wildly enough, the entire record was the exact time it took to get from Jax Beach to St. Auggie. To note, this album has been in rotation a lot on this current road trip.
thinking how crazy it was that I couldn’t remember the last time I was simply driving in no hurry, with no particular place to be. Years and years of endless assignments and deadlines. Interviews and stories about a kaleidoscope of people, places and things across our world.
But, here, moseying down A1A, I wasn’t late for something, anything. I could drive at and or under the speed limit and it didn’t matter. I could pull over and look at the
his younger days growing up in the North Country (Upstate New York). What it was like to be raised in the mining town of Lyon Mountain (his father was an iron ore miner). What it was like to be in high school in the 1950s. What it was like to work construction right after graduation, his thoughts swirling around what would become of his inevitable life.
The more he talked, the more I kept prodding him with follow-up questions. I wanted to know as much as I could. I wanted to hear everything offered right from the horse’s mouth about life “back then” and how he feels about the path he took, what he sees now looking around him at the existence he created and, ultimately, inhabited for over eight decades and counting.
“It all goes by so fast. It sucks to get old, boy” he said in a humble tone, his bright blue eyes turning towards me, his wellearned wrinkles and fluffy white hair emphasizing his sentiment, albeit he remains someone who truly embraces and enjoys whatever time he’s allotted on this earth by whoever it is in control from high above.
On the ride back to the vacation rental bungalow my parents are staying in, I put some Merle Haggard (my father’s favorite singer) on for the old man. His face lit up, a grin ear-to-ear as that signature Bakersfield tone of Haggard filled up the vehicle. I cranked the volume up a little more, as the sounds soaked into all present.
So, as I coasted along, well, the coast, “Illegal Smile” kicked things off and put a zap of love and truth in my body, where “Spanish Pipedream” made me smile and be appreciative for my minimalist lifestyle and truly, honestly aiming to be a better person in this world — to radiate genuine kindness and compassion to others for the greater good of humanity on this earth.
When “Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore” spilled out of the stereo, I thought of the current state of this country. And how the old adage of “nothing’s the same, everything’s the same” rings true eternally. In that juncture of the leisurely cruise, I noticed a large American flag painted on the entire side of one of the beach bungalows. My thoughts running vast and true.
“Angel from Montgomery” had chills running up and down my body, thinking about all of the incredible faces and places I’ve been lucky enough to know in this life. Visions of dear friends and family either thousands of miles away or now six feet under. A slight tear emerging in my eyes in remembrance for the intricate beauty I have been able to interact with over the years. And, throughout the journey, I kept
ocean as many times as I damn well pleased. I could just cruise and ponder. I could gaze over at the ancient waters. I could scan the horizon of my trip, of my intent.
The simple things in life are the most valuable, just like that short cruise along A1A on an otherwise quiet Saturday afternoon. The nose of my rusty, musty pickup truck aimed for downtown St. Auggie. The historic city becoming this familiar, beloved location of sorts for myself and my family over the last 12 years that my folks have wandered down here to escape the unforgiving North Country winter.
The following day was my father’s 83rd birthday. Most of the time we’re in St. Auggie, the weather is pleasant and soothing. Warm sunshine. White sand beaches. Undulating, crashing waves. But, that afternoon, a hectic rainstorm rolled in. Thunder claps and lightning strikes. No matter, for we headed to a local seafood spot for a special, celebratory lunch.
Huddled in the backroom of Cap’s On The Water, it was cold beer and blackened shrimp skewers for me. Glass of pinot noir, tuna tartare and a pesto Caesar salad for the old man (aka: “birthday boy”). Chardonnay and jambalaya for my mom. Soon, hearty conversation and tall tales overtook our table for the better part of the next hour.
My father started to wax poetically about
Walking back into the bungalow, my father sat down in the nearby big chair in the living room. It was time to watch some college basketball, perhaps a nightcap of whatever red wine was still sitting on the kitchen counter. Today was a day of gratitude and gusto for him. Onward to the knowns and unknowns of tomorrow and every day thereafter.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
HOT PICKS
1
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The North Carolina Symphony at 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 28.
2
A stage production of “An Unexpected Song” will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 28-29 and 2 p.m. March 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
3 Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host John Paul White (Americana/indie-folk) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, March 27.
4
Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Roscoe’s Road Show (Americana) at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 29.
5
Rising singer-songwriter Alma Russ will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, March 28, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.
Porch pickin’ in St. Augustine, Florida.
Garret K. Woodward photo
On the beat
• American Legion Post 47 (Waynesville) will host an “Open Mic” 3 p.m. every Tuesday. Free and open to the public. 828.456.8691.
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public.
828.497.1015 / facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.
• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8-10 p.m. every Thursday. Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 / balsamfallsbrewing.com.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host an “Open Jam” 6 p.m. every Tuesday and semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Bevel Bar (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.246.0996 / bevelbar.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host Doug & Lisa (acoustic) March 29 and Paul Koptak (singer-songwriter) April 5. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• Blue Stage (Andrews) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.361.2534 / thebluestage.com.
• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Karaoke Night” Wednesdays, “Trivia” 7 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows are located in The Gem downstairs taproom and begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 / boojumbrewing.com.
• Breadheads Tiki Shak (Sylva) will host “Tiki Trivia” at 7 p.m. every first Thursday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.307.2160 / breadheadstikishak.com.
• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Helena Rose & Clint Roberts (Americana/indie-folk) 5 p.m. April 9. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-events/live-music.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host “Open Mic Night” 6 p.m. April 11. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Team Trivia” Mondays and R.A. Nightingale (singer-songwriter) March 29. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 / curraheebrew.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at The Farm” sessions on select weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday, Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) March 28, The Jugs March 29 and Justin Howl (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. March 30. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main Street. 828.369.8488 / littletennessee.org.
• Gathering Room (Waynesville) will host an “Open Acoustic Jam” from 6:30-8:30 p.m. the last Friday of every month. All welcome to play or listen. 828.558.1333 / thegatheringroom828.com.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Travis Tritt (country) 7:30 p.m. April 5. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” 6-9 p.m. Thursdays ($5 cover), Zorki (singer-songwriter) 1-3 p.m. Saturdays, “Bluegrass Brunch” 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sundays (free) and the “Salon Series” with John Paul White (Americana/indie-folk) 8:30 p.m. March 27 (admission is $39.19 per person). 828.526.2590 / highlandermountainhouse.com.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.9047 / highlandsperformingarts.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic w/Phil” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678/ innovation-brewing.com.
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.226.0262 / innovation-brewing.com.
• Junction Pub (Sylva) will host “Open Jam” on Sundays, “Marg Monday Karaoke” on Mondays, “Trivia” on Tuesdays, “Open Mic”
Folkmoot to showcase Irish music
Folkmoot Live will present an evening of traditional Irish music with Andrew Finn Magill & David McKindley-Ward (Celtic/world) at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3, at the Folkmoot Friendship Center in Waynesville.
Magill is an award-winning multi-genre fiddler/violinist and composer who has been featured on PBS, NPR and TEDx. He is a Fulbright fellow, North Carolina Arts Council fellow and 2024 finalist for the prestigious Seifert Competition for jazz violin in Krakow, Poland.
mentalists, including Eimear Arkins, Liz Hanley, Brenda Castles, Joey Abarta, Allen Murray and many others. He has recorded three albums with singer-songwriter Letitia VanSant, with their latest release “Eye of the Storm” expected to be released
Magill and McKindley-Ward will play Waynesville April 3.
this year.
Magill is signed to Ropeadope Records on which he has released three albums and tours the world as a bandleader and sideman in several genres. Currently, McKindley-Ward collaborates with many Irish singers and instru-
on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.370.2090 / facebook.com/jctpub.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Roscoe’s Road Show (Americana) March 29, Alma Russ (Americana/indie) April 4 and Grizzly Mammoth (rock/jam) April 5. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, The Waymores (Americana) March 28 and Woolybooger (blues/folk) April 4. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Legends Sports Bar & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host an “Open Mic Night” 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Karaoke Thursdays (6 p.m.) and Saturdays (7 p.m.), with live music each Friday (8 p.m.). Free and open to the public. 828.944.0403 / facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.
• Listening Room (Franklin) will host Tret Fure (singer-songwriter) 2:30 p.m. April 6. Suggested donation $20. Located at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship.
Doors at 6 p.m. The Spotted Banana food truck will also be onsite. Tickets are “pay what you can” ($25, $15, $5). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit folkmoot.org or call 828.452.2997.
• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (Americana) at 2 p.m. the first and third Monday, a “Song Circle” open jam from 3-6 p.m. the first Tuesday each month and “Old-Time Songfest” (for youth and families) 3:30 p.m. March 13. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” w/Frank Lee every Thursday, Alma Russ (Americana/folk) March 28, Ron Neill (singer-songwriter) March 29, Frank Lee (Americana/old-time) 5 p.m. March 30 and Heidi Holton (folk/blues) 5 p.m. April 6. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Old Edwards Inn (Highlands) will host live music in the Hummingbird Lounge at 5:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Free and open to the public. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9264 / orchardcoffeeroasters.com.
• Otto Community Center (Otto) will host James Thompson (Americana) 4 p.m. April 4. Bring a beverage and snack of your choice. Free and open to the public. 770.335.0967 / go2ottonc.com.
Donated photo
On the beat
Americana, folk at Mountain Layers
Alma Russ will play Bryson City March 28. File photo
Meade returns to Scotsman
Popular Florida-based indie/soul singersongwriter Shane Meade will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 27, The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville.
Hailing from Elkins, West Virginia, Meade is a self-taught late bloomer who borrowed an old guitar from his father. He began playing and writing songs in the summer of 2000 before relocating to Florida, eventually leaving the corporate world and pursuing music full-time in 2005.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.246.6292 or visit scotsmanpublic.com.
Rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Alma Russ will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, March 28, at Mountain Layers Brewing Company in Bryson City.
Based out of Western North Carolina and with her unique brand of “patchwork music” (country, folk and Appalachian styles pieced together), Russ enjoys playing guitar, banjo and fiddle.
Russ was also a contestant on “American Idol” Season 16. Her most recent album, “Fool’s Gold,” was recorded in an abandoned church in the West Texas desert while Russ was on a national tour.
Free and open to the public. To learn more, call 828.538.0115 or go to mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
For more information on Russ, visit almarussofficial.com.
Shane Meade will play Waynesville March 27. File photo
Ready for “Fat Burger Month”?
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host Wyatt Espalin & The Riverstones (Americana/indie) March 28, Frankly Scarlet (Grateful Dead tribute) March 29 and Carpool (The Cars tribute) April 5. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. For tickets, 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
• Pinnacle Relief CBD Wellness Lounge (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.508.3018 / facebook.com/pinnaclerelief.
