Smoky Mountain News | February 28, 2024 by Smoky Mountain News

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Feb. 28-March 5, 2024 Vol. 25 Iss. 40

Franklin football brings back familiar face Page 5 No criminal charges in police shooting case Page 12

CONTENTS

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On the Cover: Kids at North Canton Elementary School will now have a new opportunity to enjoy nature right in their own backyard thanks to the Carolina Mountain Club’s recent project, which created a 0.27-mile trail that will be open to students during school hours, as well as community members after-hours. (Page 24) Holly Kays photo

News Wildlife Commission approves hunting expansion and season shift....................4 Brooks returns to Franklin football ..................................................................................5 Considerable apprehension haunts Haywood jail expansion project ................6 Housing needs dire and growing in Jackson ..............................................................7 Complaint alleges Edwards abused free postage rules ..........................................8 Mill Street revitalization plan moves forward..............................................................10 District court judge one step closer to moving up to superior court ................11 Officers in Kloepfer shooting won’t face charges....................................................12 Haywood educator is state’s Beginning Teacher of the Year ..............................14 Community briefs ..............................................................................................................15

Wastewater monitoring offers reliable health data ..................................................16

‘An Appalachian Evening’ celebrates 25 years ........................................................18 Bhutan arts, crafts exhibit comes to Franklin ............................................................22

Outdoors Sign up for food from the farm ......................................................................................26 Camping fee increase proposed for Parkway ..........................................................27 February 28-March 5, 2024

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written by Ingles Dietitian Leah h McGrath Question: I really like having jam with my toast or bisc cuit in h sugar sugar. the morning but many of them seem to have so much Is there any way I can cut down on the sugar and still enjoy having it with breakfast? Answer: Often fruit jams may have have higher amounts nts of sugar/sweeteners than you want, so here are a few w suggestions: • look for fruit spreads that have less or no added sugar gar (often they are sweetened with fruit juice concentrate so added ded sugar will still be listed on the label)

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• look for jams that are low or “no added” sugar (they may be made with more pectin or use sugar substitutes like Splenda but depending on the brand may have some added sugar ugar listed)

If you can’t bear to switch from your favorite jam, just pay attention to the portion size which is typically 1 h! TABLESPOON...maybe you don’t even use that much!

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• consider using canned or frozen fruit and making your our own spread to control the amount of added sugar ... these e will only RLLW HIV\[ ^LLR PU [OL MYPKNL `V\ JHU ÄUK SV[Z VM KPќLYLU[ K recipes online).

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian Ingles Markets… caring about your health

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Wildlife Commission approves bear season expansion, deer season shift An estimated 8,000 black bears live in the mountain region. Bill Lea photo

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR uring its Feb. 22 meeting, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission voted to adopt a slate of proposed rule changes for the coming year, including a pair of controversial measures that will shift the season dates for white-tailed deer and significantly expand the season length for black bear in the mountain region. A public hearing held Jan. 11 in Clyde drew more than 100 people, of whom 21 spoke, offering mixed opinions on the measures. The most common refrain was that the changes would cause bear and deer seasons to overlap, creating opportunities for conflict between hunters and reducing opportunity for youth hunters to bag a deer. The Wildlife Commission did adopt one amendment to the original proposal in recognition of that latter concern. While gun season will still change from its previous home, the Monday before Thanksgiving through the third Saturday after Thanksgiving week, to instead run from the first Saturday after Thanksgiving through Jan. 1, the adopted rule adds the Thursday and Friday of Thanksgiving week as youth deer hunting days in the western region. “This change addresses the main concern we heard in our western public hearing by allowing youth under 18 using any lawful weapon on those two days,” Chairman Monty Crump said during the meeting. However, the body did not make any changes to the bear season rule. Since the 1970s, bear season has taken place in two segments, the first running from the Monday on or nearest Oct. 15 through the Saturday before Thanksgiving, and the second from the third Monday after Thanksgiving through Jan. 1, with hunters 4 able to use dogs throughout both segments

Smoky Mountain News

February 28-March 5, 2024

but bait only during the first one. The new rule adds nine days to bear season with Saturday openers and allows bait use during both segments. Of the 36 rule changes proposed in this year’s rulemaking process, only three generated more negative feedback than positive feedback — a proposal to reduce the daily creel limit for flounder, shifting deer season in the western region and the western black bear season expansion. Of those three, the black bear rule generated by far the most responses, and the most negative responses. In total, 646 people weighed in on the black bear rule, of whom 69% said they did not support the proposal.

White-tailed deer. File photo While only 29% of respondents said they lived in District 9, which covers the 11 western counties, even those responses were overwhelmingly negative, with 57% of District 9 residents saying they opposed the rule change. “I’m not surprised at all,” said Bill Lea, a retired U.S. Forest Service assistant ranger and prolific black bear photographer. “They

are required to get input, so they solicit input because they’re required to, but they sure don’t listen to input. They don’t make a proposal like this unless they’ve already decided they’re going to do it.” That’s not so, said District 9 Commissioner Brad Stanback, who lives in Canton, pointing out that the Commission amended the deer hunting rule based on what members heard from the public. “While there were a few concerns about potential conflicts from having bear and deer seasons overlap, most of the comments against our proposals came from antihunters who just didn’t want bears to be hunted at all, especially with dogs,” he said. Warnings about conflicts between deer and bear hunters were a key feature of the Jan. 11 meeting, with multiple commenters warning Wildlife Commission representatives that the overlap could lead to violent disputes or illegal taking of deer while using bear dogs. The Wildlife Commission maintains that similar overlaps have worked out fine in other regions of the state. “I would never shoot a man over a dog, but I know people that will,” Caldwell County resident David Woods said at the hearing. “I’m telling you, you can mark it down tonight. I’m just telling you there will be trouble. If we have meetings next year, we’ll be talking about it, because somebody is stupid enough to do it.” Lea said he’s not against hunting but is opposed to hunting bear with dogs, believing it’s cruel to the bears. He also contends that the expanded season dates are designed to allow hunters to kill more pregnant female bears, which den earlier than other bears, and will pose a safety hazard to hikers using the backcountry — of which there are many during the peak leaf season that overlaps with bear season.

“There is always the potential for conflicts between hunters and campers/hikers,” Stanback said. “But bear hunters and their dogs tend to be in more remote areas. In fact, a few of the comments we received from bear hunters stated that they did not see much potential conflict with deer hunters because the bear hunters were mostly in remote areas that deer hunters don’t make the effort to get to.” However, he noted that campers and hikers should be aware of season dates and take appropriate precautions. Of the point Lea raised about pregnant females, Stanback said the earlier bear season would not likely result in more pregnant females being harvested, asserting that while pregnant females may den a bit earlier than males, it’s not enough to “impact their presence in the woods during the first segment of bear season.”

“While there were a few concerns about potential conflicts from having bear and deer seasons overlap, most of the comments against our proposals came from anti-hunters who just didn’t want bears to be hunted at all, especially with dogs.” — Brad Stanback

Regardless of whether the rule is aimed at increasing the harvest of pregnant female bears specifically, it is aimed at ensuring hunters kill more bears in the years ahead. Since 2012, when the Wildlife Commission first approved a plan to keep black bear population growth at 0% in the mountains, the region’s bear population has grown from 4,400 to an estimated 8,000 bears — despite ongoing interest in hunting as evidenced by a record-breaking bear harvest in 2022. The population continues to grow at 3-4% annually. Season dates for the mountain bear hunting season have not changed since 1977, when the regional population was estimated at fewer than 900 bears. With the Wildlife Commission’s approval, the new rules are slated to go into effect this fall — pending review from the N.C. Rules Review Commission. If that body receives 10 or more letters requesting legislative review for any of the newly approved Wildlife Commission rules, implementation will be delayed until the General Assembly has had a chance to act. Such a review took place in 2022, when the Wildlife Commission approved a controversial rule changing bear sanctuary areas to designated bear management units and allowing permit hunts to occur there. However, the legislature declined to overturn the Wildlife Commission’s decision.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER osh Brooks will return as head coach for Franklin High School football after players implored the school board to reinstate the recently resigned coach. Several Franklin High School football players attended the Feb. 19 school board meeting to urge the board to select a candidate. Team Captain Addix Sutton spoke during public comment about the team’s need for a coach.

ship for the football team was resulting in more disciplinary incidents and worse academic performance. He said that Brooks had been able to hold players accountable throughout the school year. “We want a coach that knows us, knows who we are and loves the Franklin Panthers,” said Sutton. “At the end of the day, we want Coach Josh Brooks as our head coach. With all the things we have been through and with all the adversity that’s ahead, that’s who we want. That’s who the players in this room

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Brooks returns to Franklin football

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want, and many more that couldn’t make it. That’s the man that we support.” On Feb. 20, the school board announced Brooks’ return in a press release. “Coach Brooks is a tremendous mentor and role model for our student athletes,” the statement read. “With an impressive track record and extensive experience, Coach Brooks brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise back to the Franklin Panthers. He will continue to provide great leadership for our program as we move Franklin High School forward.” Construction on the new FHS stadium is tentatively set to begin this summer, after the county received a $62 million state grant to complete the new high school. This will likely mean the Panthers won’t play the 2024 season at home, but the team could be in a new stadium for the 2025 season if construction is complete.

Sylva opens Tesla Supercharging site The Sylva Tourism Development Board announced that, following its nomination online to be the next Tesla Supercharging site, the charging station is now open. Work was completed over the last few weeks. The site is located at the Shell station at 200 East Main St. It will offer travelers up to 200 miles worth of charge in 15 minutes. There are eight bays total.

The supercharging site is located at the Shell station at 200 East Main St. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

“Today I’m speaking on behalf of the FHS football team,” said Sutton. “I come to you tonight asking you to find us a football coach.” Brooks stepped away in November after the 2023 season, and the team has been without a coach since that time. Brooks had led the program for 18 seasons and coached at Franklin for a total of 23. Brooks had previously resigned after the 2022 season before deciding to come back for 2023. While it is the off season, Sutton said that usually by this point in the year the team would have received its spring and summer workout schedules. “Sadly, we seem to be the only football team in Western North Carolina without a football coach,” said Sutton. “We were told we would have a coach by Christmas at the latest. That hasn’t happened.” Sutton asserted that the lack of leader-

February 28-March 5, 2024

Coach Josh Brooks (second from right) returns to Franklin’s football program after less than a year away. Donated photo

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Considerable apprehension haunts Haywood jail expansion project BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR ith several critical deadlines approaching and the cost of construction only going up, Haywood County commissioners spent more than two hours on Feb. 26 meeting with administrators, architects, builders and sheriff ’s office personnel — going over every detail of the long-suffering jail expansion project, its growing price tag and its ultimate future. The project has come a long way since it was first formally conceived more than four years ago, after jail capacity concerns had arisen in years prior.

February 28-March 5, 2024

Carolina have tripled. Then, there’s the concern that when the sheriff ’s office does what Wilke calls a “round-up,” sweeping through the county to serve warrants, there may not be enough space at the jail to absorb an influx of inmates. Ditto for Canton, Maggie Valley and Waynesville — if there’s an unexpected mass disturbance, the county jail could become dangerously full, quickly. Down the road, the county’s natural population increase — even without accounting for more rapid growth the county seems to be experiencing — shoots down arguments that the jail isn’t needed.

Smoky Mountain News

Early opposition to the expansion eventually faded, and although there are lingering pockets of dissent, the necessity of the project has become a foregone conclusion among most. There are two reasons for that: the present and the future. Right now, the maximum capacity at the jail is 109 inmates, but that doesn’t tell the whole story. Operational capacity is defined as 80% of maximum capacity; beyond that, the sheriff ’s office loses some flexibility to isolate inmates who may be a danger to themselves, to other inmates or to staff. “That creates additional liability for us,” said Bill Wilke, Haywood’s sheriff. The concern about liability is real, and can create huge problems for inmates, jailers and taxpayers. In 2021, Jackson County paid a $725,000 wrongful death settlement after a Sylva woman became the third jail suicide in five years. Chief Deputy Matthew Trantham point6 ed out that since 2013, jail deaths in North

to complete it. When the project was first proposed, it was thought that it could be completed for maybe $17 million. But that was before COVID, inflation and supply chain issues arose in earnest. Now, the county has explored plans to borrow an amount not to exceed $27.5 million. Although Haywood County’s debt is currently the lowest it’s been in recent memory, that’s still a substantial amount of money in the context of a $125 million budget, and commissioners have openly discussed a 1.5cent property tax increase to help pay for the project.

