Nov. 17, 2011 by Yancey County News

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www.yanceycountynews.com vTo be a voice, and to allow the voices of our community to be heard.v Nov. 17, 2011 W Vol. 1, No. 45

High school honors vets

Photo by Jonathan Austin/Yancey County News The County Board of Equalization and Review meets with Mountain Air presidnet Rick Banks Wednesday at the county courthouse. The board voted to accept the 2011 appraisals for properties in question at the resort. In response, Dale England tendered his resignation from the BOER.

BOER will not change Mountain Air appraisal In frustration, County Commissioner England resigns from Equalization & Review Board

ounty Commissioner Dale England announced his resignation from the County Board of Equalization & Review Wednesday night after the board voted 3-2 to not accept changes to the appraisals for some lands at the Mountain Air development. “I’ve done the most honest thing I’ve known how to do,” England said in frustration after proposing that the board accept modified appraisals for certain properties at Mountain Air Country Club and for a parcel on the mountain that was proposed as a new development but later abandoned after the bank that financed the project failed. “I will be resigning from the Board of Equalization & Review” effective Wednesday night, he said.

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A ceremony at Mountain Heritage High School last week honored veterans for Veteran’s Day. The high school chorus sang the songs of the different military services, while the JROTC presented the flags. SEE MORE INSIDE

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Your Neighborhood From the superintendent of Yancey County Schools Congratulations MHHS Fall Sports: In tennis: Penny Lane Buckner finished the regular season undefeated and was named Western Highlands Conference Player of the Year. She finished 4th in the region which advanced her to the State Tournament. In golf: Megan Reecer, Lexi Buckner and Lacey Webb finished third in the region as a team and qualified as a team for the State Tournament. In football: The Junior Varsity Football Team completed the season as conference champions with an undefeated record of 9-0. 2012-13 Calendar Development: YCS Calendar Committee, headed by Mr. Alton Robinson, will be meeting next week to begin the process of developing a school calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. YCS was granted a waiver for the 2011-12 school year allowing for the 5 newly added days to be used for professional development. This state-wide waiver was a one-time offering by DPI and those 5 extra student days next year will require some significant changes to the YCS calendar. Watch for updates!

The Annual Winterfest NonProfit day at Burnsville Town Center is scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 3, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents and businesses are invited to join the following non-profit organizations to display your goods and services: Beacon of the Hill Church – Women Helping Other Women – Sacred Heart Ladies Guild – Yancey County Humane Society – Knights of Columbus Council #12233 – Messiah of the Mountain Lutheran Church – U-Turn Ministries – Saint Andrews Ladies Guild – Appalachian Therapeutic Riding Center. Space is limited and there is no charge for your table or set up. Call Kathleen Holstein at 6827477 to reserve your space or for additional information.

Five-time West Virginia Liar’s Contest champion Bil Lepp will appear Dec. 4 in Marshall.

Renowned storyteller coming to Marshall Growing up in a family where it was always the responsibility of the listener to decide whether or not a story was true, Bil Lepp became adept at spinning tales and exaggerating circumstances at an early age. Audiences all across the country have been delighted by Bil’s hilarious tales and delightful insights into everyday life. Be it a plunger, a hunting trip, or a funeral, Bil can find the humor in any situation. A champion and veteran of the West Virginia Liars’ contest, Lepp explains that while his stories may not be completely true, they are always honest. Bil will be in concert at The Madison County Arts Center on Sunday, December 4 at 4:00 for a Sunday Set-In. His outrageous, humorous tall-tales and witty stories have earned the appreciation of listeners of all ages and from all walks of life. Though a champion liar, his hilarious, insightful stories often contain morsels of truth which shed light on subjects such as politics, religion, relationships, and human nature. A storyteller, author, and recording artist, Lepp’s works have received awards and recognition The Parents’ Choice Foundation, The National Parenting Publications Assoc., Storytelling World, and the Public Library Assoc. Lepp has been featured numerous times at the National Storytelling Festival, and at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. “Bil Lepp – think Jeff Foxworthy with the

comedic patience of Bill Cosby… It would be very difficult… to discern the structural difference between Lepp’s antic hunting story and Woody Allen’s classic “I shot a moose once” tale.” — Lou Harry, Indianapolis Business Journal “Bil Lepp is the Wonder Bra of storytelling. He takes something small and insignificant and pushes it up into something realllly BIG and miiiighty interesting!” — Barbara McBride Smith

A Sunday Set-in with Five Time West Virginia Liar’s Contest Champion Bil Lepp will be held Dec. 4 at 4 p.m. at the Madison County Arts Center, located at 90 S. Main Street, Marshall. Tickets are $15 For details, go to www. madisoncountyarts.com or call (828)649-1301

EVERY DAY, your neighbors are calling, writing or dropping in our office to plop down $25 to subscribe to the Yancey County News! Why? Because they say they’ve never had a newspaper like this in Yancey County, and they appreciate it! (And we appreciate them!) So if you want to subscribe, just fill out this form and mail it in! YES, begin my subscription to the Yancey County News! (Out-of-county subscription submit $35.) Mail this coupon and your check to: The Yancey County News, 132 W. Main St., Burnsville, NC 28714 NAME: _________________________________________________________ MAILING ADDRESS: ____________________________________________________________________________________________ TOWN: __________________________________ STATE: _________ PHONE NUMBER: ___________________________________

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Opinion/Outlooks

You Decide: Is college worth the cost?

By Dr. Mike Walden North Carolina Cooperative Extension

Recently I had a thoughtful discussion with a N.C. State University student. He was questioning whether getting a college degree was still worth his time and cost. He had friends who had recently graduated who couldn’t find a job in their field. He just wondered if he was wasting his time staying in school. Here’s an expanded version of what I told the student. First, there’s no question the job market for college graduates is not as good today as it was four years ago, prior to the recession. Today’s unemployment rate (for September) of workers with a college degree is 4.2 percent; in early 2007 it was under 2 percent. But this is far better than for workers with a high school degree, for whom the most recent unemployment rate is 9.7 percent! In early 2007 the jobless rate for workers with a high school degree was as low as 4 percent. Thus, the difference between the college unemployment rate and the high school unemployment rate has expanded from 2 percentage points four years ago to 5.5 percentage points today. Now, what about salary? Of course, many factors impact what a worker earns, including age and experience, occupation and hours worked. Fortunately, we have data available from the Census for young workers (aged 25-34) working a full-time schedule and with different levels of educational attainment. After accounting for inflation, the bump up in annual salary for young males working full-time with a bachelor’s degree versus a high school degree actually declined from $29,845 in 2006 to $22, 354 in 2009, the latest year available and also the low-point of the recession. For females there was a similar decline, from $21,597 in 2006 to $19,059 in 2009. The decline in the bachelor’s degree salary premium may seem surprising. However, the recession -- like no other in recent history -really clobbered professional and technically oriented jobs, especially in areas like finance, management and sales. As businesses in these fields saw their revenues drop, they often had