ALSO:
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 / facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host Karaoke 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Trivia Night 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, “Karaoke” 6:30 p.m. March 26, “Open Mic” with Dirty Dave 6:30 p.m. March 28 and Jacob Donham (singer-songwriter) March 29. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke w/Russell” every Monday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105 / facebook.com/saltydogs2005.
• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on Sundays. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 / facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host The Water Kickers 6 p.m. March 28 and Steve Vaclavik (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. March 30. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The North Carolina Symphony 7:30 p.m. March 28. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:30-7:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Stubborn Bull (Highlands) will host semiregular “Live Music Mondays” with local/regional singer-songwriters. All shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.200.0813 / the-stubborn-bull.com.
• Trailborn (Highlands) will host its “Carolina Concert Series” with Remedy 58 (Americana) March 27 and David Cheatham (Americana/bluegrass) April 3. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.482.1581 or trailborn.com/highlands.
• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Line Dancing Lessons 7 p.m. March 26 (free), Troy Underwood (singer-songwriter) March 27 (free), Bo Bullman (singer-songwriter) March 28, Jon Cox Band (country/rock) March 29 and Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) April 5. All shows are $5 at the door unless otherwise noted and begin at 8 p.m. 828.538.2488 / unpluggedpub.com.
• Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts
Filled with some of Haywood County’s “juiciest, most mouthwatering burgers,” “Fat Burger Month” will run through April 6 at several restaurants throughout Waynesville, Maggie Valley and Canton.
Presented by the Haywood County Tourism Development Authority, the celebration of these extraordinary burgers is an effort to promote an array of great restaurants right here in our backyard. This year, if you try six out of the 14 participating culinary destinations, you will earn a free “Fat Burger Month” t-shirt. For each location visited and burger consumed, you’ll receive a sticker. You must submit your completed sticker card by April 20. For more information and a full list of participating locations, visit visithaywood.com/fat-burgermonth.
‘Fat Burger Month’ runs through April 6.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have its wine bar open 48 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.
ALSO:
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host semi-regular taptakeovers from local and regional breweries on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. 800.872.4681 / gsmr.com. On the table
• “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. 828.538.0420.
HCAC celebrates Woodford
The Haywood County Arts Council’s (HCAC) specially curated exhibit featuring the works of celebrated visual artist and author Ann Miller Woodford will run through April 7 at HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville.
This is an exceptional opportunity to view Woodford’s artwork and experience her unique gift for storytelling in person. Woodford, a North Carolina native, has dedicated her artistic career to capturing the spirit of life and history around her. Working primarily in oils and skilled in pencil, charcoal and ink drawing, her subject matter ranges from portraits and landscapes to inspirational and still-life compositions.
Her latest portrait series, “Black in Black on Black: Making the Invisible Visible,” explores themes of emergence and empowerment, using the richness of the color black to celebrate identity and visibility.
For more information, please contact the HCAC at director@haywoodarts.org or visit haywoodarts.org.
• Artisan Alley Craft Show will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the Franklin Town Hall. Art, baked goods and more. For more information, email artisanalley2024@gmail.com.
• WNC Paint Events will host painting sessions throughout the region on select dates. For more information and/or to sign up, visit wncpaint.events.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host “ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied and participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share with each other. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host an adult arts and crafts program at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Ages 16 and up. Space is limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
WCU faculty art showcase
Featuring works from faculty artisans at Western Carolina University, the 2025 School of Art & Design Faculty Biennial Exhibition will be displayed through May 2 in the Bardo Arts Center in Cullowhee.
“Desert Gems” is a
Outside of the classroom, faculty members in the School of Art & Design are active artists and scholars that make significant contributions to the arts. The exhibition provides students and the community with an opportunity to view recent works created by distinguished faculty members whose primary research output is studio-based.
The museum’s hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and until 7 p.m. on Thursday.
For more information, visit wcu.edu/bardo-arts-center.
tors. The HCAC gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. jcgep.org.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. dogwoodcrafters.com/classes / 828.586.2248.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. coweeschool.org/events.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center.
WELCOME FEBRUARY NEW MEMBERS
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. galleryzella.com / 517.881.0959.
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. They welcome photographers of all skill levels to share ideas and images. waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visi-
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. For a full list of classes, click on cre828.com. dawn@cre828.com / 828.283.0523.
Juli Rogers
Ann Miller Woodford is a popular WNC artist File photo
work by Nathan Ellis Perry. File photo
On the stage
HART presents ‘An Unexpected Song’
A stage production of “An Unexpected Song” will be held at 7:30 p.m. March 28-29 and 2 p.m. March 30 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
“An Unexpected Song” is a captivating musical revue celebrating the iconic and rarely performed works of Andrew Lloyd Webber, featuring a powerhouse cast in an intimate cabaret setting.
‘An Unexpected Song’ will be held on select dates. Donated photo
Tickets are $23 for adults, $13 for students. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit harttheatre.org or call the box office at 828.456.6322.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular comedians on the weekends. For tickets, click on caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
ALSO:
• Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host a production of “The Wizard of Oz” at 7 p.m. March 28-29, April 4-5 and 2:30 p.m. March 30 and April 6. Tickets are $12 for adults, $6 for students. swainartscenter.com.
• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host a stage production of “An Unexpected Song” at 7:30 p.m. March 28-29 and 2 p.m. March 30.
harttheatre.org / 828.456.6322.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. mountaintheatre.com / 828.526.9047.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semiregular stage productions on the weekends. smokymountainarts.com / 866.273.4615.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular productions on the weekends. thepeacocknc.org / 828.389.ARTS.
On the street
Pigeon Community ‘Storytellers Series’
The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville has recently announced its 2025 “Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series.”
This curated series will showcase awardwinning storytellers from Western North Carolina’s African American, Latinx and Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian communities.
Through live storytelling, readings, music and focused questions, the “Pigeon Community Conversations with Storytellers Series” examines the purpose and power of storytelling in underrepresented communities.
Types of storytelling to be explored are written, traditional, musical and spoken
bold colors, gritty textures of layered paint and intricate markings, Blount aims to capture the raw emotion and beauty of everyday life.
• June 12: Joseph Drew Lanham is an American author, poet, wildlife biologist and 2022 MacArthur Fellowship-winner for his work "combining conservation science with personal, historical and cultural narratives of nature."
• July 10: Kelle Jolly is an "AffrilachianGeorgia-lina-Peach," embracing a rich blend of cultural influences. Through the art of storytelling and her mastery of the ukulele, she joyfully expresses her folk traditions.
• Aug. 14: Roy Harris belongs to three storytelling organizations: the Asheville Storytelling Circle (of which he is a former
NEW SPRING ARRIVALS
word poetry, which will reflect Western North Carolina’s diversity of talent. The series is appropriate for all community members. Everyone is welcome to attend.
PCMDC Program Director Tausha Forney will lead this series starting in April 2025. The conversations are casual and will allow for audience participation. There will be six events held at 6 p.m. at the PCMDC
• April 10: Kathi Littlejohn has been telling Cherokee stories for more than 40 years at events, festivals and schools. She has been leading Cherokee history tours for five years to historically and culturally significant places in WNC.
• May 08: LaKisha Blount explores the essence of her experiences and generational stories of Black mountain life in Appalachia through her figurative oil paintings. Using
president), the North Carolina Association of Black Storytellers and, more recently, the National Association of Black Storytellers.
• Sept. 11: Glenis Redmond is the First Poet Laureate of Greenville, South Carolina, and is a Kennedy Center Teaching Artist. Tickets are $10 for community members, $7 for seniors (ages 65 and over) and $5 for students. Children 12 and under may attend free of charge.
Tickets may be purchased in advance and can be purchased at the door of each performance. Reduced price $50/$40/$30 series passes are also available. Refreshments are available for purchase. Please contact Tausha Forney for information about individual event sponsorships.
For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit pcmdc.org.
LaKisha Blount will be in Waynesville May 8. File photo
The search for origins and identity
Having grown up in proximity to a Cherokee community (Little Snowbird in Graham County), I’m familiar with and sensitive to the history and the psychology of Native peoples who have been marginalized and worse from their cultural roots and their homelands. Chris La Tray’s new book “Becoming Little Shell: A Landless Indian’s Journey Home,” (Milkweed Editions, 2024) is an Indigenous telling of one man’s life and journey to find his true Native American roots and ancestry. Having grown up in a family where his father refused to identify with his Native American origins and lineage, in midlife La Tray becomes focused on his own heredity and tribal identity, feeling instinctively that he wants to be Indian and knowing that he is Indian despite the refutation of his father.
more it blooms in my heart. The more it blooms in my spirit. Focusing on this rhetoric over blood and race is a smoke screen to mask the slow roll of continued genocide,” he writes about the whole issue of DNA testing, tribal membership and blood quantum. La Tray goes on to talk about connection and kinship “... and not just between human tribes, but with the buffalo and everyone else
queued up here, laughing and cursing, urging their animals and two-wheeled carts across the river. I take some photos and wipe tears from the corner of my eye.”
The second half of the book goes into the planned and protracted colonization, reservations and would-be termination of the Indian culture by the American government. But then he leaps to a more positive and heartfelt and longwinded conversation about women and says: “This is a subject I’ve spent considerable time reflecting on — women — and the largely unsung role they played in maintaining who we are as a culture over the centuries.”
In a book that reads like a travel journal that takes us throughout the state of Montana, we start out and travel with La Tray seeking living ancestors and the tracing of the history of his Native family name. Through diligent research and sought-out conversations with authors, activists, elders and historians, what he learns leads him to further implications as to his tribal heritage and eventually to the fact that he is certain that his bloodlines go back to the Little Shell Tribe which is a part of the larger Chippewa Nation based in Montana and beyond.
“I have no record of my father ever identifying as anything but white. My dad never wanted to be viewed as Indian. I’m the opposite,” writes La Tray.
Also, as an avid nature lover, he shares with us his love of the natural world, which would prove to be essential to his identifying with his Indian identity.
He goes on to talk about the role of women in modernday tribal culture and the huge numbers of women who have “mysteriously disappeared.” He ends the chapter with the cheerfully pleasant story of picking up a female hitchhiker in Canada who is also Indigenous and who shares with him a similar story to his own.
“Ever since I was young, one of my favorite things to do has been rambling around outdoors. Part of this is the result of being a child of the seventies in a household with essentially no television, living in a landscape nothing indoors could ever match,” he writes about his youth. But the search for self goes on: “A nondescript office building in Great Falls, Montana, is the tribal headquarters of the Little Shell Chippewa tribe. By now I’m pretty confident I’m Little Shell. The purpose of my visit is the first step in attempting to prove it,” he writes as he continues his travels around the state.