Haywood County's jail expansion project has been under discussion since before the Coronavirus Pandemic. File photo “We’ve been talking about this [expansion] for over 10 years, so if somebody’s making that comment, they’re just plain wrong,” said Commission Chairman Kevin Ensley. Bolstering the jail argument is the fact that statistically, Haywood County has the fourth-fewest jail beds per 10,000 residents out of 16 similarly sized North Carolina counties. Only Pender, Chatham and Carteret have fewer than Haywood’s 17.4. In Western North Carolina, only Graham and Jackson have fewer beds per 10,000 residents than Haywood does. Commissioner Tommy Long said he’d spoken with two previous sheriffs, Tom Alexander and Greg Christopher, and that both agreed the expansion remains as much a necessity now as when they were in office. The project’s price tag, however, has given commissioners pause and forced them to justify — to themselves and to taxpayers — the project and the accompanying decades of debt service that will be required

Operating costs remain a mystery as well. Clear numbers weren’t presented during the workshop and have yet to be offered. Wilke has maintained that staff for the expansion, which will more than double the beds in the jail and serve the county until roughly 2045, will be phased in over time. Commissioner Jennifer Best was concerned about that unused capacity lingering long into the future. Wilke mentioned that although he wasn’t advocating for a jail that would serve other counties, Haywood County could derive some revenue from housing prisoners coming from other jurisdictions where jails are full. Questions about utility and insurance bills also linger, as do questions about whether the relatively manageable current conditions at the jail are a fluke or will perhaps persist. On the day of the workshop, the jail population was 83, according to Wilke. Trantham said the jail hadn’t had to transfer a prisoner because of capacity issues in a

year. Jail populations tend to decrease in winter and increase in summer. And, as Haywood County grows, its already olderthan-average retiree population will only get older — not exactly the type of folks to commit youthful indiscretions that land them in jail. Wilke pivoted, saying that while older and wealthier retirees may commit crimes at lower rates than younger, less affluent people, those older wealthier retirees can instead become targets for criminal activity. Long, who is active in the North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, said a recent presentation by Chief Justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court Paul Newby suggested that the state’s court system had become more efficient at administering justice, thus reducing jail stays especially for people awaiting trial. Wilke said courts appear to be operating “somewhat” more efficiently. Wilke also said the county’s recovery court program, which demands accountability from those charged with drug crimes, won’t have much of an impact on jail populations because there are currently only five people enrolled. Wilke’s tough public stance against drug trafficking — with several high-profile busts since he took office in late 2022 — may be scaring dealers off from doing business in Haywood County, thus reducing the jail population, but that’s impossible to verify and certainly not something the county can bank on long-term when assessing jail capacity. Throughout the workshop, commissioners explored ways to cut costs, but the nature of the project and the current economic climate make that a heavy lift. Jason Hopkins, of Moseley Architects, told commissioners that reducing the size of the expansion wouldn’t equate to an equivalent reduction in cost — meaning that cutting the number of new beds by half would not cut the price tag by half. And, creating a scaled-down version of the expansion would essentially handcuff future commissioners from ever expanding on the site, which is already tight. Another option is for the county to fund a study similar to the one released in 2020, just to double-check the projections and assumptions contained therein. However, that would take time and money, and if a different conclusion arose — necessitating a redesign — that would reset the clock on design, permitting and financing processes initiated years ago. During that redesign time frame, if cost escalations continue the county could end up paying the same amount of money for a smaller project, or even more money for the current design. “If we don’t build it big enough, people will be mad,” said Commissioner Brandon Rogers. “If we build it too big and only use half … either way, we’re going to have egg on our face.” Commissioners will meet on March 4 to consider a final resolution to move forward on the project, after which the county will attempt to secure financing. Vannoy Construction, the contractor on the project, needs to know one way or the other by March 20.

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Development Finance Initiative has conducted a housing needs assessment for Jackson County, and while the findings won’t be surprising to anyone living in the area, they do outline critical housing needs. “We’re here today to talk about the housing needs assessment to get an understanding of the demand for different housing types and the economic drivers and current housing supply that impact housing needs in Jackson County,” said Development Finance Initiative Project Manager Sarah VanLear in a presentation to the county commission earlier this month. The Development Finance Initiative is a program of UNC’s School of Government that works with local governments across the state to meet housing needs. The group is identifying sites that can meet the affordable housing needs specific to Jackson County to conduct highlevel site and financial feasibility analysis. “The goal of that work is really to give you an idea of physically what’s possible on that site and then financially, what’s the feasibility,” said VanLear. “What kind of private resources you may be able to attract to that opportunity, what kind of funding gap might exist that can inform your participation with any other stakeholders that need to come along in partnership with you.” What is affordable housing? According to the most common federal designation, housing is affordable when a household spends 30% or less of its income on housing and all housing-related expenses, such as utilities and property taxes. “If you start spending more than 30%, we consider your household as cost-burdened,” said VanLear.

— Sarah VanLear

Smoky Mountain News

A household is considered severely cost burdened if it is spending over 50% of income on housing-related expenses. There are a couple different kinds of affordable housing. One is considered naturally affordable. This is housing that is affordable for someone without any type of income-based restriction. “The biggest piece about naturally affordable housing is that those residents are certainly vulnerable and susceptible to market changes,” VanLear pointed out. Mobile homes make up about one-third of the naturally affordable homes in the county. Approximately 300 of which are in flood zones. “This is an important source of affordable housing in the county but one that comes with risks to its residents,” VanLear said. There is also income-restricted affordable housing. This type of housing can be publicly or privately owned, but the amount a household pays is directly related to its income. These types of units are not as susceptible to those market changes. The average median income for a four-person household in Jackson County is approximately $74,000 a year. Low-to-moderate-income households are defined as those

To put that in perspective, the county has approximately 250 units that currently serve as income-restricted affordable housing. And 35 of those are set to expire within a few years. There have not been any new incomerestricted affordable housing units built since 2016. Low inventory creates another sector of housing need. In Cashiers and other rural areas outside the municipalities, the housing market is dominated by seasonal-use homes. One-quarter of housing units in the county are reserved for seasonal use, with that statistic rising to 40% in Cashiers. The township of Hamburg has seen almost 250 permits for $330 million worth of new single-family residential developments over the last three years, the majority of which are short term rentals and seasonal-use homes. “Seasonal use is growing beyond Cashiers and other parts of the county,” said VanLear. What’s more, single-family homes built in Cashiers and Hamburg tend to be large and more expensive. Since 2017, half of Jackson’s new single-family homes have been concentrated in these two areas with the average cost of development around $1.3 million. New single-family units in Sylva and Cullowhee cost an average of $280,000 to develop. About 94% of multifamily housing developments built since 2016 have been student housing in Cullowhee. Units like those at The Husk charge almost $2,000 per month in rent, which would require a person to make 100-120% of the AMI to be able to pay rent and not be a cost-burdened household. Rental and home ownership vacancy rates across the county are extremely low, less than 1% in the largest municipalities. “If you want to buy or rent a home today you are essentially waiting for somebody to move out in order to then compete with everybody else who’s been waiting for that person to move out to then try to rent or buy that home,” said VanLear. Low inventory, high cost and severe housing needs create a positive feedback cycle in which people in need of affordable housing have fewer and more expensive options as the overall housing need grows. Low vacancy rates paired with high prices create a rental income mismatch in which higher-income households are renting spaces that are more affordable to them, while lower-income households are then pushed into renting units that are unaffordable. “Half your LMI households are currently living in rental units that are unaffordable to their income level,” said VanLear. “There’s a mismatch happening there based on what’s currently available in the market.” Since 2020, the average sale price for a single-family home has almost doubled. In 2023, the average three-bedroom house cost $567,000 and the average two-bedroom house cost $413,000. “Today, you need an average income of $163,000 a year for your household to be able to afford on the market,” VanLear said. “We see the potential here for the current crisis to grow based on these findings,” VanLear said. “The good news is there are a lot of different things that can be done and we’re excited to continue the discussion with you on actions that can be taken to support the next steps for affordable housing in Jackson County.” According to VanLear, the Development Finance Initiative will keep working with Jackson County on developing its vision, public interest and feasibility for housing in the county and then try to help attract the right affordable housing developers for potential projects. “Our goal is to work through an intentional process that facilitates public-private partnership,” said VanLear. 7

February 28-March 5, 2024

“We’ve heard stories of folks who have accepted a job, but then had to rescind because they couldn’t find housing upon coming here. So, this is something that is top of mind in the business community.”

that make 80% or less of the area median income. This means that a four-person household in Jackson County is considered low-to-moderate income, or LMI, if it is making $58,000 a year or below. About 50% of LMI households in Jackson County make 50% or less of the area median income, or AMI, or under $36,000 a year. According to data compiled in the housing assessment conducted, there are at least 2,500 households in Jackson County that are cost burdened, with 93% of LMI households being cost burdened. In Jackson County, a one-person household making $40,800, an average salary for an elementary school teacher in the area, would be at about 80% of the area median income. This person would need to spend about $1,100 or less per month on all housing-related expenses to not be cost burdened. Someone making $36,600 would need to spend about $820. However, the average rent available in the county is around $2,000, not including utilities. “As you can imagine, it’s pretty difficult at these income levels to find a place to live that is not going to leave you cost burdened,” said VanLear. Since 2016, households that are moving into the county make more than both the AMI and households that are leaving the county. While the AMI is $74,000, households moving into Jackson make an average of $94,000 and households leaving the county make an average of $61,000. There has been a net increase of about 3,600 people since 2016, half of whom moved from outside North Carolina. During the same timeframe, the largest industry growth in the county has been for positions making less than $80,000 a year. “We’ve heard from many stakeholders about how housing is affecting business and employees in the area,” said VanLear. “This is true from large institutions like the hospital and WCU and the paper mill, to small businesses.” “We’ve heard stories of folks who have accepted a job, but then had to rescind because they couldn’t find housing upon coming here. So, this is something that is top of mind in the business community.” But the housing need in Jackson County extends beyond just the need for affordable housing. There are 1,200 households in Jackson County, 700 LMI renters and 500 LMI owners, with severe housing needs, meaning they are living in lower-quality or overcrowded homes. Most of those households are making less than $22,000 a year. This data does not include Cullowhee’s student population, which can severely skew income level data.

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Housing needs dire and growing in Jackson

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Frankly speaking Complaint alleges Edwards abused free postage rules

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR complaint filed by the chair of the Henderson County Democratic Party alleges Western North Carolina Congressman Chuck Edwards (R-Henderson) violated United States Code and U.S. House of Representatives rules by mailing “hyperpartisan” fliers, thus abusing his congressional franking privilege. “It is my opinion that Congressman Edwards knew or should have known that a partisan attack on Asheville Democratic city officials, under the guise of a ‘crime mailer,’ was a misuse of his franking privilege,” writes Hendersonville attorney Bruce Macdonald, in a Feb. 9 letter to HCDP Chair Leslie Carey. Franking is a longstanding privilege afforded to certain federal public officials whereby their signature serves as a substitute for an acceptable “stamp” on materials delivered by the U.S. Postal Service, thereby eliminating the need to purchase postage stamps. Franked mail, however, is far from free, as Congress eventually reimburses the Postal

Smoky Mountain News

February 28-March 5, 2024

payer with the cost of his attack mailers,” Service with taxpayer funds for the cost of said Carey in Feb. 26 a press release. “He the postage. A self-made millionaire who owns a prop- needs to be held accountable.” Macdonald says he first suspected erty rental business and several McDonald’s Edwards was abusing the franking system franchises across the region, Edwards has upon receiving a large glossy piece of franked assets of between $7 million and $35 million and unearned income of more than $1 million a year, according to his 2022 personal finance disclosure. Edwards has yet to file his 2023 disclosure, despite being given an extension to Aug. 13, 2023. Through Feb. 14, Edwards’ 2024 campaign had raised just under $1 million, per his most recent campaign finance report. “Edwards often labels his constituents who receive much needed government assistance as socialists, but he was quick to accept more than $1 million in COVID The practice of “franking,” which dates back to 17th relief money to fund his restauCentury Britain, allows members of Congress to send rants in 2020. Now he thinks he certain types of mail at taxpayer expense. Chuck Edwards photo has found a way to saddle the tax-

mail from Edwards’ office the week before Christmas 2023. The mailer, which features clippings of headlines from various news outlets, concludes with one from Fox News that reads, “Democrat-run tourist town sees 200% surge in break-ins amid violent crime spike: ‘Wildly frustrating.’” It’s not the first time Edwards has made disparaging statements about Asheville or Buncombe County — a liberal enclave surrounded by a sea of deep-red rural Western North Carolina counties — and it’s not the first time his adversaries have fired back at him for doing so. A Jan. 21 post from Edwards’ congressional Twitter/X account accuses Asheville’s leaders of not having the political will to fight crime. He’s also accused them of twisting and manipulating crime statistics, while being blamed for the same thing by the county’s top law enforcement officer. “Congressman Edwards says Buncombe County is in danger of turning into Chicago. I expect that type of commentary from Fox News, however, his statement is not supported by the crime statistics from the NC SBI and it’s irresponsible to have a conversation about public safety that is not rooted in data,” said Buncombe Sheriff Quentin Miller in a press release from June 2023. The complaint proposes four violations, all essentially alleging Edwards’ use of the word “Democrat” and his history of disparagement broke prohibitions against politicizing franked materials. The first alleged violation pertains to a stipulation in 39 USC § 3210(a) that franked mail be used to “assist and expedite the conduct of the official business, activities and duties” of Congress. According to the complaint, the Asheville crime mailer did not constitute “official business, activities and duties” but was instead “a naked, misleading, hyper partisan campaign mailer” attacking Asheville, Buncombe County and

In-person early voting continues through March 2 North Carolina’s 13-day early voting period, where voters can appear at local polling places to cast their votes in person, is underway and will continue through Saturday, March 2. Same-day registration is available for those who haven’t yet registered. Hours and locations vary by county, but generally run from 8 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. Mondays through Fridays. Some locations will be open on Saturdays, but not all locations offer hours on every Saturday during the early voting period. For specific questions about days, hours, registration or voting, contact your county’s board of elections. Search for early voting sites by visiting vt.ncsbe.gov/evsite.