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to reduce salaries for their workers. Still, even with the reduced pay premium for a bachelor’s degree, the expected gains in total earnings over a work life are substantial. For example, if a 22-year-old male college graduate works until age 62, the total gain in salary over the 40 years would be $894,160 (40 times $22,354). For the female college graduate, the gain would be $762,360 (40 times $19,059). Expressed in today’s dollars using a 2 percent “discount rate” – the rate at which the dollar’s value is expected to decline each year – the values are more than $600,000 for a male and near $525,000 for a female. Even with these impressive gains, I am well aware -- partly because my students constantly remind me -- that going to college isn’t cheap, and it has become even less so recently. In the last 10 years, average college tuition and fees have almost doubled, compared to a 27 percent hike for all other prices in the economy. Indeed, there is a great debate among academics and others about why college costs have risen so much. Some say the higher costs simply reflect the increased value of a college education in our modern economy, as jobs have shifted away from those requiring brawn-power to those needing more brainpower. Others say college prices have jumped because government, especially the federal government, has expanded financial assistance to students, thereby putting more money into the college system. Regardless of which reason is correct, college students do receive financial help. Most colleges and universities pay for their expenses in three major ways: tuition and fees collected from students, teaching and research grants from outside sources and direct

financing from state governments. The state aid is based on the recognition that having a college-educated workforce is one way of attracting higher-paying jobs. Traditionally, North Carolina has been very financially supportive of public universities. The U.S. Census Bureau shows North Carolina ranks sixth in the country in government financial support per full-time-equivalent student in colleges and universities. Average tuitions for students in four-year public universities in the state are 35 percent under the national average, and they are 50 percent less than the national average for students in two-year public colleges. So the bottom line appears to be that, even in these challenging economic times, there’s a big pay-off to a college education. This is not to say that going to college is for everyone. There are still good jobs to be had in skilled trades and similar vocations. Also, there are many examples of the high school drop-out or graduate who went on to become a millionaire or billionaire! But if you’re one to play the odds, then as long as you have the interest and desire, the surest route to a good financial future is through the halls of a college or university. Fortunately, in North Carolina we do a lot to make that possible. But, in the end, each person will have to decide! Dr. Mike Walden is a William Neal Reynolds Professor and North Carolina Cooperative Extension economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics of N.C. State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. He teaches and writes on personal finance, economic outlook and public policy.

Keep up efforts to reduce tobacco use Thursday marked the 36th Great American Smokeout day in the United States. This annual event encourages smokers to take the first step toward a healthier life without smoking. Approximately half of high school students who smoke daily have tried to quit smoking. Although smoking among adolescents declined substantially over the last four decades, there is concern that reductions have stalled. In 2010, more than one in 10 (11 percent) of high school seniors were regular, daily smokers. Each day, approximately 3,800 U.S. adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 smoke a cigarette for the first time. Each year, 1,000 teens become daily smokers. Substantial racial/ethnic and regional differences in smoking rates exist. Among 10th and 12th graders, white teens are more likely to smoke than are their black or Hispanic peers. Smoking rates are typically higher in rural areas, and the Southern and Midwestern regions of the country.More than six million of today’s adolescents and young adults will eventually die a preventable death from tobacco.7 Long-term declines in smoking rates can be attributed to a number of factors,including increases in adolescents’ disapproval of smoking and the perception of risk that they connect with it, a decline in cigarette advertising reaching youth together with an increase in anti-smoking advertising, and marked price increases for cigarettes. What works to prevent tobacco use among

adolescents? Although great strides have been made in decreasing the youth smoking rate, it is critical that efforts to prevent and reduce teen smoking continue. For every one percentagepoint reduction in the youth smoking rate, it is estimated that 172,000 of today’s high school students will not start smoking and 56,000 will not die a tobacco-related death. The Community Preventive Services Task Force, a group of leading public health experts, offers states and local communities guidance and recommendations on evidence-based approaches that can help protect adolescents from the harmful effects of tobacco. These include: • Reducing the initiation of tobacco use (such as by increasing the price of tobacco products) • Increasing tobacco use cessation for smokers and users of other tobacco products (including mass media campaigns and other interventions) • Restricting minors’ access to tobacco products (through community mobilization and enforcement) • Reducing exposure to second hand smoke. When it comes to preventing teens from smoking, parents can take several steps. First and foremost, parents can choose not to smoke themselves. It is also important for them to speak up before their children begin smoking or if tobacco use of any kind is suspected. Youth who do not use tobacco during or before their teenage years are much more likely to stay smoke-free for the rest of their lives

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Obituaries Glessie Higgins

Chris Canipe and Natalie, Jacqueline and Madeline Wyatt, all of Marion; several nieces and nephews and some very special friends. A memorial service was Sunday in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers Funeral Home with the Revs. Charles Atkins and Bill Mitchell officiating. Burial was in the Morning Star Baptist Church Cemetery.

Glessie Katherine Byrd Higgins, 87, of Coxes Creek, went home to be with the Lord on Monday, November 14, 2011, at Community Memorial Health Center in South Hill, Va. Born June 24, 1924, in the Jacks Creek community, she was the eldest daughter of the late Carl and Dora Crane Byrd and the wife of the late Elbert Higgins, who passed away in 2003. She was also preceded in death by two sisters: Gladys Tipton and Esther Hughes and two brothers: Rothie and Dewey Byrd. Surviving are her three sons: Roger Higgins and wife, Cynthia, of Bracey, Va., Larry Higgins and wife, Carol, of Burnsville; and Michael Higgins of Marion; a brother, Edgar Byrd of Burnsville; four grandchildren: Jannon Coley, Jerome Higgins, Tara Luhrs and Laura Higgins; five great-grandchildren: Aspen Higgins, Nikki Higgins, Mackenzie Coley, Macie Coley and Dakota Luhrs; and several nieces and nephews. Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 19, in the Chapel of Yancey Funeral Service, with the Rev. Dale Laws officiating. Burial will be in the Higgins Family Cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service Homer Laws at the funeral home. Homer Laws, 78, of Byrd Branch passed Memorials may be made to the Hazlewood away Monday, November 14, 2011, at his House Adult Day Health Care Service, 1105 West Danville Street, South Hill, VA home. A native of Yancey County, he was a 23970. son of the late Lester and Ruby Edwards Laws. He was also preceded in death by an infant son, Shawn Patrick Laws. Homer was a member and Deacon of Mine Fork Free Will Baptist Church and a retired bridge carpenter with Lyons Construction Company. Surviving are his wife, Atlas Hensley Laws; two sons: Jerry Glen Laws and wife, Bobbie Jo, and Samuel Jackson Laws and wife, Donna, all of Burnsville; eight grandchildren: Amy Powell and Krista, Sonya, Tonya, Jerrica, Samantha, William and Lilly Laws; four great-grandchildren; Maddison, Bryson and Makenzie Powell and Abbie Wheeler; seven sisters: Kay McMahan of Burnsville, Grace Sturgill of Pigeon Roost, Jane Deyton of Green Mountain, Bonnie McCurry and Lena Robinson of Burnsville, Evelyn Medford of Spruce Pine and Burma Robinson of Newland; four brothers; Mack, Harold and Junior Laws of Green Mountain and Reece Elma Wyatt Laws of Marion. Funeral services was 2 p.m. Thursday Elma Wyatt, 76, of Marion, went home in the Chapel of Holcombe Brothers to be with the Lord Thursday, November Funeral Home, with the Revs. Phillip 10, 2011, at McDowell Hospital. A native of Yancey County, she was Fox, Philip Garland and Derrick Whitson a daughter of the late Hiram and Hattie officiating. Burial will be in the DeytonMcMahan Peek. She was also preceded Laws Cemetery at Bailey Hill. in death by a sister, Edith Hensley, and a Martha ‘Mott’ Travis brother, Herman Peek. Elma worked different jobs throughout Martha “Mott” Hoyle Travis, 52, of her life, retiring from Hook and Anchor Catawba County, formerly of Bakersville, went home to be with her mother and Family Seafood. Surviving are her husband of 61 years, grandmother on Friday, November 11, Howard Wyatt; two daughters: Glenda 2011, at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital. Wyatt and Hilda Boyd and husband, Fred; A native of Mitchell County, she was and a son, Charles Wyatt and wife, Janice, a daughter of Robert Hoyle of Conley all of Marion; a brother, George Peek Ridge and the late Evelyn Willis Hoyle, of San Antonio, Texas; grandchildren who passed away in 2008. She was a 1977 graduate of the last graduating class at