But this is early on and the journey and the search progresses.
“I’m committed to uncovering the culture of my people. I’m committed to learning as much of the language as I can. I’ve always loved this land, and I’ve always loved Indian people. The more I dig into it, the more I interact with my Indian relatives, the
who shared this Montana landscape.”
As his tribal ancestry is revealed and when he is accepted as a member of the Little Shell tribe and community, he writes: “I follow the trail down the slope, across time, through genocide and diaspora, and fear and death and now rebirth, to food, to companionship and increasingly, to community.”
Now, we are Kerouac-like on the road with La Tray. “Driving, I stop and squint and imagine these plains crowded with immense herds of buffalo. Of elk, antelope, and wolves and grizzly bears. Rivers and creeks and all the birds that would gather there. A magnificently wild Missouri River, free of dams. And the people who crossed over and back across them for decades, even centuries,” he ponders and then reveals in the present tense: “In the distance I hear magpies rasping out their greeting to the morning. In my mind’s eye I imagine people
Without giving too much away, the rest of the book deals with the discovery and meeting of family and ancestral ties (“... for those of us with even the slightest knowledge of our family trees it’s usually only a generation of two before we find a common ancestor”); the Catholic religion related to removal and conversion (“to erase Indigenous spiritual practices and livelihoods”); BIA Indian Schools and Boarding Schools; the landscape of various parts of Montana and southern Canada and various settlements and town histories. All of this is described in detail in La Tray’s congenial, conversational voice until the book’s end with the epiphanous statement “I set out to write this book as a Little Shell person in service to my Little Shell people, but now I find myself a Little Shell person in service to the world.”
(Thomas Crowe is a regular contributor to The Smoky Mountain News and is the author of the award-winning memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods” and is publisher of New Native Press.)
Writer Thomas Crowe
‘The fish that wears a feather’
Sicklefin Redhorse fish given scientific name
HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER
The Sicklefin Redhorse has a long history in the waters of southern Appalachia. But the fish wasn’t rediscovered and recognized as a distinct species until 1992. Now, the fish has been scientifically described and as of February, has an official scientific name — Moxostoma ugidatli.
According to a new paper in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology, the Sicklefin Redhorse is perhaps the largest truly new North American species discovered in the last century. The fish is a medium-sized sucker with a curved dorsal fin, bright red tail and an olive-colored body with a coppery sheen. It can grow up to 26 inches in length and live for 20 years.
Today’s populations are confined by the presence of dams and impoundments, abundant in the rivers of Western North Carolina, and the Sicklefin Redhorse have only been found in the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee River watersheds in Cherokee, Clay, Swain, Macon and Jackson counties. But historically, scientists believe their range may have been far larger.
“Where they’re at, they’re restricted to a handful of places, but they would have been all over these watersheds, at least seasonally,” said Luke Etchison, Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission.
‘I GOT A NAME’
Service.
Recognizing the species’ significance to the Cherokee people played a central role in choosing its scientific name.
“We felt it important to honor the Cherokee name as it occurs on the unceded territory of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and it is right and proper to refer to the species using the name spoken by its true discoverers,” authors of the paper naming the fish wrote.
authors of the paper that presents the scientific name of the Sicklefin Redhorse recognize his invaluable work on the subject.
“As we finished up this work, we were reminded of the classic Jim Croce song ‘I Got a Name,’ as the Sicklefin Redhorse will finally have a name after it had been hidden for so long,” the paper reads. “Jim Croce died the day before the song was released, and he never got to see his own legacy. The same is true of Bob. Bob left us a great wealth of information as his legacy, and it is up to those interested in redhorse to see that his legacy is fulfilled.”
energy from lower in the system,” said Etchison. “The headwaters of a river have really low nutrients, and because of that, have low productivity.”
There are only a few ways to get productivity in a river. Among them are connections with flood plains and leaf litter entering a stream and getting broken down by insects.
“Another good source is bringing it from the lower, bigger parts of the river,” said Etchison. “Sicklefins are one of the many sucker species that do that.”
Redhorse are their own subset within sicklefins, and this is one of their more important roles in the local ecosystem.
The new scientific name for the Sicklefin Redhorse is Moxostoma Ugidatli.
Moxostoma is a genus of North American ray-finned fish in the family Catostomidai. It consists of 42 nominal species with 23 considered valid.
Ugidatli (pronounced ooh-gee-dacht’lee) is the Cherokee word for the species and means “it wears a feather” in reference to the fish being the only species in the region with a dorsal fin exposed above the water when spawning. The dorsal fin also resembles the shape of a feather.
“This great, long falcate dorsal fin kind of sets it apart from all other redhorse in the world,” Mike LaVoie, natural resource manager for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, told researchers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Before the fish was recognized by the scientific community beginning in the 1990s, it had been important to the Cherokee people for centuries.
“Cherokee folks, along with other southeastern tribes were often considered river tribes,” Caleb Hickman, supervisory biologist with the EBCI, told researchers with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “I still talk to people that can tell you stories about different ways of preparing redhorse … They were a predominant food source.”
The Sicklefin Redhorse was given its common name by Bob Jenkins in the 1990s, who discovered, or rediscovered, several species of redhorse over the last few decades.