Deadline for affordable housing financing in Haywood hits Friday The Letter of Interest deadline for the Affordable Housing Development FundHaywood County is 5 p.m. Friday, March 1. Until that time, Haywood County will accept Letters of Interest from qualified public, private and nonprofit organizations who want to apply for financing for multifamily or single-family housing rehabilitation and new construction projects in the county. Letters of Interest are due in advance of the separate program application deadline of May 1, 2024, and are nonbinding but mandatory to apply. The N.C. Office of Recovery and Resiliency is supporting Haywood County in the launch of their Affordable Housing Development Fund program which aims to

provide rental or homeownership housing opportunities outside of the 100-year floodplain. A total of $10 million will be awarded by summer 2024 for housing projects that increase community resilience. The funds will be used to increase the availability of safe, affordable housing in a part of the state that experienced major damage from Tropical Storm Fred. Like other North Carolina communities, Haywood County was already experiencing an affordable housing shortage prior to the major flooding and landslides that resulted in hundreds of destroyed structures in 2021. The award funds will be used to replace some of the lost housing. Information about the AHDF Letter of Interest process, eligibility requirements for interested grant applicants and details about virtual program office hours are available on the Haywood County Affordable Housing Programs webpage.

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arey filed the complaint on Feb. 26 with the House Communications Standards Commission, a six-member bipartisan committee charged with creating regulations pertaining to the use of the franking privilege, as well as issuing formal and informal advisory opinions on official mass communications by members and reviewing formal complaints about franking abuse. A 2016 report by the Congressional Research Service says the Commission at that time would typically receive between 6,000 and 8,000 advisory opinion requests each year, along with four or five complaints alleging franking abuse. Per the House Communications Standards Manual, the Commission will review the complaint and apply penalties if necessary, including but not limited to a written warning, suspension of official mass communication privileges or mandatory educational briefings by the Commission. Edwards, however, did avail himself of an advisory opinion on the Asheville crime mailer from the HCSC, which on Dec. 19, 2023 deemed the mailer “frankable.” Macdonald said that although some believe the issuance of a favorable advisory opinion insulates members from complaints or disciplinary actions as a result of their official mass communications, that simply isn’t so — a position he argues in the complaint. “That Advisory Opinion was just that — a nonbinding advisory opinion,” it reads. Macdonald supports his position by noting that U.S. Code has Rep. Chuck Edwards. many examples File photo where Congress specifically states that any person who relies on an advisory opinion in good faith shall be held harmless, but there is no such “hold harmless” provision in the franking statutes. “Where Congress has used language in statutes to achieve a particular result, the absence of such language in a statute justifies the inference that the language was intentionally omitted,” the complaint reads. If the complaint is dismissed by the Commission, it could reemerge as a federal lawsuit. Per the House mass communications dis-

closure website, Edwards received advisory opinions 250 times in 2023, almost more than every other member of North Carolina’s congressional delegation combined. His predecessor, Hendersonville Republican Madison Cawthorn, only received nine advisory opinions during his lone term. Cawthorn’s predecessor, Macon County Republican Mark Meadows, didn’t receive a single one, dating back to 2018. Edwards’ total is good for the third-most out of all current House members. Only congressmen Bob Good (R-VA) and Zachary Nunn (R-IA) utilized the advisory opinion service more in 2023, with 297 and 265 opinions, respectively. Caleb Rudow, a Democrat state legislator who represents Asheville in the North Carolina General Assembly, will face Edwards on the ballot in November if Edwards makes it through his Primary Election contest with Hayesville businessman Christian Reagan as expected. Rudow agrees with the nature of the complaint. “If multimillionaire politicians Caleb Rudow. File photo like Chuck Edwards want to send out campaign mailers, they shouldn’t be asking for handouts from taxpayers to pay for them,” Rudow said. Franking regulations have been significantly altered several times since 1789, with Congress even outlawing the privilege for a brief time in the late 1800s, so the question of franking reform isn’t new. Recent technological developments — namely cellular phone communication, email and text messaging — raise renewed questions over the continued existence of franking, but the CRS report also says that contemporary criticisms include its cost to taxpayers, its potential for abuse and the advantage it gives incumbents like Edwards. Reagan, Edwards’ Primary Election opponent, told SMN he believes Edwards did indeed misuse the franking privilege. “I despise those who abuse any system for personal gain,” he said. “Clearly that occurred in this specific situation.” Although the CRS report is somewhat dated, it does indicate that franking costs in election years tend to be about double those in non-election years, despite prohibitions on politicizing the content of franked mail; in 2014, an election year, the report estimates $17 million in franked material, but in 2015, that number was closer to $8 million. “Constituent outreach is an important function of holding office, but it’s plain as day that insider politicians are abusing this power. The mailers Chuck Edwards sends out are more about electioneering and boosting his profile than serving his constituents in WNC,” Rudow said. “We need a regulatory overhaul to rein in these kinds of abuses of power so that franking is only used for genuine constituent outreach and is not simply a campaign tool for incumbents that taxpayers are footing the bill for.”

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its elected leaders at taxpayer expense. The other three claims in the complaint allege violations of the House Communications Standards Manual, including prohibitions on using official communications and franked materials for political business or for disparaging political parties. The complaint asks that Edwards reimburse the government for the cost of the mail and that he receive additional appropriate sanctions if deemed necessary by the court. Edwards didn’t respond to a request for an interview about the complaint, and has not responded to interview requests from The Smoky Mountain News for nearly a year.

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Mill Street revitalization plan BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Town of Sylva is embarking on a fiveyear plan to revitalize Mill Street with updated façades as part of the design pillar of the Main Street Sylva Association. “Our board of directors created a five-year strategic plan for Mill Street improvements with the goal to become as vibrant as Main Street is,” said Economic Development Director Bernadette Peters. The board hopes to activate the Mill Street side of businesses to improve aesthetics, generate more traffic and build more bottom-level retail space. The goals for the project are to create a façade grant to help incentivize property owners, explore technical assistance grant programs to assist business and property owners in expanding their space, create a property owner event for community and resource engagement and to create a streetscape improvement plan. The University of North Carolina at Greensboro has completed renderings for all of the Mill Street rear façades. “What UNCG does is they do some historical data from old Sanborn maps of these buildings, they look at possibilities of restoring architectural features and improving the look overall,” said Peters. “We’re really excited about these renderings.” The plan is to introduce the renderings to

This rendering shows the existing and proposed façades of the Balsam Falls Brewing building on Mill Street. MSSA photo property owners when the Main Street Sylva Association gets funding for the façade grant. MSSA already received a $10,000 grant for the revitalization plan from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. “We need about $15,000 more to offset the cost,” said Peters. Business and property owners will fill out an application with plans for the work they want to complete. Once the work is done, owners will submit receipts and MSSA will offset the cost with grant funds. “There have already been some great improvements on Mill Street and it’s creating momentum,” said Peters. “Not only that but with the public restrooms and the new lights

Regional hospitals honor staff members for tenure milestones Harris Regional Hospital and Swain Community Hospital recently held a special recognition luncheon to honor staff members who reached significant milestones in their tenure as employees of the hospitals. Service awards are given on a bi-monthly basis. Those honored at this month’s celebration included: • Five Years of Service: Kansas Brown, RN, Lactation Services; Tracy Rowland, Nuclear Medicine; Patrice Webb, RN, Ambulatory Services; Haley Lanning, Central Billing Office. • 10 Years of Service: LeighAnn Gwinn, RN, Nursing Services. •15 Years of Service: Heather Wilkes, RN, Intensive Care Unit.

Smoky Mountain News

February 28-March 5, 2024

• 20 Years of Service: Sandi Allen, RN, Surgical Services; Kevin Burrell, Surgical Services; Angela Carver, RT, Respiratory Therapy. • 25 Years of Service: Brenda Patton, Endoscopy Services. CEO Ashley Hindman presented each honoree with a plaque signifying their years of service to the organization, while the honorees’ leaders gave remarks highlighting their team members’ accomplishments and dedication to their role and to the organization. “The importance of stopping to recognize the dedication of our team members for their years of service to our hospitals can’t be overstated,” said Hindman. “We are blessed to have many individuals who have dedicated their careers to caring for our community by providing compassionate, quality care at our hospitals. It’s my honor to consistently recognize that dedication and show gratitude at each milestone of that commitment.”

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“What UNCG does is they do some historical data from old Sanborn maps of these buildings, they look at possibilities of restoring architectural features and improving the look overall.” — Bernadette Peters

“The program has been really good to Sylva, and I think these renderings are a testament of some special treatment that I feel like we’ve gotten that we’re grateful for,” said Dowling. The historic district designation enables a lot of the contributing building owners to get tax credits of up to 40% to renovate their buildings. “I’ve been working with two building owners on that but we’re hoping to work with more of them as they get an interest in improving their buildings and that could significantly offset the cost,” said Peters.

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and Bridge Park Renovations, it’s all kind of coming together.” Several property owners have renovated old spaces that were used for storage and are renting them out for office space or retail. “We estimate that there’s probably six more potential spaces on Mill Street that could be activated,” said Peters. MSSA is working toward a technical assistance grant to provide architectural services for people wanting to complete renovations of their space. “We’ll look at a master design plan for refreshing Mill Street streetscape as well,” said Peters. According to Town Manager Paige

Dowling, Sylva has gotten a lot of attention for being the town with the smallest population in the full Main Street Program and not in the small-town Main Street Program, as well as being the westernmost town in the program until a couple years ago. Sylva joined the program in 1996 and has one of the most recent historic district designations.

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After winnin the vote, Tessa Sellers is likely to move up from her district court seat to superior court. Kyle Perrotti photo

noted that 35 of the 45 eligible voters were present, including all nine from its own county. According to that post, each candidate was allowed five minutes to speak, and then paper ballots were distributed and filled out anonymously. With the weighted vote factored, Sellers finished with 66.74% and Hindsman received 33.26%. “Both candidates agreed with the vote count and weighting calculations,” the post reads. The results were officially certified, and on Monday were sent to NCBOE to kick off the process to put Sellers on the ballot, as well as to Gov. Roy Cooper with NCGOP hopes that he’ll appoint her in the near future. “The meeting was adjourned, and we made a point of congratulating both candi-

“We are very hopeful that Gov. Roy Cooper will hear the voice of the five far-west counties and take immediate action to fill Judge Coward’s vacancy. We gave him an outstanding, qualified candidate who was voted on with an overwhelming majority.” — Michele Woodhouse, NC-11 GOP Chair dates on good campaigns,” the post reads. Although the NCGOP dictated how the process would play out, it was NC-11 GOP Chair Michele Woodhouse who executed it. She said the feedback was overwhelmingly positive and that the process was smooth and fair. “Saturday’s process set the standard for the state of North Carolina,” she said. “The members of the five western counties’ Republican parties were beyond reproach in the work they did.” “It went off without a hitch because of everyone’s true commitment to this process,” she added. Although Democrats will have the opportunity to put someone on the ballot,

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The voters were members of the executive committees from each of the five counties that make up the judicial district; for each county, that was the chair, vice chair, secretary and treasurer, as well as five at-large members selected during the counties’ conventions held last year. Each county’s total was weighted according to its number of registered Republican voters. The numbers for the weighted vote were pulled when the memo was issued and were as follows: Macon had the most at 35.31%, then Cherokee with 33.71%, Clay with 13.52%, Swain with 8.77% and Graham with 8.69%. A Facebook post from the Cherokee County GOP recalled some of the specifics. It

the initial indication is that they will let Sellers run unopposed in November. In the meantime, the ball is now in Gov. Cooper’s court as it is up to him to appoint someone to fill the vacancy until Sellers or whoever is elected is sworn in. Woodhouse said she hopes Cooper appoints Sellers as soon as possible.

February 28-March 5, 2024

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR ttorneys in Western North Carolina now know who will likely hold the farthest west superior court seat. In a special vote held the morning of Feb. 24 in Clay County, current District Court Judge Tessa Sellers tallied a greater percentage of a weighted vote over Assistant District Attorney John Hindsman in a vote in Clay County and will now appear on the November General Election ballot for the superior court seat for district 43A, made up of Macon, Swain, Clay, Graham and Cherokee counties. Sellers said the prospect of leaving her District Court seat to move up to superior court is bittersweet. “I really have enjoyed being a district court judge, and there would be aspects of that court and the people in that court system that I would miss,” she told The Smoky Mountain News. “But I’m really thrilled with the opportunity to expand on my judicial career and to be able to serve in a role where I can do new things within the system.” On Dec. 7 of last year, then-Superior Court Judge William Coward announced his retirement, and on Feb. 1, he made it official, creating a vacancy on the bench in a position vital to tackling the backlog of cases in the state’s far-west counties. The vacancy kicked off a process for the GOP to nominate someone to appear on the November General Election ballot as a Republican for that seat. That process was laid out in a Jan. 13 NCGOP memo that the party provided to SMN and culminated in the Feb. 24 vote.