Bowman High School, where she played basketball. Surviving is her father, Robert Hoyle and wife, Vestina, of Conley Ridge; children: Penelope Dawn Hughes of Goldsboro and Robert Matthew Barnes of Durham; grandson, Davidson Riley Hughes; stepmother, Carol Yvonne Hoyle of Goldsboro; three sisters: Mary Elizabeth Putman and husband, Robert, of Conover, Roberta Hoyle of Valdese and Sandy Holland of Newton. Several nieces and nephews also survive. Memorial service was November 15 in the Chapel of Yancey Funeral Services with the Rev. Dean Honeycutt officiating. Private burial was in Lily Branch Church Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to The Brian Center, 218 Laurel Creek Court, Spruce Pine, NC 28777.

Ethel Pittman Ethel Freeman Pitman, 75, of Beaver Creek Road, Spruce Pine, died on Monday, November 14, 2011, at Brian Center Health & Rehab in Spruce Pine. Born on January 26, 1936, in Mitchell County, she was the daughter of the late Lee and Ellen Grindstaff Freeman. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis Pitman, who passed away in 1988; a brother, Leslie Freeman; and a sister, Helen Beam. She was a member of the Beaver Creek Baptist Church. Survivors include her daughter, Dana Silvers and husband, Russell, of Spruce Pine; her sons; Greg Pitman and wife, Cathy, of Spruce Pine; Sid Pitman and wife, Linda, of Spruce Pine; and Eric Pitman and wife, Burita, of North Augusta, Ga. Also surviving is a sister, Jean Buchanan of Spruce Pine; seven grandchildren; six great grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews. The funeral service was Thursday in the Grindstaff Memorial Chapel of Webb Funeral Home with the Rev. Rocky Branch officiating. Interment followed in the Spruce Pine Memorial Cemetery.

Kathryn Burnette

Kathryn Bailey Burnette, born May 30, 1929, died November 14, 2011 after a long illness. She was wife of the late James P. Burnette. Kathryn is survived by her son, James Stephen and wife, Linda Martin Burnette; daughter Cynthia Burnette and husband, J.Philip Hines; three grandsons, Michael Anton and wife, Laura Hart Burnette, Daniel Clinton Burnette, and Dylan Matthew Hines. Kathryn also has several brothers and sisters who reside in North Carolina. Services was Thursday in Little Switzerland. Donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The Yancey County News does not charge to publish obituaries.

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Mountain Heritage celebrates Veteran’s Day

Area veterans joined with students at Mountain Heritage High School last week to celebrate Veteran’s Day. The progtram featured the high school Junior ROTC unit as well as music by the school chorus, which performed the distinctive songs for the military, including “Anchors Aweigh,” “The Marine Hymn,” “The Army Goes Rolling Along,” and “The Air Force Song,” commonly known as “Wild Blue Yonder.” The entire student body attended the ceremony, which included honors for the service flags rendered by members of the JROTC as the military songs were sung.

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UARA Racing

Mercer finishes season in 10th place in series points

After claiming two consecutive track championships at Hickory Motor S p e e d w a y, A n d y Mercer and the Steele Rubber Products Ford team committed to running the entire U A R A - S TA R S schedule in 2011. 16 events later, the driver from Cramerton finished the season tenth in series points with one win and one Sunoco Pole. Mercer said, “ It was a fun season got off to a slow start but built momentum as the season went on. We are looking forward to making a run at the championship next year. Would like to thank everyone with the UARA for putting together a great season for us racers.” “ I t ’s b e e n a successful year, but we certainly were hoping for more this season,” said Mercer late in the year. “We thought we could have challenged for a few more wins, but we had some bad luck earlier in the year. Things really started coming around for us towards the end of the season when we got our new Marlowe

car.” Mercer campaigned a Ford crate motor for the entire UARA schedule this season, including his win at Lonesome Pin e R a c e w a y i n September and his first career Sunoco Pole at Hickory Motor Speedway in June. Mercer was one of three competitors to visit victory lane with the Ford engine program this year. Mercer won the G Force South Shift of the Race award two times, Five Star 1st place one time, Phantom award two times, Circle Wheel

award one time, Tilton award one time, WP Racing Shock award two times, Pro Fabrication award one time and the DJ Safety award one time in his first full season with the UARA. “I think all we’ve done this year to the motor is change the oil and change the valve springs once,” said Mercer. “It’s been next to bulletproof. It’s got solid power and I don’t understand why more people don’t run this motor. If it weren’t for this Ford motor program, there’s no way we could afford to race

as much as we do. It really makes it affordable for the little guy again.” Mercer earned four top-five and seven top-ten finishes this season en route to his top ten points finish. Mercer’s team also utilized the newest bump stop technology from Phantom Race P r o d u cts , a jo in t venture between the Mercers and sponsor Steele Rubber Products. “Steele has been a great sponsor to work with through the years and we just recently started this bump stop program with

them,” said Mercer. “It’s so much more predictable to work with bump stops than coil binding, and it’s a lot easier to do and cheaper, too. We helped them to develop these components and it’s pretty awesome we can go to victory lane on the same parts and pieces anyone else can buy, too.” Mercer and the No. 10 team, with backing from Steele and Phantom, as well as L.P. Gear and Reliable Fire & Safety, will be campaigning in the UARA-STARS again in 2012. Mercer

Racecar Engineering also maintains the No. 48 Ford of Scott Turlington. M e r c e r, a m o n g others, will be flying the flag for the UARA-STARS at the annual Myrtle Beach 400 this coming weekend at Myrtle Beach Speedway in South Carolina. F o r m o r e information the UARA, visit them online at uara-stars. com or call (828) 6923833. Fans can also follow the series on Twitter (@uarastars) or Facebook (United Auto Racing Association)

Shuler and others urge big effort from Super Committee Wi t h j u s t o v e r a week before the Super Committee’s deadline, today U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler, Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD), U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (DVA), and U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), lead a bipartisan call urging the Super Committee to go big. This bicameral e ff o r t r e p r e s e n t s t h e first time House and Senate Democrats and Republicans have come together on a large scale to announce their support for a comprehensive $4 trillion plan to reduce the deficit. House Members recently released a bipartisan letter with 102 signatures calling on the