“Bob Jenkins is like the father of the suckers. He’s worked on suckers his entire life and he’s described a lot of species,” said Etchison. “He put a lot of effort into Sicklefin, I think he viewed it as one of his last hoorahs. He collected all this really valuable information about the species.”
Jenkins passed away in July 2023, but the
ECOLOGICAL IMPORT
Sucker fish in general have been fighting a negative stereotype for a while now, that Etchison said stems from incorrect information.
“Folks used to think that they competed with sport fish — game fish species,” said Etchison. “When you’re in a small trout stream and then you see 1,000 two-foot-long suckers swim by you, in those days where they didn’t know that much, it makes sense that one might think there’s not enough room for all of these things in there.”
In reality, these types of fish are of vital importance to the local ecosystem.
The Sicklefin Redhorse have a spawning run that is similar to that of salmon. They navigate upstream to the same smaller headwaters each year to lay eggs during the late winter and early spring when water temperatures are between 50 and 54 degrees.
“They have this role of basically bringing
“They bring nitrogen up from lower in the system, they release that nitrogen and it’s basically like a fertilizer,” said Hutchinson. “So that spawning run serves as a fertilizer, and it really boosts what the river is capable of.”
While it’s clear that dams and impoundments are an impediment to the free range of fish that move up and down waterways throughout their life, the Sicklefin Redhorse is still being studied to understand its movement and habitat use.
In February, Assistant Professor in the Department of Geosciences and Natural Resources at Western Carolina University Keith Gibbs and his team were awarded a $40,000 grant from the Sicklefin Redhorse Conservation Working Group in order to study the species’ movement using radio telemetry.
In the research, Gibbs’ team will implant radio transmitters into hatchery-raised fish at the Warm Springs National Fish Hatchery in Georgia. After giving the fish a few days to acclimate and recover in the hatchery, the team will release the fish into the Little Tennessee river and go out weekly to track their movements.
In addition to its job fertilizing smaller streams, the Sicklefin Redhorse plays a direct role in the lifecycle of an endangered species unique to Appalachia.
The Appalachian Elktoe Mussel was listed as endangered in 1994 when only two populations were known to exist in the world — one in North Carolina’s Little Tennessee River and the other in the Toe/Nolichucky rivers, straddling the North Carolina-Tennessee state line. Since then, additional populations have been discovered in Western North Carolina and conservation efforts have helped struggling populations that were threatened by habitat degradation from impoundments, stream channelization projects and pollutants.
During the reproduction cycle of F
The Sicklefin Redhorse is now officially a new species. Donated photo
the Appalachian Elktoe, females retain fertilized eggs in their gills until the larvae fully develop, at which point they are released into the water and must attach to the gills or fins of an appropriate fish species.
The baby mussels stay on board the host fish for several weeks, drawing nourishment from the fish as they develop into juvenile mussels. While this process doesn’t harm the fish, it allows the mussels to develop to reproductive age. But their dependence on certain fish species also increases their vulnerability to habitat disruptions.
“The Appalachian Elktoe, luckily — it’s probably the reason it’s still around — is a generalist,” said Etchison, meaning the mussel can attach to different types of fish.
But recent research by Rebecca Ewing at Appalachian State University into Appalachian Elktoe and its host fish showed that the Sicklefin Redhorse was one of the best species of host fish for the young mussels.
are a way to basically prevent something from being federally listed, so it doesn’t become a regulatory burden to certain partners like energy groups and things like that in an area,” said Etchison. “The great thing for these species is these candidate conservation agreements get a bunch of partners to sign on to say they will work to conserve the species.”
The conservation agreement for the Sicklefin Redhorse currently involves the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Tennessee Valley Authority, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.
or Ugidatli (pronounced oohgee-dacht’lee) is the Cherokee word for the Sicklefin Redhorse and means “it wears a feather.”
The conservation agreement helps to obtain money for research and conservation efforts at a more accelerated rate than might be possible if the species were federally listed.
“So basically, the survival of our endemic, federally endangered Appalachian Elktoe is riding on the gills of Redhorse and other sucker species,” said Etchison.
CONSERVATION
While the Sicklefin Redhorse is not federally protected, it is considered threatened in North Carolina and endangered in Georgia.
“In Georgia, they’re in danger compared to North Carolina because they’re basically only in one stream,” said Etchison. “They’re only in Brasstown, this really small stream, and a lot of it’s just coming in there to spawn.”
In North Carolina, the fish are not quite as at risk as they are in Georgia.
“[Sicklefin
“A lot of folks think that if something is federally listed, it’s great, but it actually can make it more difficult for us to expand their range and work together,” said Etchison. “It’s just harder to put things places if they’re going to potentially add regulatory burden.”
Researchers familiar with the Sicklefin Redhorse believe that dam removal could prove to be a turning point for the species’ proliferation.
“I think that the best thing that’s happened to the species is probably going to be when they remove Ela Dam,” said Etchison.
According to Etchison, after the Dillsboro Dam was removed in 2010, the Sicklefin Redhorse immediately began to move upstream.
Ela Dam is a 100-year-old structure that sits on the Oconaluftee River, about half a mile above its confluence with the Tuckaseegee. Now, it’s slated for removal.
Redhorse] bring nitrogen up from lower in the system, they release that nitrogen and it’s basically like a fertilizer. So that spawning run serves as a fertilizer and it really boosts what the river is capable of.”
— Luke Etchison, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
While the species was petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act in 2005, it was kept off the list in part because of cooperation between ECBI, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state agencies in North Carolina and Georgia and other partners, both public and private.