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District Court judge one step closer to moving up to Superior Court

“We are very hopeful that Gov. Roy Cooper will hear the voice of the five farwest counties and take immediate action to fill Judge Coward’s vacancy,” she said. “We gave him an outstanding, qualified candidate who was voted on with an overwhelming majority.” Should Sellers gain Cooper’s appointment, that will create a vacancy in district court. When that happens, it will initiate a similar process to place a Republican for that seat on the ballot. Like with superior court, Democrats will also have a chance to follow procedures outlined in their plan of organization to determine who may appear on the ballot for district court. Because the district court district also includes Haywood and Jackson Counties, which are typically slightly less solidly red, a candidate may emerge from the party. Sources from neither party would indicate who they thought might win that nomination. Like with the superior court seat, while the winner of the November General election will earn a full term on the bench, Cooper will have the opportunity to appoint a district court judge who could serve until then. Woodhouse said she and the NCGOP are ready to move forward to put someone on the ballot to fill a vacancy Sellers may leave when she goes to superior court, should that need arise. “The first domino would be Gov. Cooper appointing Tessa to superior court,” Woodhouse said. “Then we can address that vacancy.”

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Officers in Kloepfer shooting won’t face charges BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER special prosecutor tasked with examining the investigation into a 2022 police shooting that severely injured Jason Harley Kloepfer at his home in Cherokee County has concluded that no criminal charges are warranted against any of the officers involved. “I don’t even know the right words for how I feel. Disgusted, frustrated, anguished, beaten — it’s like I’m victimized for a second time now,” said Kloepfer, who said he moved to Cherokee County after being the victim of a separate shooting at his previous home in Las Vegas. The police did an “outrageous” amount of illegal activity in the leadup to and aftermath of the shooting, Kloepfer said, and the special prosecutor’s decision proves the process is “crooked and corrupt.” “We think that the law enforcement involved committed many crimes and lied about our client and tried to set him up for prosecuting him when he committed no crimes,” said Ellis Boyle, an attorney representing Kloepfer in a civil case stemming from the shooting. “It’s a crying shame that this is what the justice system is in America.” However, Kimberly Spahos, executive director of the N.C. Conference of District Attorneys, which appointed Special Prosecutor Lance Sigmon to review the case and determine whether to press charges, said the decision was based in legal reasoning. “I cannot comment specifically on every statute Mr. Sigmon reviewed,” Spahos said. “However, he certainly reviewed the full investigation and made his decision based on a variety of case law and legal precedent.” According to the N.C. State Bar directory, Sigmon resides in Newton and has been admitted to the state bar since

Officers shot Jason Harley Kloepfer as he stood in the doorway of his camper trailer in the early morning hours of Dec. 13, 2022.

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February 28-March 5, 2024

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August 1988. A LinkedIn profile says he served as chief assistant district attorney in the 36th Prosecutorial District from 2015 until retiring in 2023. “Thank God, we have a corresponding civil justice system, where my clients are still able to pursue their rights and hold

these people accountable,” Boyle said. “Because obviously the criminal justice system has failed miserably, and these people are not only walking free, but they have the imprimatur of a quote unquote special prosecutor saying that he’s not going to hold them accountable.”

THE SHOOTING

“We think that the law enforcement involved committed many crimes and lied about our client and tried to set him up for prosecuting him when he committed no crimes.” — Ellis Boyle, attorney for Kloepfer and Mahler

The Jackson County Board of Elections announced the appointment of Amanda Allen as the new director of elections effective Feb. 26. The vote to appoint Allen was a unanimous decision of the

In the meantime, Kloepfer said, he and Mahler are struggling to survive. He owns the property in Cherokee County outright, but they don’t feel safe living there anymore. Instead, they’re paying rent to live somewhere far away, relying on a GoFundMe page to help support them until they see a payout from the civil case. “We are in dire, desperate need,” he said. “We do not even have two nickels to rub together anymore right now. We’re slowly losing everything.” It’s not just the financial burden. The trauma continues to impact him, keeping him socially isolated and incapable of relaxation. “Every time I start to fall asleep, this stuff comes up in my head and I’m back wide awake,” he said. “It’s like it happened two weeks ago. That’s the way my life is. I don’t associate with anybody anymore. I stay to myself because people don’t want to hear it all the time. I get it. They’ve got lives, it’s been a year. I don’t want to hear it in my head all the time — I can’t imagine somebody else that wasn’t involved.” It’s unfair, he said, especially when the cops he believes tried to set him up have been allowed to go about their business in the year-plus since the shooting. As of October, none of the Cherokee County officers named in the lawsuit had suffered any suspensions or demotions related to the shooting. Adam Erickson, the first deputy dispatched to the scene, was suspended and then separated from the county in August 2023 following an unrelated arrest for driving under the influence. Cody Williams, who was the second officer dispatched to the scene, separated from the county in June 2023, while J.T. Gray, who is named in the lawsuit but wasn’t dispatched to the scene until hours after the shooting, separated in January 2023. Publicly available records don’t reflect whether those separations were voluntary or not, but no suspensions or demotions preceded them. Jason Hall, who is named in the lawsuit but wasn’t dispatched to the scene until hours after the shooting, was promoted to sergeant in August. None of the 11 other CCSO employees named in the lawsuit have seen any change to their status other than a 2% cost-of-living raise in July. Their current salaries range from $40,200 to $94,100, the latter number being the salary for Sheriff Dustin Smith, whose term expires in December 2026. As an elected official, he is not subject to the same hire/fire policies as other employees. Cherokee County is bound by state law to disclose the salary and employment status of its workers, but the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is not. The tribe has declined to offer information on the status of CIPD employees named in the lawsuit. “There’s too much illegal activity on cell and audio that they’re not getting any charges or at the very least losing their jobs,” Kloepfer said. “I mean, nothing’s happened to them. This is crazy.” Cameron Nieters and Jack Stewart, attornies in the civil suit representing EBCI defendants, declined an opportunity to comment. Attorneys for the CCSO defendants had not returned a request for comment as of press time.

Board. Allen is a Jackson County native and a graduate of Smoky Mountain High School. She holds a bachelor of arts in English from Guilford College and a master of science in human resources from Western Carolina University. Allen most recently served seven years as the human resources administrator at Southwestern Community College and five years as an administrative assistant.

Allen said she joined the Board of Elections in 2018 out of curiosity to learn more about the election processes. She was particularly impressed with the transparency and high standards of service provided to Jackson County candidates and voters. Over the past five years, Allen has taken on a variety of roles with increasing responsibilities, starting as a precinct worker, then advancing to precinct judge and chief judge.

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February 28-March 5, 2024

In the hours after the shooting, the CCSO said the officers fired after Kloepfer engaged in a “verbal altercation” with them and confronted him as he emerged from his camper trailer. He was charged with two misdemeanors as a result. However, Kloepfer later released home security video that shows him coming to the door with his hands up, in compliance with police orders. Shots rang out seconds later. The charges against him were dropped in the weeks following the video’s release. In their responses to the complaint, the officers who fired claimed they did so because they believed the police robot Kloepfer held above his head in his right hand — a robot the police had sent inside to assess the scene — to be a gun. In the video, no commands to drop the weapon are heard before shots start ringing out. According to Kloepfer, no such commands were given. In court filings, the officers did not assert that they had given any such commands. In June, Kloepfer and Mahler filed a lawsuit seeking millions in damages and claiming that the officers violated their constitutional rights before the first shot was even fired. The first deputies arrived at Kloepfer’s home at 11:17 p.m. Dec. 12, 2022, but did not find evidence of the emergency hostage situation to which they had been alerted, and they did not have a search warrant to fully investigate the premises. However, they remained on the property for hours, covering up Kloepfer’s outdoor surveillance cameras shortly after midnight, hours before a search warrant was finally issued at 2:14 a.m. The lawsuit claims this violated his Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable search and seizure. The lawsuit, slated for trial in August 2025, names 29 defendants from both the EBCI and CCSO who together face more than 200 claims. However, following Sigmon’s decision, none of those defendants will be held criminally liable for their actions. “The civil case is plowing ahead full steam,” Boyle said. “We are

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The shooting took place on Dec. 13, 2022, after a neighbor called 911 claiming she was concerned that Jason Harley Kloepfer, 41 at the time, had hurt his wife, Alison Mahler, and that she had heard him threaten the whole neighborhood. Citing a potential hostage situation, the Cherokee County Sheriff ’s Office requested assistance from the Cherokee Indian Police Department’s SWAT team, which arrived in the early morning hours. At least two rounds hit Kloepfer when three CIPD officers fired at him — as Mahler stood directly behind him — shortly before 5 a.m. One entered through his chest and lacerated his liver, cutting through his stomach and the lining of his heart, cracking his ribs and scattering shrapnel in his chest. A second struck just above his elbow, “blowing a tunnel through his flesh and muscle,” according to a lawsuit he filed in June.

in discovery, and now is when the fun stuff happens. Now is when the truth is extracted, and eventually brought to the light to the public. Because apparently that’s not going to happen in the criminal justice system.” Spahos said that Sigmon made his determination based on information gleaned from a “full criminal investigation” but allowed that “the State will always consider new information if it is provided and relevant.”

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local teacher has won a prestigious award given to new educators in the field. Abby Bentley, a science teacher at Pisgah High School, worked as a research scientist after her undergraduate studies at Western Carolina University. In the field, she was concerned with environmental toxicology — she would test water near agriculture sites for certain pollutants. When she started to share her research, giving public presentations, she realized she had a passion for science communication and education. Bentley found she had a talent for teaching. That natural gift was sharpened when she came to Western Carolina University to pursue a master’s degree in comprehensive science education, which prepares graduates to teach high school science. Alongside classes in biology and earth science, Bentley also studied teaching methods, classroom design and leadership.

has potential to make the largest impact on the future of our state,” said Kim Winter, dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions at WCU. “Motivating and retaining high-quality teachers in our classrooms is our collective goal. This year, our college was proud that four of the 27 NCCAT finalists were WCU graduates. Ms. Bentley is a bright light in our region, and we are beyond proud of her.” In her nomination for the award, Bentley was described as an effective communicator who stands out for her commitment to covering standards, increasing student achievement and creating productive learning environments. It was also noted that Bentley uses her experience in the field to engage her kids with real-life applications of classroom content. An administrator said, “her professional teaching efforts have made a huge impact on our school.” This was the fifth time NCCAT has presented the award.

Abby Bentley, a teacher Pisgah High School, was given the award by the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. Donated photo “I really enjoyed my time at Western,” Bentley said. “The small class sizes gave me immediate access to my professors and my adviser was always approachable and helpful. The program did a great job preparing me for my licensure exam — the whole semester of student teaching definitely prepared me for the classroom.” After leaving WCU two years ago, Bentley landed a job teaching science at Pisgah in Haywood County. Her passion for teaching has been immediately recognized. Bentley was named the North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching Beginning Teacher of the Year. The award ceremony was held in the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU Thursday, Feb. 15. “Recruiting high-quality teachers for North Carolina’s K-12 schools is one of the most important things we do at Western Carolina University — arguably, one that

“NCCAT is so proud of all these finalists — all are shining examples of the teaching profession and bring talent and expertise to the classroom each and every day, for the benefit of North Carolina students,” said M. Brock Womble, NCCAT executive director. “Ms. Bentley encourages each of her students to set high goals and create pathways for them to achieve excellence.” NCCAT supports teachers and impacts students with high-quality professional development. Increasing teacher effectiveness is fundamental to improving public education. NCCAT provides teachers with new knowledge, skills, teaching methods, best practices and information to take back to their classrooms. “It’s good to feel validated,” Bentley said. “Teaching is an intense job, and we work really hard. It’s good to be recognized for the effort.”

Community Almanac

Smoky Mountain News

Genealogical Society for discuss ‘Big Bear’

Lake Junaluska hosts regional youth groups Lake Junaluska hosted youth groups from across the Southeast recently during its annual Winter Youth Retreats. Youth and their leaders from North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi immersed themselves in worship, fellowship, mission projects and lots of fun, including skiing and snowboarding at Cataloochee and tubing in Maggie Valley. Each of the four Winter Youth Retreats — held in January and February — featured a main speaker plus a special music leader, which kept Lake Junaluska’s Shackleford Hall humming. At least 160 youth opted to also participate in mission projects that benefited the residents of Haywood County. They split, stacked and delivered firewood for a local firewood ministry; stocked food and other supplies for a community pantry; and helped clean area streams. More information about Lake Junaluska’s Winter and Summer Youth Retreats may be found at lakejunaluska.com/youth.