Super Committee to “go big,” following a similar bipartisan Senate letter signed by 45 Senators. “Over the course of the next week, the 12 members of the Super Committee will have the rare opportunity to come up with the comprehensive, $4 trillion deficit reduction plan our nation needs to achieve long-term fiscal reform and bring stability back to the economy,” said U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-NC). “The time is now for the Super Committee to be brave and go big. We are coming together as Democrats and Republicans from both chambers of Congress and across the political spectrum to let them know we have their backs.” “Now that the deficit

crisis is looming before us, there’s no more time for partisan finger pointing – and frankly, the American people no longer have the stomach for it,” said U.S. Representative Mike Simpson (R-ID). “No political party has a monopoly on failed policies. What Americans really want is for Republicans and Democrats to set aside their party labels and focus on what is best for the country.” “Every independent and bipartisan analysis has concluded it will require about $4 trillion in debt reduction over ten years to responsibly address our fiscal challenge,” said Sen. Mark Warner. “Every analysis also concludes that you can’t get there

without a rational, balanced approach that puts everything on the table. As we’ve seen from the fiscal upheaval across Europe, you cannot fool the financial markets with smoke screens or halfmeasures. That’s why we must aim higher and ‘go bigger.’” “I urge our colleagues on the super committee to take note of the momentum today among senators and House members, Republicans and Democrats, elected officials and the American people,” said Senator Saxby Chambliss (RGA). “To see the cost of doing nothing – or of pushing off action – to address America’s fiscal challenges, look no further than the crisis in

Europe. World markets are looking to America to show leadership. Our failure to act in a major way means losing our role as the international leader on financial matters.” “We have come together to support the Joint Committee in its effort to reduce the deficit,” said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad (D-ND). “We want the panel to succeed. We urge the committee to be bold, be brave, and to ‘go big.’” “We understand the pressures facing members of the Committee, and we want them to see that widespread and bipartisan support exists for larger deficit reductions,” said Senator Mike Crapo (RID).

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Descriptive words promote spatial skills From the National Science Foundation Preschool children who hear parents use words describing the size and shape of objects and who then use those words in their day to day interactions do much better on tests of their spatial skills, a University of Chicago study shows. The study is the first to demonstrate that learning to use a wide range of words related to shape and size may improve children’s later spatial skills, which are important in mathematics, science and technology. These are skills that physicists and engineers rely on to take an abstract idea, conceptualize it and turn it into a real-world process, action or device, for example. Researchers found that 1- to 4-year-olds who heard and then spoke 45 additional spatial words that described sizes and shapes saw, on average, a 23 percent increase in their scores on a non-verbal assessment of spatial thinking. “Our results suggest that children’s talk about space early in development is a significant predictor of their later spatial thinking,” said University of Chicago psychologist Susan Levine, an author of a paper published on the research in the current issue of Developmental Science. Shannon Pruden of Florida International University and Janellen Huttenlocher, also of University of Chicago, coauthored the paper with her. A video interview with Levine about this research can be found on the University of Chicago website. “In view of findings that show spatial thinking is an important predictor of STEM achievement and careers, it is important to explore the kinds of early inputs that are related to the development of thinking in this domain,” Levine and colleagues write in the article, “Children’s Spatial Thinking: Does Talk about the Spatial World Matter?” STEM--Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics--education is seen as vitally important for the next generation of science and technology innovators in the 21st century. Here is a list of UNC Asheville events November 23 - December 4. Some events may be listed under more than one category. ART/CRAFT December 2-3 – Annual Holiday Art and Ceramic Sale – Sale of works by UNC Asheville students to benefit the students and UNC Asheville’s Art program. 4-7 p.m. Friday, Dec 2, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3. Free and open to the public. S. Tucker Cooke Gallery in UNC Asheville’s Owen Hall. Info:art.unca.edu or 828/2516559. LECTURES/WORKSHOPS November 28 – Humanities Lecture – “Second Temple Judaism and Early Christianity,” Merritt Moseley, professor of Literature, 11:25 a.m., UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. Free and open to the public. Info: humanities.unca.edu or 828/2516808. November 28 – Humanities Lecture – “Be Baroque!” John McClain,

In fact, a 2007 report issued by the National Science Board argues that to succeed in a new information-based and highly technological society, all students need to develop their capabilities in STEM to levels much beyond what was considered acceptable in the past, and enhancing spatial thinking is an important component of achieving this goal. “This study is important because it will help parents and caregivers to better recognize and to seek opportunities that enhance children’s spatial learning,” said Soo-Siang Lim, director for the Science of Learning Centers Program at the National Science Foundation, which partially funded the study. “Study results could also help spatial learning play a more purposeful role in children’s learning trajectories.” For the study, the research team videotaped children between ages 14 and 46 months and their primary caregivers, who were mainly the children’s mothers. Researchers videotaped the caregivers as they interacted with their children in 90 minute sessions at four-month intervals. Caregivers and children were asked to engage in their normal, everyday activities. The study group included 52 children and 52 parents from an economically and ethnically diverse set of homes in the Chicago area. The researchers recorded words that were related to spatial concepts used by both children and their parents. They noted the use of names for two and three dimensional objects, such as circle or triangle. They also noted words that described size, such as tall and wide and words descriptive of spatial features such as bent, edge and corner. The researchers found a great variation in the number of spatial words used by parents. On average parents used 167 words related to spatial concepts, but the range was very wide with parents using from 5 to 525 spatial words. Among children, there was a similar variability, with children producing an average of 74 spatial related words and using a range

lecturer in Humanities, 11:25 a.m., UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Info: humanities.unca.edu or 828/251-6808. De c e m b e r 2 – Hu m a n i t i e s Lecture – “The Modern World and Music” Melodie Galloway, assistant professor of Music, 11:25 a.m., UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium. Free and open to the public. Info: humanities.unca.edu or 828/251-6808. December 2 – Humanities Lecture – “Global Challenges and Future Prospects” William Spellman, professor of History and executive director of COPLAC, 11:25 a.m., UNC Asheville’s Humanities Lecture Hall. Free and open to the public. Info: humanities.unca.edu or 828/251-6808. MUSIC December 4 – Holiday Concert – Holiday music performed by UNC Asheville’s Percussion Ensemble and Wind Ensemble, with preshow performance by the Brass Quintet. 4 p.m., UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky Auditorium, $5 at the

of 4 to 191 words during the study period-composed of nine, 90 minute visits. The children who used more spatial terms were more likely to have caregivers who used those terms more often. Moreover, when the children were four and a half years old, the team tested them for their spatial skills, to see if they could mentally rotate objects, copy block designs or match analogous spatial relations. The researchers found that the children who were exposed to more spatial terms as part of their everyday activities and learned to produce these words themselves did much better on spatial tests than children who did not hear and produce as many of these terms. Importantly, this was true even controlling for children’s overall productive vocabulary. The impact was biggest for two of the tasks - the spatial analogies task and the mental rotation task. On the spatial analogy task, children, ages four and a half, were shown an array of four pictures and asked to select which picture “goes best” with a target picture--the one that depicted the same spatial relation. On this nonverbal spatial analogies matching test, for every 45 additional spatial words children produced during their spontaneous talk with their parents, researchers saw a 23 percent increase in scores. Children who produced 45 more spatial words saw a 15 percent increase on a separate test assessing their ability to mentally rotate shapes. The increased use of spatial language may have prompted the children’s attention to the depicted spatial relations and improved their ability to solve spatial problems, the researchers said. The language knowledge may also have reduced the mental load involved in transforming shapes on the mental rotation task, they added. In addition to NSF’s Science of Learning Centers Program award to the Spatial Intelligence and Learning Center, the research was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