In 2015, this cooperation between partners was formalized to create the Sicklefin Redhorse Conservation Committee. In 2016 the species was removed from the candidate list for endangered species thanks to the existence of stable breeding populations and protection of over 40% of the species’ range on state and federal conservation lands.
Today, the population in the Little Tennessee River is considered stable with annual population estimates exceeding 1,000 individuals in both the Little Tennessee and the Tuckasegee.
“These candidate conservation agreements
“It’s been a dam that just cut off the Cherokee from the rest of the watershed,” said Hutchinson. “It’s really cool because it’s going to reconnect the flow from the Cherokee people to the rest of the watershed. And also, the species that we have downstream that are not upstream, they’ll finally be able to move up and thrive on their ancestral waters.”
Ultimately, Etchison says, liked the Elktoe and the Redhorse, it’s important to understand how so many aspects of the local ecosystem are interconnected and interdependent.
“It’s good for folks to know, if you’re into the conservation of our rivers, whether it’s because you fish, or because you paddle or because you snorkel or whatever, it’s good for folks to understand all these things that are here and used to be here, are native here,” Hutchinson said. “Whether you realize it or not, they’re all connected. If they thrive, we thrive.”
Most of North Carolina is at least abnormally dry. ncdrought.org photo
North Carolina sees drought, widespread abnormally dry conditions
The North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council has classified most of the state as abnormally dry, while 56 counties are at least partially in a moderate drought, including almost the entire Smoky Mountain News coverage area.
Amid the ongoing dry conditions, there have been numerous fires of various sizes
across the western part of the state, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has implemented a parkwide burn ban on and off over the last few weeks.
Although there was some precipitation late last week and earlier this week, the dry conditions are persisting, meaning any outdoor burning is considered risky.
OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
THURSDAY 11am-5pm FRIDAY 11am-8pm • Dinner at 5pm SATURDAY 11am-5pm
Experience a Casual, Relaxing Atmosphere
Perfect for all walks of life, from families to golf groups to ladies who lunch. We pride ourselves on using fresh ingredients from our gardens and supporting local farmers. The details are priority.
What to do in the event of an animal encounter
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) offers helpful guidance when encountering wildlife as they become more visible this time of year.
Black bears emerge from their dens in spring and become more active. BearWise offers springtime tips, such as securing garbage and taking down bird feeders, to help people prevent conflicts with bears. If someone suspects a cub has been orphaned, they are advised to not handle, feed or remove it, as this puts people and the cub at risk. Instead, note the location and contact the N.C. Wildlife Helpline (866.318.2401) or contact the appropriate district wildlife biologist. If NCWRC biologists determine the cub is orphaned, they will place it with a licensed bear cub rehabilitator. For information about living responsibly with black bears, visit Bearwise.org.
NCWRC advises not to kill snakes because they help control rodent, slug and insect populations. There are many ways to coexist with snakes. Ten of North Carolina’s 38 native snake species are listed as either endangered, threatened or of special concern. If you come across a snake, remain calm and give it plenty of room to move along. If it’s believed to be a rattlesnake or Northern pine snake, please report it through the HerpMapper.org mobile app, or by email with a photo (if safely possible), location (GPS coordinates preferred) and date and time observed to rattlesnake@ncwildlife.gov or through NCWRC pine snake reporting tool.
If someone encounters a bear cub, they are encouraged to call the N.C. Wildlife Helpline. Donated photo
Coyote sightings spike in the spring during the breeding season and peak in May as they search for food to support their pups. While they rarely attack people, they are opportunistic hunters, so smaller pets should be closely supervised when outdoors to avoid being preyed upon.
Coyotes build dens in brushy or wooded areas to protect their pups when they are very young. If a coyote is staring or starts following you, her den may be nearby, so calmly leave the area and inform others to avoid the area for a few weeks. As soon as the pups can survive outside of the den, the coyotes will no longer use the shelter.
Foxes give birth between late February and April. The pups (or “kits”) start exploring outside their den by late spring and early summer. Foxes are nocturnal, but it is not uncommon to see them during the day. They are shy and usually are not aggressive, unless people have been feeding them. Their appetite for mice and rats, and the occasional groundhog is of great benefit to most homeowners and farmers. They are well adapted to living around people and thrive in neighborhoods. It is illegal to relocate foxes or any possible rabies vector species (such as raccoons and skunks) in North Carolina, in order to prevent unintentional spread of disease to both people and other wildlife. Removing these species from your property requires euthanizing the animal and either a license or permit.
Hellbenders and Mudpuppies are seen more frequently in early spring, mainly due to more people venturing into their habitats, specifically anglers, as hatchery supported trout waters open each year on the first Saturday in April. Neither the mudpuppy nor the hellbender is poisonous, venomous, toxic or harmful to humans, although they may try to bite if someone tries to pick them up. If sighted, they should be left alone. Both species are listed as a North Carolina species of special concern, and NCWRC requests reporting sightings to Lori.Williams@ncwildlife.gov and including physical location (GPS coordinates preferred) and a photo or video, or contacting NC Wildlife Helpline, 866.318.2401 and providing details of the observation.
NOTE: It is a Class 1 misdemeanor with a fine and up to 120 days in jail to take, possess, transport or sell mudpuppies or hellbenders. If anglers happen to catch one by hook and line, they should carefully remove the hook if possible or cut the line close to the hook and return the salamander back to the water. Learn more by visiting the N.C. Partners in Amphibians and Reptile Conservation’s mudpuppy webpage and the NCWRC’s hellbender webpage.