Youth groups from around the Southeast converged on the retreat. Donated photo

Volunteers clean up Lake Junaluska

“The agents at RE/MAX Elite Realty have a Civil War Roundtable proven record of providing five-star service to their for years,” Rewis said. “We’re confident hosts program in Raleigh clients we’ll continue to build on the reputation as one of

Lake Junaluska hosted 150 volunteers who gathered Saturday, Feb. 24 to help pull debris from the lake and roadway entrances to the property during the annual Community Lake Cleanup. Some of the many participants were from a local Girl Scout troop, Tuscola High School, Starbucks partners, families, individuals and members of The Junaluskans and Haywood Waterways Association. “There were lots of people, and I was excited to see all of the kids who showed up,” said Christine O’Brien, program manager for Haywood Waterways Association. The annual Community Lake Cleanup takes place during Lake Junaluska’s annual water drawdown to remove silt that builds up over time from Richland Creek, which flows into the lake. Lowering the water level allows removal of the silt and related maintenance, which are necessary to maintain an appropriate amount of depth and sustain the lake ecosystem. The event is organized annually by The Junaluskans, who work in conjunction with Lake Junaluska staff and in partnership with Haywood County and Haywood Waterways to host the event. The Junaluskans are a volunteer organization of Lake Junaluska residents and other people who love Lake Junaluska. Haywood Waterways is a nonprofit organization dedicated to maintaining and improving water quality in the Pigeon River Watershed of Haywood County. For more information about Lake Junaluska, visit lakejunaluska.com.

The Western N.C. Civil War Round Table begins its 2024 series of programs on Monday, March 11 at 7 p.m. with Ernest Dollar. The program will take place at the Haywood County Public Library in. It is free and open to the public. “Between Heaven and Hell: Raleigh in the Last Days of the Civil War” is the title of Dollar’s presentation. It will look at the chain of events that led to Raleigh’s surrender to Gen. Sherman and his army. The WNC Civil War Round Table meetings will continue on April 8 with a program to be announced. On May 13, Dr. Sharon Roger Hepburn of Radford University will speak about the letters of John Lovejoy Murray of the 102nd U.S.C.T. and on June 10, Dwight S. Hughes will present on joint operations Army and Navy at the battles around Vicksburg, Mississippi. All meetings are free and open to the public. More information about programs and field trips with the Roundtable can be found at wnccwrt.com.

Franklin welcomes new RE/MAX office RE/MAX Elite Realty has announced new ownership of one of the most productive real estate brokerages in the area. Candice Sunderhaus, Katelyn VanderWoude and Shelly Rewis are the new owners. The brokerage was previously owned by Becky Ramey, June Tassillo and Teresa Murray, who handed over the keys in January.

the most respected brokerages in our market area.” The office is located at 1296 East Main St. in Franklin. For more information or to set up an appointment, call the office at 828.349.4600 or visit propertyinfranklin.com.

Join the Friends of the Library scavenger hunt National Read Across America Day is celebrated on March 2, Dr. Seuss's birthday. Residents are invited to join the Haywood County Friends of the Library as they celebrate the fun and value of reading by participating in their Main Street Waynesville scavenger hunt between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Cards are available at the Friends Used Book Shop, or from any of the readers on Main Street. Everyone who locates all the readers will receive a prize from the Friends Used Book Shop. All completed entries will also be eligible for a drawing for a gift certificate from Blue Ridge Books. Read Across America Day, sponsored by the National Education Association, is the nation’s largest celebration of reading. More than 45 million readers, both young and old, are expected to pick up a book and read. The Friends Used Book Shop is located at 101 W. Marshall St, Waynesville and open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. To receive more information, email folhaywoodcounty@gmail.com.

Swain Genealogical Society will host a discussion on “Big Bear” a.k.a. Yonah Equah on March 7. The presentation will be delivered by Don Casada, who in retirement has written extensively on researching and writing about the region in an effort to preserve its history. Much of the area now identified as Bryson City was first mentioned in eyewitness accounts in the journals of Col. James Grant and Capt. Christopher French, recorded during the Grant Expedition against the Cherokees in 1761. The Grant forces burned the corn and destroyed the Cherokee town of Tuckareetchih located here and departed thru a ford; that ford was later named Bear Ford, for Yonah Equah or Big Bear, one of the Cherokee signers of the 1798 Treaty of Tellico. With the 1819 cession treaty, Big Bear was granted a 640-acre tract which covered most of today’s Bryson City and was the only such grant given in what is now Swain County. Although Big Bear disposed of his land in the early 1820s, his name continued to be associated with the land for decades beyond. Even today, there are still property boundaries which trace to Big Bear’s Reserve line. The presentation will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City. Conversation and refreshments will follow the presentation. Attendance at the genealogical society’s monthly meetings is free of charge, but donations are greatly appreciated.

Check out small businesses resources Thinking about starting a business in Haywood County or growing an existing business? Take advantage of the programs, services and resources provided by the Small Business Center. The North Carolina Community College’s Small Business Center Network facilitates an economic impact in all the state’s counties each year and ranks number one in the U.S. for total business seminars and participants. In addition, the network helps start an average of over 650 businesses every year and works to create and retain 4,750 jobs annually for North Carolina. Visit ncsbc.net for more information. Haywood Community College is part of the North Carolina Community College System and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools Commission on Colleges. Founded in 1965, it is an open-door institution with the mission of serving the educational needs and economic growth of our community by promoting lifelong student learning and success. This includes programs for Haywood County high school students through Career and College Promise and Haywood Early College. The college campus, a designated arboretum, boasts one of the most beautiful college campuses in the state with an iconic mill pond, seasonal dahlia and rhododendron gardens, an 18-hole disc golf course and a walking trail.

Opinion Wastewater monitoring offers reliable health data I Smoky Mountain News

f you want to know whether COVID-19 infections are rising or falling, look to the sewers. Wastewater monitoring (also known as wastewater surveillance or wastewaterbased epidemiology) offers a novel way to monitor the health of a population as a whole. Today, wastewater is the only timely source of information on COVID-19 available, and it’s what officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization turn to when assessing the risk of disease transmission. The rapid rise in wastewater research during the pandemic has yielded several new insights about this innovative approach to public health surveillance. Below are four key features of wastewater monitoring that address some commonly held misconceptions. First, wastewater monitoring is a proven, reliable method to track COVID-19 trends. In 2021-2022, when case data were being consistently reported, the N.C. DHHS’ wastewater dashboard showed that trends in wastewater viral concentrations and case counts aligned. In fact, analyses my colleagues and I conducted using data from the North Carolina Wastewater Monitoring Network revealed incredibly strong correlations between wastewater and case data in Buncombe and Jackson counties (estimated at 0.8 to 0.9 on a scale of 0 to 1). Second, wastewater monitoring provides early warnings for new disease outbreaks, variants and health threats. SARSCoV-2 concentrations in wastewater often uptick days to weeks before corresponding upticks in COVID-19 case counts.

Supporting college faculty is essential To the Editor: I read your article regarding Guaranteed College Scholarships with an enthusiastic interest. I fully support financial assistance to students; however, it is my belief that any qualified student can attend one of our community colleges if not a four-year university. Financial need rarely prevents a determined student from an education. There are many, many ways to earn and fund an education. The much bigger problem is an enthusiastic and fully supported faculty and the distance between instructors and administrators. I graduated from Southwestern Community College’s Physical Therapist Assistant program in 2010. Attending SCC was one of the best and certainly most lifechanging decisions I have ever made. As a retired N.C. State employee, I wasn’t ready to “enjoy the good life,” so I entered SCC and, much to my surprise, I found the great life. I benefited from absolutely top-notch instructors who took me through the owner’s manuals of the human body cell by cell. I have an undergraduate degree from UT and a master’s from WCU. I learned more in the years at SCC than all my prior education combined. This was primarily due to the enthusiasm and dedication of my instructors. I was beyond impressed. In my first year of work, my encore degree from SCC earned me almost twice the annual income of my highestincome year as a 25-year state employee. My

That’s because people shed the virus in their stools days before they may exhibit symptoms and get tested, if they do at all. For this reason, wastewater is considered a leading indicator of infections, while cases and hospitalizations are lagging indicators. In terms of practical value, wastewater monitoring has been used to contain outbreaks in college dorms; modify treatment approaches in hospitals as the dominant variant shifted from Delta to Omicron; and identify emerging health threats like poliovirus, mpox, cholera and high-risk substances such as fentanyl and xylazine. Third, wastewater data offer a more complete picture of infections in Guest Columnist a community than case counts or hospitalizations. Wastewater monitoring automatically includes people regardless of whether they get tested or have the means to visit a doctor. Moreover, the data capture asymptomatic infections (which, by some estimates, account for 40% of all COVID-19 infections), as well as infections among tourists who might be contributing to local transmission (but who would not be reflected in local case counts). Fourth, wastewater data provide a representative sample of WNC residents. Like with U.S. Census data, wastewater monitoring provides insights about an entire community

Aparna Keshaviah

LETTERS PTA license literally opened every door to travel anywhere in the United States. At some point in my 10-year encore profession I realized that I had developed a debt of gratitude to those instructors and the institution that supported me. Three years ago I approached the SCC Foundation with a request to initiate a fund to honor those instructors through an excellence in education recognition program that would offer a modest stipend to outstanding instructors. I initially intended that the institution would make all graduates aware of this effort. I was told there was no mechanism to even locate graduates let alone offer them an opportunity to participate. The minimum dollar amount to open a standalone fund at SCC is $15,000. My debt of gratitude only went to the $10,000 level, so I proposed a match wherein I would donate the first $5,000, The Foundation would seek contributions of the next $5,000 and I would then donate an additional $5,000 for the $15,000 threshold. We signed an agreement and I reached into my very modest 401k. It was a great personal joy to invest in the recognition of teaching excellence at the expense of my own security. It didn’t make much sense to me to measure an institution’s success by numbers of students if your staff isn’t highly skilled, motivated and appreciated. Surely having more excellent, enthusiastic and appreciated instructors would result in greater student recruitment and both student and staff long-term success.

using a sample of the population (even the CDC-led National Wastewater Surveillance System covers only 40% of the U.S. population). Although North Carolina has one of the highest rates of unsewered populations, estimated at roughly 50% statewide, research we’ve done in collaboration with the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services confirms that wastewater data collected by the state effectively represents countywide and statewide residents, including those served by septic systems. Importantly, if people’s homes are not connected to a sewer system, their infections can still be captured in wastewater data if they use public restrooms in sewered facilities (for example, at work or retail locations). On a final note, because wastewater monitoring offers a cost-effective way to collect non-identifiable data, it holds particular value for rural communities, where resources and data can be sparse. Over the past three years, wastewater data have helped shape public health messaging and pandemic response here in Western North Carolina and across the country. What’s most exciting is that we’ve only just begun to tap into this priceless information stream that flows freely beneath our feet. (Aparna Keshaviah is the Director of Wastewater Research at Mathematica — a data and analytics consultancy — where she conducts wastewater research in collaboration with state and local governments (including in Jackson and Haywood counties), foundations (such as The Rockefeller Foundation), and multi-national organizations (including the World Bank). She resides in Haywood County. aparnak@post.harvard.edu.)