door, students and children free. Info: 828/251-6432 or http:// SPOKEN/WRITTEN WORD music.unca.edu/calendar-events. Registration now open – Great Smokies Writing Program Spring CENTER FOR CREATIVE 2012 courses – Workshops in poetry RETIREMENT and prose for writers of all levels of experience with some of the region’s December 3 – Workshop: Writing finest writers and instructors. from the Body – Experience how Courses carry academic credit poetry and prose can be rooted awarded through UNC Asheville. in the body and senses through Registration and tuition info: yoga and meditative movement. 828/250-2353 or agc.unca.edu/ Instructor: Fran Ross, writer and great-smokies-writing-program. certified yoga instructor. 10 a.m.4 p.m., at the N.C. Center for THEATER Creative Retirement in UNC December 2-5 – Perspectives: Asheville’s Reuter Center. Cost is Festival of Short Plays with Student $50 with advance registration. Info: Directors at UNC Asheville – “The unca.edu.ncccr or 828/251-6140. Maids,” “No Exit,” and “Almost Maine,” 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 PHOTOGRAPHY and 8 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3, Carol Belk Theatre. “Let Me Hear Through November 30 – Study You Whisper,” 7 p.m. Saturday, Abroad Photo Exhibit – Exhibition Dec. 3 and 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. of photos depicting life abroad, 5, Rhoades Hall, room 132. including winners of the annual “Something Unspoken” and “Lie UNC Asheville Study Abroad to Me,” 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 3 and photo contest. Free and open to 7 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 4, Highsmith the public daily with some evening University Union Grotto. “Lie to viewing hours at UNC Asheville’s Me” will also be performed at 9 Blowers Gallery in Ramsey Library. p.m. Friday, Dec. 2 in Highsmith Info: 828/251-6436. University Union Grotto.

Nov. 17, 2011

â&#x20AC;˘ yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS

Winter is coming, and so is basketball!

Photos By Brett Hopson

Nov. 17, 2011

• yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS 9

Natalie Elizabeth Black SAVE $100’s in Prescription Costs By Comparing Your Medicare Health Fred Shrader to wed Harold and Gwen Black of Burnsville are proud to announce the engagement and forthcoming marriage of their daughter Natalie Elizabeth Black to Fred “Freddie” Joseph Shrader IV, the son of Fred Shrader III of Banner Elk and Bobbie Myers of Elizabethton, Tenn. Natalie is the granddaughter of J.B. Fender and the late Ann Fender as well as the late John and Evalean Black, all of Burnsville. Freddie is the grandson of the late Fred Shrader Jr. and Ethel Martin as well as the late James Howard and Rosalie Huefle. The bride-elect is a 2009 graduate of Mountain Heritage High School. She is a kennel-technician at Yancey County Humane Society and a bookkeeper at Sav-Mor. The groom-elect is a 2008 graduate of Avery County High School. He currently works at Altec Industries. The wedding will be held on May 12, 2012, at High Pastures. All relatives and friends are invited to attend.

Plan Benefits Each Year.

We’ll Compare For You !!! Just Ask Your Pharmacist or Jerry Scarborough, sales agent. There is no charge for this service. You must make your changes by December 7 to be effective for 2012. Don’t put it off and possibly lose money...

ONLY 35 WEEKS LEFT IN THE ANNUAL ENROLLMENT PERIOD! Jerry Scarborough, sales agent (828) 208-2562

730 East Main Street Burnsville, NC 28714 (828) 678-3914

REDUCED - 1.5 Story - 3 or 4 bedrooms/bonus room, 2.5 baths. Living w/fireplace/gas log insert, recessed lighting, beautiful kitchen, dining w/patio doors onto deck for cook-outs. Everything you need is on the main level - put guests and family upstairs. Easily converted for handicap ramp. Garage. Paved drive/ parking. 1.27 ACRES - minutes from town, yet country private! Home is IMMACULATE! Rocking chair front porch, decks, grounds landscaped tastefully. $225,000!

LUNSFORD REALTY 678-3400

Nov. 17, 2011

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Scarborough finds ways to help seniors on Medicare When Betty Black was at the Prescription Pad pharmacy earlier this week, a pharmacist employee suggested she stop and speak with Jerry Scarborough in the back lobby. What could Scarborough do for her? He could cut her medical expenses and offer a program with prescription benefits. “You only have three weeks left to enroll for 2012,” if you are on Medicare, Scarborough said. “Enrollment ends December 7.” That’s important for Black, who got a supplement plan at no cost from Scarborough through United Healthcare. How can it cost nothing? “ The federal government pays United Healthcare a set amount of money to provide your benefits,” Scarborough said. “As one of the largest providers of medicare coverage, they have the plans, provider partnerships, and wellness programs in place to keep costs lower. Therefore, they can offer more benefits than original Medicare for a $0.00 monthly premium beyond what you pay for Part B. Scarborough will be available to answer your questions and enroll you at the Prescription Pad Pharmacy, Monday through Friday 9-1 or by appointment at other times.

BOER approves prior assessment for Mountain Air properties

Though they voiced sympathy, the county Board of Equalization and Review ignored pleas from Mountain Air developer Randy Banks Wednesday and voted 3-2 to approve the 2011 appraisal for some lands at Mountain Air Country Club and the Settlers Edge property. The move led to BOER member Dale England to resign, though that

doesn’t impact his membership on the county commission. England and Board Member Jill Austin voted to accept a reduced tax bill after Banks presented evidence that he said showed that the country club property - which includes a golf course, tennis court, restaurant and other amenities, shouldn’t be taxed at all, but that the Board of Mountain

Air would accept a value of $6 million. He also argued that land for Settlers Edge was wrongly appraised at single lots even though the bank that financed the project has been closed by the government and the development plans shelved. He provided board members with evidence of other

developments in the county that he said were taxed at a much lesser rate despite the fact that some parcels had been sold at much higher lot prices. He felt Mountain Air and Settlers Edge was being singled out with “outrageous” taxes while other developments were allowed to pay less.

Do you have great photographs of your memorable

family events? An anniversary, birth, graduation or other special moment?

Share them with us and we’ll show the world . And if you just have a great photograph, share that as well to let everyone see your photographic skills! Email them to Jonathan@yanceycounty news.com Old Time Timber, Inc.

Grading contractor • Large or Small Jobs • Septic • Chipping • Equipped for Most Any Work • Excavating • Tree Removal • Retaining Wall • Custom Sawmilling

Sammy_Riddle64@yahoo.com

828-284-1164

CHRISTMAS SINGING SET

The Christmas Story in Songs and Scriptures will be presented by choirs of the community at Micaville Presbyterian Church on Dec. 11 at 5 p.m. The public is invited to attend, and refreshments will be served following the cantata.

Nov. 17, 2011

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Outdoors

Deer, waterfowl and bear, oh my!