Some basic rules that apply to all wildlife encounters include:
• Never feed or handle a wild animal.
• Leave a young animal where it’s found because wild parents rarely abandon their young, even if they detect human scent.
If unsure as to whether an animal needs human assistance or to answer questions about wildlife removal, contact NCWRC’s Wildlife Helpline, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 866.318.2401 or by email, HWI@ncwildlife.gov
Haywood Community College Hosts Spring Boater Safety Courses
Haywood Community College and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission will offer three opportunities for boater safety courses in Spring 2025. Classes will be offered from 6-9 p.m. April 2-3, May 7-8, and June 4-5 on the HCC campus in the Walnut building, room 3322. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive their certification.
These courses are offered for the general public as a community service and are free of charge. There are no minimum age requirements; however, a written exam must be completed without assistance. Courses are taught by wildlife officers, hunter education specialists and certified volunteer instructors. Certification is accepted in every state and province in North America.
Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested in taking a boater safety course must register online in order to attend any session. Course registration may be completed at ncwildlife.org.
WNC Orchid Society presents ‘Orchid Arcadia’
The Western North Carolina Orchid Society (WNCOS) and The North Carolina Arboretum will once again host one of Western North Carolina’s greatest annual plant shows: the 24th Asheville Orchid Festival “Orchid Arcadia” from March 28-30. The festival is an American Orchid Society sanctioned judging event.
World-class orchid growers and breeders, along with regional orchid societies, will exhibit at the annual festival, with hundreds of orchids presented in carefully crafted displays.
Thousands of orchids will be for sale by vendors from Ecuador and across the United States. There will be some-
Haywood to host hazardous waste collection event
Haywood County has partnered with Consolidated Waste Services and EcoFlo to hold its spring Household Hazardous Waste Collection Event from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) located at 278 Recycle Road in Clyde.
This event is only for Haywood County residents. Please don’t bring or drop-off items prior to the event. Early drop-offs could incur fees and fines.
During this event, Haywood County residents are encouraged to drop off these household pollutants free of charge. Consolidated Waste
thing for all orchid lovers, and attendees should expect rare species and cutting-edge hybrids.
Admission to the Asheville Orchid Festival is $5 for everyone over the age of 12 years old, and free for Western North Carolina Orchid Society members. All orchid exhibits, orchid programs and educational lectures are included with the admission fee and children 12 and under can enter free.
A regular parking fee for The North Carolina Arboretum applies for all attendees except for The North Carolina Arboretum Society Members.
The Asheville Orchid Festival will take place 4-7:30 p.m. March 28 and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 29 and 30 at The North Carolina Arboretum.
For more information, please visit wncos.org or ncarboretum.org.
Services and EcoFlo will have representatives on hand to collect the following items:
The following items can be disposed of yearround. You do not need to hold them for the HHW event. Water-based paints (latex) can be dried out in the can using kitty litter, sawdust or sand and disposed of with your regular trash once the
Mainspring and partners protect Parkway views
The Conservation Fund announced that a critical property in the Great Balsam Mountains is protected as forest and natural land. The approximately 3,850-acre Balsam Gap property connects to 770,000 acres of previously conserved lands and continues a 25-year legacy of federal, state and private investment to protect over 12,000 acres of working forest, wildlife habitat, watersheds and recreation land in the region.
In addition to preserving the natural beauty of the Blue Ridge Parkway, conserving this property will add to the wealth of recreation opportunities in the area, support local tourism and timber jobs, sustain vital habitat and migration corridors for wildlife, and protect water quality from multiple headwaters. Nature-based recreation and tourism are significant drivers of the local economy, supporting thousands of jobs and generating almost $400 million in annual revenue for Jackson and Haywood counties alone. Taking steps to support and sustain that economic activity is especially important following the devastation Hurricane Helene brought to the region.
paint has solidified. Full cans of paint will be accepted at the collection event.
• Household batteries (Alkaline, NiCad, Lithium) and lead-acid (car) batteries are collected year-round at the Materials Recovery Facility (MRF).
• Fluorescent tubes and Compact fluorescent bulbs are collected year-round at the MRF.
• Antifreeze is collected year-round at the Jones Cove Convenience Center and the MRF.
• Motor oil and oil filters are collected yearround at all Convenience Centers and the MRF.
• Medications and pharmaceuticals are collected year-round at the Haywood County Sheriff’s Office. Please contact them for their schedule.
For additional information on the event, contact the Materials Recovery Facility at 828. 627.8042.
The area around Balsam Gap is especially important in the long-term effort by The Conservation Fund and other organizations to protect land bordering the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the National Park Service’s most visited sites attracting millions of visitors each year. USGS photo
The property is now protected by two easements. Mainspring Conservation Trust helped make this conservation success possible by agreeing to hold and steward a 1,147-acre easement that expands an existing no-cut buffer adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway. A second 2,703-acre working forest easement, held by the State of North Carolina, will be stewarded by the North Carolina Forest Service. The properties will become a key portion of 55,000 acres of protected land in the Great Balsam Mountains.
Funding for this project comes the U.S. Forest Service Forest Legacy Program, Mainspring Conservation Trust, the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation and private donors. This project builds upon a 2002 U.S. Forest Legacy Program project.
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MarketPlace information:
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