Well, not so fast. We allowed a two-year period to raise the needed $5,000 that would result in my additional $5,000 match. During that time, I am told by the foundation that all staff, board members and every donor were made aware of this Excellence in Teaching fund. The fund has no association with my name other than I asked to be listed as the initiator for historical reference on our agreement. One donor made a $1,000 contribution as a portion of a much larger donation. That’s it. No faculty, no administrators, no one in a leadership role gave anything, nada, nothing. I was beyond disappointed, stunned that no leadership emerged with even a token contribution to encourage others in administrative management roles to participate. In fact, I was questioned by the foundation at the time of the $1,000 donation as to whether I really intended to make the second $5,000 match. The problem with education, I am learning, is with administrators, well paid, deep into six figures, stacked one on the other so our school will be highly ranked. So we get shinier buildings, larger billboards, greater

influence on legislators and one-off funding grants. Faculty go largely ignored until there is a complaint. They are generally underpaid and certainly disposable. The best instructors work from the heart and it shows in the success of their students. They deserve to be recognized. A highly motivated faculty is an

institution’s best recruiting strategy. Support them, and students will come. The fund did meet the threshold, but only at the last minute and only through a sleight of hand using already “undesignated funds” to garner my match. To my knowledge no one within the institution gave anything in support of excellence in teaching. Lee Crites Sylva

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Smoky Mountain News

That mountain sound ‘An Appalachian Evening’ celebrates 25 years

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR elebrating a quarter-century this coming summer, the “An Appalachian Evening” live music series at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville brings in some of the biggest names in bluegrass, old-time, mountain and Americana music. “I think about the quality of the entertainment that we’ve been able to provide over the 25 years we’ve been doing this,” said Jennifer West, executive director of the SVCAC. “And it came from the vision of our original founding members of this organization, this vision they had for the center and what it could be for the community.” The series is a “who’s who,” with the likes of Balsam Range, The Steeldrivers, Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver and Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen, among countless others, gracing the stage over the years. “There’s a purposeful method of looking at who’s hot on the scene,” West said. “Not only in bluegrass, but out there in other music scenes that fit into what we do here — who’s popular and who’s up-and-coming.” With a capacity of just about 320 people, the history of the stage is as long and varied as the list of musicians that

Want to go? The “An Appalachian Evening” series will return to the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville. The annual summer concert series offers an ever-changing schedule of bluegrass, folk and old-time mountain music by awardwinning artists — quality entertainment for the entire family. Rich in cultural heritage, the series continues to be a favorite with locals and visitors alike. All concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. in the air-conditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium. Performers include Dale Ann Bradley (June 29), Pretty Little Goat (July 6), Rick Faris (July 13), Jeff Little Trio (July 20), Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues (July 27), Mean Mary (Aug. 3), Seth Mulder & Midnight Run (Aug. 10), Kruger Brothers (Aug. 17), Samantha Snyder (Aug. 24) and Balsam Range (Aug. 31). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364, email info@stecoahvalleycenter.com or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com.

stepped in front of the microphone. Though the original schoolhouse building was constructed in 1926, the auditorium stage played host to some of biggest names in bluegrass in the 1940s and 1950s. Legendary acts like Bill Monroe & The Blue Grass Boys, The Carter Family, Flatt & Scruggs, Chet Atkins and more performed in the auditorium for locals and visitors alike. And a good number of those who played there also appeared on the popular “Mid-Day Merry Go Round” radio program on WNOX in nearby Knoxville, Tennessee. The 2024 installment will kick off with Dale Ann Bradley June 29, with other rising strings acts (Pretty Little The Stecoah Valley Center is an arts and cultural hub for the tightly knit mountain Goat), blues legends (Mac Arbold & community. Its ‘An Appalachian Evening’ live music series turns 25 years old in 2024. Plate Full O’Blues) and acoustic icons The building itself was constructed as a schoolhouse in 1926. File photos (Kruger Brothers) also rolling into the center. Balsam Range will return to tie a day-to-day basis and those who come on concert nights,” West bow on the season as the last performance Aug. 31. said. “You come here and you can’t believe in this little neck of “Over the years, our lineup has been really strong, featuring Graham County that there’s this little gem of a place — it has great local/regional musicians and people who have gone up just a great vibe.” the ranks of the bluegrass world,” West said. “And we’ve been And, in just two years, the old schoolhouse building itself able to keep that [caliber of artists] up. There’s also a strong will be having its 100th anniversary, with West and her colfollowing of people who come to the concerts who just love leagues not only already thinking about that milestone, but this auditorium.” also what lies ahead for the center itself. The center came about when the school closed in 1994 due “It is a very big milestone,” West said. “We just want to to district consolidation. The massive building sat empty and keep this whole process going, figuring out how we can grow abandoned for several years before Graham County took it the center, keep it alive and bring more people in to experience over and launched the nonprofit organization in 1996 that what we’ve got here.” became the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. With the lineup for “An Appalachian Evening” now released “It was a group of citizens that formed the nonprofit in and tickets available for purchase, West is looking forward to order to create the art center, but part of our mission is to keep once again walking into an auditorium buzzing with the energy the building intact as the center of the community,” West said. of a community coming together — this sacred two-way inter“It’s this twofold project to promote Appalachian culture and action of artistic performance and cultural appreciation. music and to keep this building alive.” “There’s not a bad seat in the house. My favorite place to sit Nowadays, the center is a 10-acre property focusing on art, is actually at the very back of the auditorium up against the nature, history and music through year-round programming wall,” West said. “Even back there, you can see the whole view and a keen sense of community outreach. of the auditorium and the performers onstage — it’s such a “I really love interacting with the guests that we have on a beautiful, intimate setting.”

HOT PICKS BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

‘When the trees are bare and the barns are white with frost’

1 2 3 4

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Shane Meade (indie/soul) at 8 p.m. Friday, March 1.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Clint Black (country) at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2. The “Love” exhibition will run through March 3 at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville. “Battle of the Beans” chili cookoff will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin.

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Smoky Mountain News

air rolls across the city and nearby horse country. It’s funny when one reflects on these exact moments, these Lexington’s Chevy Chase Inn opened in 1933. Garret K. Woodward photo random spots on this planet of ours where we continually find ourselves from time to time. Sure, on the surface, these cheap motels are incredibly basic and mostly forgettable to the passerby. But, maybe it’s the sentimentalist in me when I think about how this random building and property is a dot on the map of my wanderings and ponderings, my trials sation with strangers that became fast and tribulations of a life hopefully well-lived friends (still friends to this day). — the ever-unfolding trajectory of time and The last two junctures of my existence space at $43.95 a night. that have brought me back to this Red Roof That same sentimental state of self and of Inn involved my ongoing work with Rolling the unrelenting, restless open road, of inexStone. First was the fall of 2022, on assignment documenting popular Los Angeles rock pensive respite and sandpaper towels, of strangers pulling into the parking lot from act Dawes on a nationwide tour for its latest seemingly every direction, from destinations album, the show on the outdoor stage at The unknown, remains as fascinating to me now Burl. Two nights of melodic debauchery and as it did when I took my first solo road trip Kentucky spirits in glasses with one ice cube. from my native Upstate New York to East Onward to this past week. Another Tennessee in the summer of 2005. Rolling Stone gig. This go-round in Nothing was ever the same after that. Bardstown, Kentucky, interviewing and The adventure remains, so do cheap doing a feature piece on a bourbon distillery motels. For an old road dog like myself usuand its push to bring more attention to its ally on a strict budget, I remain thankful for modern take on a beloved tradition. I had to such establishments. Red Roof Inn be at the distillery by 1 p.m. Sold. Head up the night before and cruise into the Red Roof Lexington North. Super 8 (Christiansburg, Virginia). Ranger Motel (Cheyenne, Inn Lexington North, just an hour down the Wyoming). Dunes Inn & Suites (Tybee road from Bardstown. Island, Georgia). Dude Rancher Lodge Bright, warm rays of sunshine stream (Billings, Montana). And so forth. into the east-facing window of the $43.95 Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all. per night cheap motel room. Crisp morning

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February 28-March 5, 2024

ello from Room 211 at the Red Roof Inn just off Interstate 64 in Lexington, Kentucky. Bright, warm rays of sunshine stream into the east-facing window of the $43.95 per night cheap motel room. Crisp morning air rolls across the city and nearby horse country. You know, looking back into the dusty memories of my ramblin’, I’ve spent five nights in this exact lodging establishment over the years. Six nights if you count the evening I illegally parked in the lot next door and slept in the back of my old 2001 GMC Sonoma. That illegal parking slumber was back in late September 2015. I was on assignment for The Smoky Mountain News. The gig was to head from our office in Waynesville to Bean Blossom, Indiana, to cover the induction of Haywood County banjo great Raymond Fairchild into Bill Monroe’s Bluegrass Hall of Fame. Fairchild passed away in 2019. In those days, I had no problem sleeping in the back of my truck to save a few bucks towards gas and food. Still don’t, truth be told. Less is more. Snug like a bug in a rug in my trusty sleeping bag under the camper shell of the truck bed, under the stars above and fluorescent parking lot floodlights. More pocket change for Waffle House in the morning, anyhow. Following the completion of the assignment up in Bean Blossom, I was somewhat in a hurry to get back to Western North Carolina, seeing as I’d already camped out a couple days in the truck to capture the music festival and induction. I was also aiming to return to Waynesville to salvage some of my Sunday Funday with friends. So, I pulled off I-64 and found a dive bar attached to a Days Inn, the Red Roof Inn Lexington North situated directly behind it. Road weary and in the last of my clean clothes, I was in search of cold suds and a hearty meal, perhaps even some live music if I was lucky enough to walk in on the right night. Park in the back of the lot and saunter in the bar. Entering the room, the glowing light of neon beer signs on the walls illuminated the space. A band was in the corner rockin’ out some Tom Petty and Lynyrd Skynyrd numbers. After consuming a chicken Philly cheesesteak and some almost-frozen Budweisers and watching the band for a full set, it was getting late and I decided to take a snooze in the truck. Several hours later, I awoke. The bar was now closed. Everyone was already home. Sunrise was quickly approaching. Get up.

Rub your eyes. Start the truck and go. Coffee and eggs at the nearby Waffle House. Before leaving, I glanced across the lot and small back field to the Red Roof Inn. So long Lexington — until next time. A couple years later, while on assignment for our sister publication, Smoky Mountain Living magazine, I found myself again in Lexington. This time it was doing a “36 hours in Lexington” travel piece, which included the likes of The Burl music venue, a couple restaurants in downtown and an overdue stop into the legendary Chevy Chase Inn — the oldest bar in the city, a place that only time itself could replicate. Check into the Red Roof Inn and away we went. At $43.95 a night, it was a damn good deal. Besides, I don’t need much, just clean sheets, Wi-Fi, a working television and good shower pressure. The Red Roof Inn Lexington North had it all. Wander the city and try to write it all down. Blurry scenes in elaborate bourbon lounges and wild conver-

Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2.

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On the beat • 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 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

‘Sing and Swing: Our American Songbook’

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

A special production of “Sing and Swing: Our American Songbook” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. Composers and trumpeters Benny Benack III and Bria Skonberg will lead a talented group featuring Jocelyn Gould (guitar), Mathis Picard (piano), Mark Lewandowski (bass) and Charles Goold (drums). “We’re both fans of the classic songbook era and the artists that made it possible. The fact that we’re still playing these songs 75 to 100 years after they were written is a testament to their quality,” Skonberg said. “Naturally, we gravitated towards the great pairings of trumpet players and vocalists, like Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald or Louis Prima and Keely Smith — we’ve listened to that music as long as we have played the trumpet.” The repertoire, noted co-leader Benack, will include songs such as Duke Ellington’s classic “In a Mellow Tone,” a duet featuring Skonberg on trumpet and vocals, featured in his most recent album, “Third Time’s the Charm”; Comes Love,” a nod to the inimitable Louis and Ella; “Banana Split for My Baby,” a cheeky swinger by Louis Prima and Keely Smith; and “I’m Glad There is You,” a classic by Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown. Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens (age 65 and older) and WCU faculty/staff, $15 for students/children (non-WCU) and $5 for WCU students. Doors open at 7 p.m. For more information on the event and/or to purchase tickets, go to arts.wcu.edu/sing-swing.

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host music bingo 7 p.m. Mondays, karaoke 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays, trivia 7 p.m. Thursdays, open mic night 10 p.m. and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com. • Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

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February 28-March 5, 2024

• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” sessions on select weekends. For more information, go to oldedwardshospitality.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host its weekly “Tuesday Jazz Series” with We Three Swing at 5:30 p.m., Seth & Sara March 1, JC Tokes March 2, JR March 8 and Muddy Guthrie March 9. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com. • Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturdays. Free and open to the public. Located at 573 East Main.

Smoky Mountain News

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Clint Black (country) 8 p.m. March 2. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee. • Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” on Thursdays, “Sunday Bluegrass Residency” from noon to 2:30 p.m. and the “Salon Series” with S.G. Goodman

On the stage • Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host comedian Brian Regan 9 p.m. Friday, March 1. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

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Benny Benack III will play WCU Feb. 29. Matt Baker photo

• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host Eireann’s Call (Celtic/rock) 7 p.m. March 14. For a full schedule of events and/or to purchase tickets, go to folkmoot.org. (Americana/indie) 8:30 p.m. March 21. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to highlandermountainhouse.com. • Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic w/Phil” 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. innovation-brewing.com. • Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host karaoke on the second/fourth Friday of the month, Shane Meade (indie/soul) March 2 and Gregory Clinton (jazz/blues) March 9. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Shane Meade (indie/soul) March 1 and Gregory Clinton (jazz/blues) March 8. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com. • Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host

an “Open Mic w/Frank Lee” Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com. • Otto Community Center (Otto) will host its “Monthly Music Jam” 6-9 p.m. March 14 (Americana/old-time). Musicians of all levels are welcome to join in. Bring a beverage and snack of your choice. Free and open to the public. go2ottonc.com or 770.335.0967 • Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.389.ARTS or thepeacocknc.org. • 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 or facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse. • 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. • Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a “Celtic Jam” 2-5 p.m., Sean Michael Kaye (singersongwriter) Feb. 29, Appalachian Renegades (rock/country) March 1, Jack McKeon & Amelia Ransom (Americana) March 7, Spiro Nicolopoulous Blues Apocalypse (rock/blues)

March 8 and The Get Right Band (rock/soul) March 9. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com. • Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host The Swingin’ Medallions (rock/R&B) March 2. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com or 866.273.4615. • 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. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or go to stecoahvalleycenter.com. • Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Wednesday” at 6:30 p.m. each week. 828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com. • Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Karaoke with Lori Feb. 29 and March 7, Second Chance March 1, Tricia Ann Band (country/rock) March 2, Whiskey Mountain March 8 and Ricky Gunter (country/rock) March 9. All shows are $5 at the door and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.538.2488. • Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts

On the street

• “Battle of the Beans” chili cook-off will be held from 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 29, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Franklin. Free to enter. Free to taste. To enter, sign up at the taproom or email franklintaproom@lazyhikerbrewing.com. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

Want to learn contra dancing?