LANDoWNER PERMISSIoN FoRM This certifies that (and

This certi

(full name)

guests) is/are authorized to enter upon the property of

(and

(landowner/lessee)

for the purpose of

for the pu

Permission is valid for the dates Date

Signature of landowner/lessee

Permissio

Telephone number

Revised 7/11

Yes, the rut is on. The championship caliber deer are showing themselves. While I am usually happy to take a doe early in the season, I have to hold back the temptation at this point, just to see if one of those big bruisers with his crown of brown is on the same course. Then you have basketball and waterfowl. Coming in to the weekend, I had to constantly battle my inner voices to decide; bucks or ducks? I have waited all year for duck season to come around once again, yet it is like

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission provides this form as a public service for landowner/lessee and sportsmen use. Landowners/lessees are not required to use this form, but are encouraged to provide at least the information above when granting written permission.

Date

The N.C. Wild landowner/less but are encoura

LANDoWNER PERMISSIoN FoRM This certifies that (and

This certi

(full name)

guests) is/are authorized to enter upon the property of

(and

(landowner/lessee)

for the purpose of

for the pu

Permission is valid for the dates Date

Signature of landowner/lessee

Permissio

Telephone number

Revised 7/11

Outdoors

Date

The N.C. Wild landowner/less but are encoura

LANDoWNER PERMISSIoN FoRM This certifies that (and

This certi

(full name)

guests) is/are authorized to enter upon the property of

(and

(landowner/lessee)

for the purpose of

for the pu

Permission is valid for the dates Date

Signature of landowner/lessee

Permissio

Telephone number

Revised 7/11

Bill Howard’s

trying to decide whether to watch LSU and Alabama in football or UNC and Michigan State in basketball. You know both are going to entertain you. Yes, you could ‘flip back and forth between the channels’. But if you are like me, I just do not want to miss that score! Then you have squirrels, raccoons, and opossums, oh my! It compares to hockey in my book. They are there, and if you get a chance you will go take it, but it is not the top choice, or even second for that matter. It does not mean you will not make a mental note to come back later though. So where does the bear fit in? Pretty much any where it wants to! Have you ever told a bear that it is just not welcome? Bears make themselves welcome even if I cannot come up with a good sports tie in. So Mr. Black Bear, you are in a class all your own! Now when you get done browsing through my backpack for honey and peanut butter, would you mind passing the chips? We have some game to hunt. Bill Howard is a Hunter Education and a Bowhunter Education Instructor, a wildlife representative and the BCRS program chairman for the North Carolina Bowhunters Association, and an avid outdoorsman. He can be reached at billhoward outdoors@gmail. com.

Date

The N.C. Wild landowner/less but are encoura

LANDoWNER PERMISSIoN FoRM This certifies that (and

This certi

(full name)

guests) is/are authorized to enter upon the property of

(and

(landowner/lessee)

for the purpose of

for the pu

Permission is valid for the dates Date

Signature of landowner/lessee

Telephone number

Permissio Revised 7/11

I listened to the radio intently last Friday evening on the drive home from work. My university of choice was partaking in their first official basketball game of the season under a new leader. It was an exciting time. Here this team was, playing much more like a team than they have in some time, with a brand new coach that seems to have changed the mentality overnight. And this was coming off a not-so-exciting victory in football over the arch rivals the previous weekend! (Before I get hate mail from this, I was a UNC fan prior to college, and even applied for journalism at Carolina. However, NC State took me first, and I quickly converted over to the red and white.) As the saying goes, this is one of the best times of year for sports. Football is nearing its championships and basketball is just beginning. Well, this is an outdoors column, and other than football being played outdoors (and basketball outdoors when played on an aircraft carrier), there is not much in common between the outdoors life and the sports life. However, the fall does bring an excitement to the outdoors just as it does to sports. Based on the sports and outdoors analogy, I would have to compare football season and deer season together. Deer season is in the final run. This is when the big boys step up.

Date

The N.C. Wild landowner/less but are encoura

LANDoWNER PERMISSIoN FoRM This certifies that (and

(full name)

guests) is/are authorized to enter upon the property of

This certi (and

Nov. 17, 2011

• yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS

CLASSIFIEDS AUTO SERVICE 80 South. Call to schedule pick-up, 828-675-4510

WORDS! Call Susan to place your ad today! 6783900. Shepard’s Way Thrift Store now has Christmas Take care of your car and it will take care of you! Allen Decorations for Sale! Stop by and browse our Teague’s Auto Repair & Radiator Service. Radiators, clothing racks for Coats, adults and kids clothing, Brakes, Transmission flush. Complete automotive Move In Special $50.00 Off .Available November health and beauty items, Gift baskets, magazines, maintenance and repair. “Service is our Business.” 5865 15, South Toe Area. 2 Bdrm, 1 Bath House, 2 Bdrm, DVD’s, and much much more! Santa will also be Hwy. 80 S – just past South Toe VFD. 675-0876 – 32 1 Bath Mobile, Stove, Ref, Washer-Dryer. Nice Yard. stopping by soon! Good Parking. References and Deposit Required. Give the gift of reading! Subscribing to Yancey years experience. Reliable & Trustworthy. Call 675-5191 or Leave Message. County’s ONLY LOCALLY OWNED Newspaper can provide a year’s worth of great information! Only $25 will get your home delivery started TODAY! Crafters wanted for new upscale gift shop in Call 678-3900 to sign up NOW! Burnsville. Rent your own booth!! $15 per linear foot per month. Depth of Booth varies. We sell Junk vehicles; any age or condition. No title needed. your products – 100% profit of your crafts goes Will pick up. 828-284-7522 or 828-284-7537 back to you. Call immediately for your application! 828-678-0059. Looking for some EXTRA Christmas MONEY?? Advertise your items FOR SALE in the Yancey County News! Only FIVE Dollars for FIFTY FREE MANURE will load. Clear Creek Ranch, Hwy.

FOR RENT

WANTED TO BUY FARM

SERVICES

The Yancey County News will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24-25. DEADLINES for advertising in the Thanksgiving week edition are TUESDAY at NOON!

YHS Pet Press Wildflower is a strikingly beautiful adult spayed female cat. She is a good mouser and loves people!

Lucky is an adult neutered male Walker Hound is active and fun. He loves being in the house and jogs in the park. A fenced yard would be best. Barney is a large adult neutered male cat. He is a beautiful black tabby on white. He loves to cuddle and he is really sweet.

Freckles is 9-10 month old neutered male Australian Shepherd mix. He is somewhat shy at first, so he needs patience and love.

Call the shelter at 682-9510 for more information on these or other pets, or plan to visit us at 962 Cane River School Road.

Nov. 17, 2011

LEGAL NOTICE

Family

Adults should not make idols of children By John Rosemond

A young mother who identified herself as a practitioner of “attachment parenting” recently told me that “ c h i l d r e n s h o u l d be approached with reverence.” If the rest of my conversation with her was indication, I don’t think she used those words loosely. Full disclosure: I do not believe any human being of any age, no matter his or her station in life, is worthy of being approached with reverence. Respect, yes. Admiration, yes. Reverence, no. I told her I disagreed. Adults should not make idols of children, I said. That helps no one, especially the children in question. I proposed instead that adults should approach children with compassion, love, and respect. She didn’t think there was a difference, but the difference is night and day. Children need compassion for the fact that they are inclined, by nature, to choose anti-social behavior over pro-social behavior. That is why they need corrective discipline from compassionate, loving, respectful adults. Until such discipline is delivered and begins to “stick,” it can accurately be said that children truly “can’t help it” when they misbehave they were “born that way.” Children require genuine, affirming love because they are incapable of putting themselves in proper perspective; therefore, they are incapable of “loving” themselves in a healthy fashion. A child’s self-love is very likely to fuel tyranny. Only compassionate, loving adults are capable of responding properly to this inclination, which defines the socalled “terrible twos.” Children need adults in their lives who have tremendous respect for their needs and equal amounts of compassion for the fact that they don’t know what their needs are. Furthermore, children rarely want what they truly need. It is the responsibility of adults who respect a child’s potential for creative adulthood to give children all of what they need and little of what they simply want. What are their needs then? Here’s a short, but far from comprehensive, list: Children need to be contributing members of their families. Therefore, they need to be assigned daily household chores for which they are not paid. Why not paid? After all, adults get paid for working! Yes, but we do not get paid for cooking

• yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS 13

Living with children meals, cleaning bathrooms, and vacuuming floors, and neither should children. This is the stuff of membership in a family. In addition, chores help instill a service ethic, without which democracy cannot survive. Have you ever stopped to consider why charities do not thrive in socialist countries? Children need adults who allow their brains to grow and develop naturally without much interference from television and other forms of electronic media. Children need to be told to eat what is on their plates not because it is good for them (although it may be) but because it is rude to refuse to eat something someone, even one of your parents, has spent time and energy preparing for you. This very civilized lesson begins at home, at the family table. Children need adults in their lives who value and promote proper character traits over academic and athletic skills. One of the most important of all character traits is “do your best at all time.” It does not matter if you are not as good as someone else in some area. What’s important is that you do what you are capable of doing, and no less. In other words, if proper character is the priority, everything else will fall into its proper place. Children need adults who confront them when they misbehave - adults who calmly communicate that they will not tolerate anti-social behavior, even from a 2-year-old. As your greatgrandmother no doubt advised, it is to the advantage of all concerned that misbehavior be “nipped in the bud.” A person who approaches a child with reverence is giving the child an excellent reason to want to remain a child. Family psychologist John Rosemond answers’ questions at www.rosemond.com.

GLEN RAVEN, INC. 73 EAST US 19E BURNSVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA 28714 Plans to expand its slashing process at the plant located at 73 East US Highway 19 in Burnsville (Glen Raven, Inc. Burnsville Facility). Expansion will result in addition of a new slasher dryer.

The NC DAQ will consider all comments received regarding the proposed construction. The Glen Raven, Inc. facility is located at the following address:

NOTICE OF CONSTRUCTION PRIOR TO RECEIPT OF AIR PERMIT Notice is hereby given that Glen Raven, Inc. is proposing to begin construction pursuant to North Carolina General Statute 143215.108. Construction will begin prior to the receipt of an operating air permit from the North Carolina Division of Air Quality (NCDAQ), for an expansion of the existing synthetic fabric facility located in Burnsville, North Carolina. The proposed expansion involves the addition of a slasher dryer. Written comments regarding the proposed expansion may be submitted to the NCDAQ at the following address: Attention: Mr. Paul Muller, P.E. NCDENR Division of Air Quality Asheville Regional Office 2090 U.S. Highway 70 Swannanoa, NC 28778

Mr. Wendell Wilson Plant Manager Glen Raven, Inc. 73 East US Highway 19E Burnsville, Yancey County North Carolina 28714

Glen Raven, Inc. 73 East US Highway 19E Burnsville, Yancey County North Carolina 28714

The current air permit for this facility is Air Permit No. 04104R09, issued to Glen Raven, Inc., Burnsville, North Carolina, in 2008. The expansion involves the addition of a slasher dryer to their current slashing process. The dryer will be venting to a vertical stack. The slasher could emit up to 2.39 pounds of acrylic acid and 0.07 tons of volatile organic compounds per year. The proposed construction for expansion is scheduled to begin starting December 27, 2011 and is to be completed by January 10, 2012.

Chamber Notes

Saturday, Dec. 3 at 3 p.m. is the time and date for this year’s Christmas Parade. This year’s theme is MOUNTAIN MEMORIES. Entry applications and Grand Marshal nomination forms are available at the Chamber of Commerce office or online at www.yanceychamber. com. The deadline for entries and nominations is Nov. 18. For more information, call the Chamber office at 6827413. This year’s parade will be followed by an afternoon of caroling and Christmas events on the Town Square. Make your plans to join us for a wonderful afternoon of Christmas fun and make your own Mountain Memories. •The Annual “Santa Comes to Town” children’s free event, open to children of all ages, will be held on Saturday, December 3rd at 6:00 pm at the Town Center. Bring all the kids to meet Santa to make sure those Christmas wishes are relayed to the Big Elf directly. • We encourage all area Churches, Choirs, Organizations, etc. to participate in the Caroling on the Square to take place after the Christmas Parade this year. This will be an A cappella event so don’t worry about instruments or soundtracks. Call the Chamber Office to register your group or choir as soon as possible. • The Mountain Heritage FFA Chapter students are collecting new or used reading glasses for the senior citizens in the country of Ukraine, because reading glasses are nearly impossible to come by in that country. There are multiple donation boxes set

up around the school for these glasses. They plan to send the glasses that are collected to Ukraine when two FFA officers, Kaitie Bigelow and Ashley Hill, go there on a mission trip December 28. If you wish to donate, the glasses can be dropped off at the high school. Last Call for the New Photographic History of Yancey County known as Images of Yancey Volume 2. Our deadline for pre-published orders and for submitting photographs has been extended to Monday, December 5th. The cost of the book with tax is $53.50 and shipping will add an extra $6 if indicated. For more information contact the Yancey History Association at 678-9587. • Walk off that Turkey Feast on November 27th with the High Peaks Trail Association on a leisurely Family Sunday Stroll. The Lower River Loop Trail at Black Mountain Campground is an easy, 2.4 mile stroll along both banks of the South Toe that includes not one, but two pedestrian bridges over the river. This is a great hike for the family (not suitable for strollers) and those looking just to get out and enjoy the fresh air, wonderful views, and the soothing sounds of nature. The group will meet on the Burnsville Town Square at 1:00 pm and carpool to the Black Mountain Campground Trailhead Parking Lot. Rain or snow will cancel. Call hike leader Carolyn Raichle (6789900) if you have questions. Visit www.highpeaks.org for more information.

Nov. 17, 2011

• yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS

You’ve been paying too much for too long! If you are tasked with the job of being the executor for the estate of a loved one, please realize that the legally required notice that must run in the newspaper can be run in the

Yancey County News For MUCH LESS money! Save the money, and support the only locally owned newspaper in Yancey County! We are not owned by an out-of-state businessman. We are locally owned, and we are TOTALLY qualified to run your Creditor’s Notices. Just remember to ask the clerk of court for details on how to spend less money in your time of sorrow.