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There will be a contra dance class offered from 6:30-9 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Contra dance is considered the most accessible and social of all dances, with participants moving in two long facing lines or in groups, and with frequent partner changes. With its roots in the British Isles and France, contra dance has become a traditional American dance form. No experience is needed to contra dance. All dances are taught. Beginners’ lessons start at 6:30 p.m., with dancing from 7-9 p.m. No need to bring a partner, but you’re welcome to do so. You may also bring a closed water container and snack. Wear comfortable clothes and shoes. Please don’t wear perfumes or strong scents. Admission is by donation, which helps pay for the musicians and callers for the evening. First-time attendees and children are admitted free. Caller will be Charley Harvey, with live music by Late to the Party. The event is produced by the Arts Council, Friends of Contra Dance in Macon County and the Macon County Public Library. For more information, call 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.

• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. For more information on upcoming events, wine tastings and special dinners, go to waynesvillewine.com. • “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturday at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420. • “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 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. For more information and/or to register, call 800.872.4681 or go to gsmr.com.

Contra dancing returns to Franklin Dec. 2. File photo

Harrah’s Cherokee welcomes Clint Black

Clint Black will play Cherokee March 2. File photo

Country superstar Clint Black will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort. Having sold over 20 million records, earning 22 No. 1 career singles, nearly twodozen gold and platinum awards (U.S. and Canada), a Grammy Award, numerous

CMA, ACM and American Music Awards, and being honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Black has had one of the most storied careers in modern music. Tickets start at $49.50 per person. For a full schedule of events and/or to buy tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

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February 28-March 5, 2024

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arts & entertainment

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arts & entertainment

On the wall • “Youth Art Month” will be held through March at the Franklin Uptown Gallery. Artwork from local Macon County students K-12 will be on display. A reception will be held from 3-5 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at the gallery. For more information, call 828.349.4607 or go to franklinuptowngallery.com. • “Spark of the Eagle Dancer: The Collecting Legacy of Lambert Wilson” will run through June 28 in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. This exhibition brings together a selection of baskets, pottery, carving, painting, photography and more. To learn more about the exhibition and reception, go to arts.wcu.edu/spark. The Fine Art Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.

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• 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, go to cre828.com. For more information on CRE828, email dawn@cre828.com or call 828.283.0523.

Smoky Mountain News

February 28-March 5, 2024

• 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. For more information, go to galleryzella.com or call 517.881.0959.

Bhutan arts, crafts exhibit Local resident Dennis Desmond will host a special “Arts & Crafts of Bhutan” presentation at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin. Desmond lived and worked in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan from 1994 to 1999. During the month of March, he will exhibit his collection of traditional Bhutanese arts and crafts at the library, ranging from handcrafted implements of daily living to intricate religious artworks that follow centuries-old traditions. During the presentation, Desmond will talk about his experiences. The Bhutan showcase will run through March 31 in Franklin. Donated photo The Bhutanese Arts & Crafts exhibit is sponsored by the Arts Council of Macon County. University students and the Mountain Heritage Center. For more information, call the library at 828.524.3600. Exhibit installation assistance provided by Western Carolina

Haywood Arts celebrates ‘Love’

• 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 at the monthly meetings. For more information, email waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net or follow them on Facebook: Waynesville Photography Club. • Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 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. For more information and a full schedule, go to haywoodarts.org. • Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. For more information and a full schedule, go to jcgep.org. • Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. For more information on the upcoming classes and/or to sign-up, go to southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center. • Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. For more information and a full schedule of activities, go to dogwoodcrafters.com/classes or call 828.586.2248.

As the first showcase of the year, the “Love” exhibition will run through March 3 at the Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts showroom in downtown Waynesville. Through a diverse range of mediums such as paintings, glasswork, ceramics, quilting, jewelry and more, HCAC artists skillfully conveyed their personal interpretations of love. This event not only marks the opening of an extraordinary exhibit, but also serves as the launch of the

“Give a HeART” project. Dedicated artist members generously donated their time and art supplies to create unique pieces of art on wooden panel hearts. These exquisite hearts will be available for purchase in the gallery until the end of February, with all proceeds directly benefiting the HCAC. 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. For more information, go to haywoodarts.org.

The HCAC ‘Love’ exhibit will run until March 3. Donated photo

WCU undergraduate exhibition, reception The 56th annual Juried Undergraduate Exhibition will run through March 22 at the Fine Art Museum in the Bardo Arts Center at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee. The exhibition is one of the longest-running Catamount art traditions. For emerging artists, this exhibition is an extraordinary opportunity to share their artwork with a larger public and to enhance their skills in presenting artwork in a professional gallery setting. Students’ work is reviewed by an outside art professional, one who has the challenge of making selections from the many talented students who submit an application. This year’s judge is Erika Diamond, a textile-focused artist, curator and educator based in Asheville.

WCU artists include Katie Barnett, Adam Bryant, Alexis Bumgardner, Jessie Butner, Matthew Cain, Zoila Carrasco, Nathalie Catalán, Isaiah Davis, Sally Drumheller, Rhiannon Eason, Anilia Hornsby, Gillian Kaminski, Kiara Leary, Madi Livingston, Joshua Masters, Gloria Melo-Estrada, Naomi Michelle, Michaela Morse, Berlyn Perdomo, Jessica Rial, Alexis Shafir, Samantha Taube, Daniel Velazquez Perez, Lydia Vereen and Gogaji Renn Yang. An awards ceremony and reception will be held from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, March 14, at the WCU Fine Art Museum.The reception will include a talk from the artists, complimentary hors d’oeuvres and drinks. Free parking is available. For more information, go to wcu.edu/bardo-artscenter/blog/posts/56th-annual-juried.aspx.

‘Thinking of You’ is a textile/ screen printed sewn book/skirt by Anilia Hornsby. Donated photo

On the shelf “Stand your ground! Don’t fire unless fired upon! But if they want to have a war, let it begin here.” — Captain Parker, Lexington Green, 1775 “To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace.” — George Washington, Address to Congress, 1790

ple who don’t know why we celebrate July 4th, who can’t identify the “Father of the Constitution,” who appear never to have heard of the Bill of Rights, and who can’t name our enemies in World War II. Mention the name Taylor Swift to most Americans these days, and surely 99% of them will at least know her as a performer. Mention personages like Abigail Adams, Stonewall Jackson, Booker T. Washington, or Dwight

“War is cruelty, and you cannot refine it.” — William T. Sherman, Atlanta, Georgia, 1864

“No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.” — George Patton, 31 May 1944 In an article I recently wrote for publication was this paragraph:

Eisenhower, and see what happens. This shameful ignorance is doubled when the topic is military history, which most schools and colleges have neglected for decades. Since World War II, we’ve spent more than 70 years waging war around the world, yet most Americans know little about the history of war, its purpose, its costs in blood and treasure and the reasons for our political failures in these conflicts. The military leaders quoted above, and some of today’s veterans, know as Gen. Sherman once said that “War is hell,” but most of us have never seen the face of war or even pay much heed to its consequences. In “Don’t Tread on Me: A 400-Year History of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting” (Regnery Publishing, 2024, 526 pages), H.W. Crocker brings us an updated version of his earlier saga of our past. Here readers can learn about the French and Indian War, including young George Washington’s vital role in that conflict, the war for our independence, the wars brought on by America’s movement west, the horrific civil war between North and South, and all the conflicts since then. In this chronicle Crocker blends facts, dates and events with scores of fascinating anec-

‘Oscar Wilde and the Art of Lying’ Dan Desjardins’ presentation of his book “Oscar Wilde and the Art of Lying” will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 2, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva. Utilizing Wilde’s own characters Vivian and Cyril, this critique in play format begins by discussing the playwright’s ideas on the relation of “Art to Life,” exploring his pronouncements on the artist’s true purpose. Wilde’s statement about the artist as a creator of beauty, found in his “Preface to the Picture of Dorian Gray,” is then examined with regard to his last and most popular play, “The Importance of Being Earnest.” For more information, call the bookstore at 828.586.9499.

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Unfortunately, those scores have continued to head south. Just last year, in a Los Angeles Times column “When American students don’t understand history, what are democracy’s chances?” Nicholas Goldberg notes that only 13% of eighth-graders now test-score as proficient in history, demonstrating an abysmal ignorance of our past which, as he points out, extends to the population at large. Of this unhappy failure of education, Mr. Goldberg writes, “History matters, as does an understanding of our government and how it works. Especially in times like these. We’re an increasingly polarized country in an increasingly globalized world — and only with informed and engaged citizens can a democracy like ours function.” This ignorance of our past now extends to all age groups in our culture, not just to students. In those man-on-the-street interviews that appear on YouTube, we find peo-

Writer

Doesn't D oes n't't matter m matt ma tter e when when h you're you o 're ou'r lost in a book! boo b k! k

February 28-March 5, 2024

In his 2011 article, “Knowledge of American History Rapidly Becoming History,” Glen Ricketts reports that the most recent “Nation’s Report Card” study found that only 20% of fourth-graders, 17% of eighth-graders, and 12% of high school seniors tested proficient on a rudimentary survey of American history. Reflecting on this neglect of our nation’s story in our schools, Mr. Ricketts, who teaches history, writes, “I’m not shocked, needless to say, since things have been going south for quite a while.”

Jeff Minick

“It is well that war is so terrible, or we should grow too fond of it.” — Robert E. Lee, Fredericksburg, 1862

dotes and details. The fighting men mentioned above are only a few of the historical figures we meet on these pages. Moreover, Crocker’s account of these conflicts outlines American history in general. He provides background for all these conflicts, thereby fleshing out even more of our past. Reading this narrative history, which is not only informative but fast-paced and entertaining, makes this book an excellent text for everyone from ages 16 to 80, especially those interested in military history. At the end of “Don’t Tread on Me,” Crocker deals swiftly with the tremendous problems facing today’s military services, ranging from the increasing reluctance of American youth to enlist to the misguided focus on cultural changes within the ranks to the detriment of combat readiness. And here he gives us one more reason to study our past. He writes, “As people, we need inspiration. We are, unfortunately, unlikely to find it among our current cultural leaders, institutions or politicians. But we can find it in the storied history they have disparaged.” Neglect the past as we have, neglect the men and women who brought us such revolutionary ideas as “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,” natural rights and equality before the law, and that road of ignorance leads to one destination: tyranny. Only by knowing our past — the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly — can we keep those freedoms and rights which Americans have for so long treasured. (Jeff Minick reviews books and has written four of his own: two novels, “Amanda Bell” and “Dust On Their Wings,” and two works of nonfiction, “Learning As I Go” and “Movies Make the Man.” minick0301@gmail.com.)

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A history of U.S. wars is worth a read

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828.246.9155 977 N Main St Waynesville NC 28786

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School on the trail Nikki Paganelli’s fifthgrade students explore the new trail. Nikki Paganelli photo

Carolina Mountain Club builds trail at North Canton Elementary BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR he tangle of trees and vines beyond the playground fence at North Canton Elementary School used to be a no-go zone for students, years of accumulated balls a testament to a long-time school rule against jumping the fence. “When they lost something, it was gone,” said fifth-grade teacher Nikki Paganelli. Now, the 2 acres beyond the fence offer students a place to find something — insight into science and the natural world. A new 0.27-mile trail loops through the property, an outdoor classroom for students and an after-hours walking path for community members. Paganelli had the idea that birthed the trail last summer, while participating in a week-long professional development course from the N.C. Forestry Association. The teachers were asked to come up with a goal to bring back to their school when the week ended. Paganelli remembered hearing about a school in Asheville that had built a trail on school grounds, and she thought something like that would be great at North Canton.

CMC volunteers install steps during a winter workday. Priscilla Estes photo

“I knew we had a ton of land that just wasn’t used at all,” Paganelli said. “And I was trying to figure out how are we going to get it built, because I don’t know the first thing about building a trail. At first, I didn’t even know if it was possible.”

CMC’s Waynesville Wednesday Crew took the lead, with crew leader Chris Werbylo and member Priscilla Estes guiding the effort. Paganelli made the connection over the summer, and trail work started in earnest in late November, after the leaves had fallen and the understory had died back. “It was fun,” Estes said. “I’d never plotted a trail before and all you did was really you just — the land kind of spoke to you, told you which way to go. I wished my own land at my own house spoke to me that way.” The first thing the crew did was to spread out and walk all around the property, flagging any points of interest they found. “And then we tried to connect the dots and see if we could make that into a trail,” Werbylo said. The group showed up every Wednesday to lay out the trail, dig out the path, cut out invasive plants and build steps, guardrails, a bridge and cribbing along the edge of the 3-footwide trail. The result is a 0.27-mile path that takes off behind the fence that backs the playground. It hugs the contour of the slope before dipping down to cross an ephemeral stream channel and then climbs back uphill. Hikers can loop back in a lollipop toward the trailhead or shoot off

“When we first started to talk about the trail, we thought we would have to purchase a bunch of lumber to build the bridge and the steps and what not. But everything was right there.” — Chris Werblyo

Parts of the property were pretty steep, and Paganelli wasn’t sure it would be a suitable spot for a trail. Though she’s an avid hiker, she didn’t know much about trail building. However, she had once spent a day volunteering on trail maintenance with the Carolina Mountain Club, and she figured the club might be able to help. She put out a call, and CMC’s members answered.

The new trail loops through a previously unused 2-acre corner of the North Canton Elementary campus. Holly Kays photo

Help finish the trail

A section of the Appalachian Trail beckons hikers. Jaimie Matzko/DLiA photo

The Great Smokies EcoAdventure, a fundraising event for Discover Life in America, will be held April 21-23 near Gatlinburg. Featuring “glamping,” gourmet food and drink, guided nature hikes and live music, the event will support DLIA’s mission to conduct biodiversity research in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To date, DLiA has helped add 12,083 species to the inventory of roughly 21,800 species in the park, including 1,079 that are new to science. All-inclusive tickets are $950 apiece. Space limited. Register at dlia.org.

outdoors

The trail is complete, but a community workday to put on the finishing touches will be held starting at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, at North Canton Elementary School.

‘Glamp’ the Smokies

Parents and community members are wanted to help spread gravel at the trailhead area, alleviating sometimes slippery conditions on these steeper sections of trail. To volunteer, contact Nikki Paganelli at npaganelli@haywood.k12.nc.us.

Go the extra mile for trail maintenance Wednesday Crew leader Chris Werbylo (from left), fifth grade teacher Nikki Paganelli and Wednesday Crew member Priscilla Estes stand on the newly completed trail. Holly Kays photo shows that kids need movement, they need kinesthetic learning, so these are opportunities for us to get that.” She expects the trail to also be a hit for teachers who work with children with special needs — taking a walk outside can act as a sensory break, helping kids to calm back down and refocus. When school’s not in session, it will be available to the community too. For whoever wants to use it, the new trail will offer a nearby outlet to experience a sliver of the natural beauty that makes Western North Carolina a destination for many. “A lot of these kids have never been to the [Blue Ridge] Parkway, they’ve never been to the National Park,” Paganelli said. “They haven’t even been through Pisgah, really so to let them know what they’re living around and how lucky they are to be in this place where we live.”

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February 28-March 5, 2024

uphill to the other trailhead on the opposite end of the playground. The project was a successful one for CMC, Werbylo said. For the Waynesvillebased Wednesday crew, it was a nearby spot, and the trail-in-progress was just a short walk from the parking lot, making it easy to get materials to and from the site. Moreover, the site was full of downed locust trees, whose wood trail builders favor for its resistance to rot. “When we first started to talk about the trail, we thought we would have to purchase a bunch of lumber to build the bridge and the steps and whatnot,” Werblyo said. “But everything was right there.” In fact, while the project is valued at $21,225, the cash price was quite slim. Nearly all that value — about $20,670 — was in the 689 volunteer hours CMC’s Waynesville Wednesday Crew contributed, with some help from the Friday Trail Maintenance Crew as well. The U.S. Forest Service values each volunteer hour at $30. Besides that, the project required about $555 for rebar, screws and soil stabilizer, which was funded from the school budget. CMC finished the trail on Feb. 7. Now, Paganelli is thinking about how to incorporate it into her lesson plans. “I teach fifth grade — that’s the first year that they have a science [End of Grade exam], so science is really important,” she said. Current ideas include taking water samples from the creek bed, hunting for salamanders, tree identification, learning about ecosystems and using a big white oak tree for math activities calculating volume and circumference. “I love science just because I love the outdoors,” Paganelli said. “So anytime I can get them outside is exciting to me, because I just prefer to be outside. And all the research

A new Carolina Mountain Club trail crew, dubbed the Extra Mile Crew, has been formed to work on trail sections likely to be missed by existing crews. The Extra Mile Crew targets people who can move faster on the trail, going the “extra mile” to get to trail sections that are difficult to reach and therefore suffering from a lack of maintenance. Currently, the crew is focusing on the Art Loeb Trail through Shining Rock Wilderness. Existing members are mostly trail runners, many of whom are new to trail maintenance but eager to learn. The crew meets about once every two months on a weekend day. The most recent outing was Feb. 4 and sponsored by local outdoor company Lighthearted Gear, which provided coffee and donuts ahead of a big climb up to Cold Mountain. For more information, contact john.e.haffner@gmail.com.

Locust logs found on the property provided lumber for bridges, steps and cribbing. Priscilla Estes photo

outdoors

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Celebrate CSA Month by lining up your source for fresh fruits and vegetables this growing season, with a CSA Fair planned for 4-5:30 p.m. Friday, March 8, at the YWCA of Asheville. A CSA, or Community Supported Agriculture, program allows members to purchase a share of a farm’s harvest upfront and receive a weekly box of fresh produce or other farm goods. The best time to sign up is February and early March, prompting the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project to declare Feb. 15 to March 15 as CSA Month. The March 8 fair will highlight farms offering a CSA in Buncombe County. To find opportunities in other Western North Carolina counties, as well as bordering counties in South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, visit asapconnections.org/csa. When choosing a CSA, consider the convenience of pickup times and locations, the farm’s growing practices and appropriate share size. Some farms offer variations on the traditional model, such as

Explore the MST

Smoky Mountain News

February 28-March 5, 2024

Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail will hold its annual gathering May 3-5 at Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, with an agenda that includes guided hikes, excursions, trail building workshops and more. The weekend will begin Friday, May 3, with a welcome reception and dinner, continuing with the annual meeting May 4.

A CSA box from Encompass Farm contains a variety of produce. ASAP photo online selection, shorter commitment or a market share in which members pay upfront but select their own produce at the farmers market each week. Guided hikes and excursions will take place all three days. Specifics of the itinerary will be posted online as those details are confirmed. Friends of the MST is a nonprofit with a mission to support continued development and maintenance of the 1,175-mile cross-state trail. For more information, including pricing and itinerary updates, visit mountainstoseatrail.org/gathering-offriends.

Bear with bears

Puzzles can be found on page 30

Dive into the natural history of black bears at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 6, at the Reuter Center at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Ashley Hobbs, a bear biologist with the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, will discuss black bear biology, behavior, what to do in a bear encounter and how to safely coexist with these Western North Carolina treasures. The talk is offered as part of the WNC Sierra Club’s regular monthly meeting, available both in person and on Zoom. To attend virtually, register at wncsierraclub.org.

Bears becoming accustomed to human trash creates danger for them and for their human neighbors. Beth Pape photo

These are only the answers.

Shoot sharp Learn the fundamentals of archery during a youth program 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at the Cashiers/Glenville Recreation Center. This program will be taught by former Level 2 USA Archery Instructors and closely follow USA Archery guidelines, rules and curriculum. Each archer will have the choice between using a compound bow or a re-curve. All equipment is provided.

However, in the meantime the range is closed for updates. Once it reopens, people using the range must check in at the Cullowhee Recreation Center first. Only target points are permitted on arrows and bolts. Sky drawing and shooting are prohibited, and cameras have been installed to monitor shooting activities. The program is open to ages 10-14 and limited to eight participants. The fee is $10. Register at jcprd.recdesk.com/community/program.

Smokies Life CEO to retire

laborative leader who understands governmental and business partnerships,” said Mitch Crisp, Smokies Life board member and chair of the search committee. “The ideal candidate has the skills and experience to sustain the organization’s success as an industry leader in interpretive retail and publishing.” Founded in 1953, Smokies Life supports preservation in the Smokies through both education and financial support, giving cash and inkind donations exceeding $2.8 million annually. Since its inception, Smokies Life has donated more than $50 million to America’s most-visited national park. More information about the position is available at potrerogroup.com/executivesearch/smokies-life-chief-executive-officer. For priority consideration, interested candidates should apply by March 17. To share recommendations, contact Cleveland Justis at cjustis@potrerogroup.com.

outdoors

Following CEO Laurel Rematore’s announcement that she intends to retire at the end of 2024, Smokies Life, formerly known as the Great Smoky Mountains Association, has launched a national search for her successor. Rematore moved to Eastern Tennessee in January 2016 to lead the organization following the retirement of Terry Maddox, who had spent 26 years in the role. Since 2001, Rematore had worked for organizations supporting Yosemite National Park in California and Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. “I have enjoyed tremendously my eight years here at one of the most successful and productive cooperating associations in the National Park System,” Rematore said. “I am excited both about my retirement and about the future of

Smokies Life. Through careful planning in collaboration with our board and senior staff leadership, I will be leaving it in capable hands.” A press release hailed Rematore as a “constant beacon of insight and growth” through her involvement with the Public Lands Alliance, while in the Smokies she “championed an inclusive team culture, encouraged open communication, valued diverse perspectives and fostered strong, collaborative relationships between all the park’s partners.” The nonprofit’s retail, wholesale, membership and publishing programs have “flourished” under her leadership. Smokies Life has retained national strategy and search firm Potrero Group to facilitate the search for a new CEO — a strategic, transformative leader who will work to deepen the impact of the organization and ensure its interpretive mission, retail services, publishing and partnerships continue to grow and thrive. “The incoming CEO must be a strategic, col-

Laurel Rematore. File photo

Camping fee increase proposed for Parkway

Meet the birds of Lake Chatuge

Birders watch the lake for avian residents. MountainTrue photo

Volunteers are wanted to help the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission stock trout into the West Fork Pigeon River in Haywood County beginning at 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 4. The group will meet at the upper Delayed Harvest parking area across N.C. 215 from the

gun range, below Sunburst Campground. Volunteers should bring a clean 5-gallon bucket and a friend or two. Waders are recommended but not required. The NCWRC will bring at least 1,200 pounds of fish. The goal is to help disperse them throughout the Delayed Harvest section to allow for a better fishing experience. The stocking will take about three hours, with at least 25 volunteers needed. tucataloochee427@gmail.com.

Show girl power on the trail

Smoky Mountain News

Join MountainTrue’s 18th annual caravan around the Lake Chatuge shoreline to view a variety of birds 7:30-9:30 a.m. Saturday, March 9. Typically, 18-25 different species are observed, ranging from small songbirds to larger birds of prey and wintering waterfowl commonly associated with more northerly climes. Retired Young Harris College professor and MountainTrue member Brenda Hull will lead the bird watch again this year. A spotting scope is provided for up-close views, but participants should still bring binoculars and a favorite bird identification guide, if they have them. Cost is $5 for MountainTrue members or $15 for nonmembers. Kids 8 and up are welcome, but everyone under 18 must be accompanied by an adult. No pets. In case of inclement weather, the outing will be held Saturday, March 16. Sign up at mountaintrue.org/event.

Help fill the West Fork with trout

February 28-March 5, 2024

The Blue Ridge Parkway is proposing a significant increase to camping fees, with public comments accepted through Friday, March 15. Under the proposal, standard sites in the Parkway’s eight front country campgrounds would go from $20 per night to $30, while front country group sites at Linville Falls, Doughton Park and Rocky Knob would go from $35 to $45. The dump fees and shower fees for non-campers would double from $3 to $6. The Parkway’s three backcountry campsites, which previously carried no charge, would now cost $15 per night. The last major fee increase on the Parkway occurred in 2016. According to a press release, the new rates were proposed following research on local campground rates and services provided outside the park. The proposed rates were found to be comparable with current market rates in the surrounding area. The new front country camping fees would mirror those currently in place in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, where standard front country campground sites cost $30 per night, though backcountry camping in the Smokies is significantly cheaper at $8 per night. Revenue from recreation fees helps fund facility maintenance, future campground improvement projects and increased costs associated with campground operations. Following public engagement and National Park Service approval, new fees could be implemented as soon as May 2024. To comment visit parkplanning.nps.gov/blri2024fees or mail hard copies to Blue Ridge Parkway HQ, 199 Hemphill Knob Road, Asheville, NC 28803, RE: Campground fee comment.

Celebrate International Women’s Day with a hike and trail workday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 9, at Cold Mountain Trailhead in Panthertown Valley Backcountry Recreation Area. This partnership hike with Girls Schoolhouse Falls. File photo Who Hike NC will cover about 3.5 miles, with half a mile of that being a steep incline to reach the top of Little Green Mountain. The group will do some tread maintenance on the Panthertown Valley Trail before heading up Little Green Mountain for lunch at Tranquility Point, which offers one of the best views of the valley. Wear closed-toed, sturdy shoes and long pants. All equipment will be provided, as well as snacks and beverages. RSVP at panthertown.org/events. 27

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NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION Case No.2024 E 000105 Donna Messer Hunter, KDYLQJ TXDOL¿HG DV WKH Administrator of the Estate of Maggie ParaLee Messer of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to notify all persons having claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before May 14 2024, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery. All persons indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment. Administrator 368 Dolan Road Waynesville, NC 28786

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Smoky Mountain News February 28-March 5, 2024