Have you lost a loved one to cancer? Have you survived cancer yourself? Or are you simply hoping to help people get healthy? Join us in the fight against cancer by becoming a Community Health Adviser (CHA) Volunteer! CHA Volunteers will positively impact breast, cervical and colon cancer awareness and access to screenings in order to reduce the number of breast, cervical and colon cancer incidences in Yancey County women that are at great risk for the disease. If you have a passion for helping others we will train you to be a CHA Volunteer. You will learn the basics about cancer and health disparities. You will discover community resources to help women get screened for cancer. We will give you the tools to help saves lives in your community. For more information about becoming a CHA Volunteer or about the CHA program, please contact: Kathlene.Stith@cancer.org or by calling 828-675-0305

Nov. 17, 2011

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What’stoeatattheelementaryschools? Friday, Nov 18

Monday, Nov 21

Tues Nov 22

Wed Nov 23

Breakfast Scrambled Eggs/ Toast Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Pancakes Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Sausage Biscuit Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Lunch Hamburger/ Cheeseburger/Pizza Stix w/marinara/ Sunbut’R w/jelly San’wich/Corn/ Carrot Stix/Peaches/ Blueberries Milk

Lunch Hot Dog/Baked Ham/Mac&Cheese/ Cornbread/Sunbut’R w/jelly San’wich/B. Beans/Slaw/Pears/ Blueberry Apple Crisp Milk

Breakfast Breakfast Pizza Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk Half School Day Lunch BBQ Rib San’wich/ Fish Nuggets/ Cornbread/Sunbut’r w/Jelly San’wich/ Salad/Pinto Beans/ Pineapple Bits/ Mandarin Oranges/ Milk

Lunch Toasted Cheese San’wich/Sunbutter san’wich/Sunbut’R w/jelly San’wich/ Veggie Beef Soup/ Broccoli/Fruit/

Thurs Nov 24

Friday, Nov 25

Happy Thanksgiving from the Yancey County News!!

Food for thought for middle school Friday, Nov 18

Monday, Nov 21

Tuesday, Nov 22

Wed., Nov 23

Breakfast Pancake&Sausage Stick/Breakfast Pizza Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Breakfast Pizza/ Pancakes Chix Biscuit Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Sausage Biscuit Pancakes Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Breakfast Pizza/ Sausage Biscuit Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk Half School Day Lunch BBQ Rib San’wich/ Fish Nuggets/ Cornbread/Chix Quesadilla/Salad/ Pinto Beans/ Pineapple Bits/ Mandarin Oranges/ Milk

Lunch Toasted Cheese San’wich/Sunbutter San’wich/Stuffed Crust Pizza/Veggie Beef Soup/Broccoli/ Fruit/Applesauce Milk

Lunch Hamburger/ Cheeseburger/Pizza Stix w/marinara/ Corn/Carrot Stix/ Peaches/Blueberries Milk

Lunch Hot Dog/Baked Ham/Mac&Cheese/ Cornbread/Stuffed Crust Pizza/B.Beans/ Slaw/Pears/Blueberry Apple Crisp Milk

Thurs., Nov 24

Friday, Nov 25

Happy Thanksgiving from the Yancey County News!!

Chowing down at Mountain Heritage Friday, Nov 18

Monday, Nov 21

Tuesday, Nov 22

Wed., Nov 23

Breakfast Pancake&Sausage Stick/Breakfast Pizza Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Breakfast Pizza/ Pancakes Chix Biscuit Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Breakfast Sausage Biscuit Pancakes Cereal Animal Crackers Juice/Fruit/Milk

Lunch Toasted Cheese San’wich/Sunbutter San’wich/Stuffed Crust Pizza/Veggie Beef Soup/Broccoli/ Fruit/Applesauce Milk

Lunch Hamburger/ Cheeseburger/Pizza Stix w/marinara/ Corn/Carrot Stix/ Peaches/Blueberries Milk

Lunch Hot Dog/Baked Ham/Mac&Cheese/ Cornbread/Stuffed Crust Pizza/B.Beans/ Slaw/Pears/Blueberry Apple Crisp Milk

Thurs., Nov 24

Friday, Nov 25

Happy Thanksgiving from the Yancey County News!!

Teachers and principals! Share your good news here, for all to see! Email school news to Jonathan@yanceycountynews.com $ Wanted to Buy $ JUNK VEHICLES Pay Fair Price Will Pick Up Vehicle

828-284-7522

Massage & Bodyworks LENA RACHEL WEISMAN Personal Massage Therapist ncmbt #7742

Muscle Release - Stretching Deep Tissue - Massage Cupping 828-284-7537

828-284-6149

Reading the newspaper helps develop good language skills!

Nov. 17, 2011

• yANCEY cOUNTY nEWS

An update

from your very own new and locally owned pharmacy ...

We want to say thank you to the community

for all of the support you have given us during our first five months of operation. We continue to welcome new customers and to serve our existing customers with great care. We appreciate our corporate neighbor recognizing The Prescription Pad for making a difference in our community through lower drug prices. Give us a chance to earn your business and we will do everything in our power to make sure your experience is different than what you’ve become accustomed to. Customer service is paramount at The Prescription Pad of Burnsville. We’re committed to making a difference in our community and are looking forward to being able to announce some exciting new programs we have planned for the near future. We will have additional giveaways during the upcoming holiday season. Please stop by to see what we’re giving away and register to win. They will make great Christmas gifts.

The Prescription Pad of Burnsville

Open 8-8 weekdays, 8-5 Saturday, 10-3 Sunday

730 E. Main St, Burnsville •678-3914 •fax 678-3945

The Yancey County News will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 24-25. DEADLINES for advertising in the Thanksgiving week edition are TUESDAY at NOON!

Lizzie (Mary Elise Jones) is troubled by remarks made by Starbuck (Joshua Miller) in the Mars Hill Theater Arts production of ‘The Rainmaker.’

Mars Hill College theater presents ‘The Rainmaker’ Mars Hill College Theater Arts will present The Rainmaker by Richard Nash, on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1-4. The Rainmaker is a wonderfully funny and touching romantic comedy about a Texas family suffering through family problems and a horrible drought. An eccentric rainmaker appears who claims he can make it rain in 24 hours for $100 in advance. And that’s when the fun begins! The play is being directed

by Theatre Arts Professor Neil St. Clair. Performances are in Owen Theatre on the Mars Hill College campus, at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 30, Thursday, December 1 and Saturday, December 3; and at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, December 4. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for students. The box office will open on Thursday, Nov.17, and you may make reservations by calling 689-1239.

MCC presents ‘The Dining Room’ Dec. 1-2 at Sam Center Auditorium Mayland Community College Students will present two performances of The Dining Room, an award-winning and often produced play by A.R. Gurney. The students are enrolled in Mayland’s Fall Semester Acting Class and are under the instruction of Mayland Instructor and Parkway Playhouse Artistic Director Andrew Gall. Performances will be on December 1 and 2 at 4 p.m. in the Sam Center Auditorium. Admission is free, but donations to the Mayland Foundation will be accepted. The Dining Room lets you eavesdrop on the comings and goings in one room over the span of fifty years. The dining room where birthday parties, celebrations, dinners and holidays occur is the perfect setting for such discovery. Come watch 10 actors play 50 roles in 18 scenes – whew! This Pulitzer Prize nominee is a whirlwind of a play and at times is humorous, meaningful, witty, touching and is always an engaging story of the American family.

The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household and consists of a mosaic of interrelated scenes some funny, some touching, some rueful - that, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the middle-class. The actors change roles, personalities and ages as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids. Dovetailing swiftly and smoothly, the varied scenes coalesce, ultimately, into a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant humanity. The production contains some mild adult language and themes. The cast includes Mayland students Olivia Abrams, Amanda Cantrell, Aaron Cox, Tyler Eller, Sarah Jane Hall, Caleb Hutcheson, Donnie Miller, Casey Peterson, and Shelby Wilkinson. For more information please contact Andrew Gall at 828765-7351x270 or email agall@ mayland.edu.