Smoky Mountain News | January 5, 2022

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January 5-11, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 32

EBCI hopes to expand Qualla Boundary Page 5 Jackson, Macon work to resolve boundary dispute Page 11

CONTENTS On the Cover: Last year’s devastating floods left yet another indelible mark on the Haywood County town of Canton, but the blue-collar mill town that refuses to stay down has a lot of work to do in 2022 as it endeavors to continue the “Canton comeback” that had been in full swing for the past half-decade.

The swollen Pigeon River (center) inundated downtown Canton for the second time in less than 20 years. A Shot Above WNC photo

News Jackson County tourism stronger than ever ................................................................4 EBCI hopes to expand Qualla Boundary ....................................................................5 Jackson to purchase new policing equipment ..........................................................8 Tribal Council balks at ‘no hunting’ request ................................................................9 Jackson, Macon work to resolve boundary line ......................................................11 Cases surge with Omicron arrival ..............................................................................12 Community Almanac ........................................................................................................13

Opinion Do your part, let’s beat this thing ................................................................................14

A&E

Smoky Mountain News

January 5-11, 2022

Haywood artisan combines love of horses, jewelry ..............................................16 Rowdy adventures: a review of “Sharpe’s Assassin” ............................................21

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news

Jackson County tourism stronger than ever

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER ourism in Jackson County is set to break all records for fiscal year 2021-22, and for the first time ever, county officials will get to choose capital projects to fund with tourism dollars.

“We have increased tourism spending in Jackson County to the tune of almost $300 million, and that is only second behind Buncombe County,” said Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Director Nick Breedlove.

At the end of 2021, tourism was employing more than 2,000 people in Jackson County, an increase of more than 200 tourism-related jobs from the previous year. According to JCTDA reports, tourism generates $84.5 million in paychecks.

“A lot of people see tourism as traffic concerns or littering. What I see is it helps put food on people’s tables and helps people pay their mortgages,” said Breedlove.

According to Tourism Economics, a nationwide firm, people visiting Jackson County spent $292 million at local businesses in 2021.

That’s an average of more than $800,000 going to local, small businesses every day.

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One positive trend seen throughout 2021 is the number of available short-term rentals in the county and the amount of revenue they generate. On every overnight stay in Jackson County there is a 4% room tax, which funds the JCTDA budget. Airbnbs, and similar short-term rentals had explosive growth around the country during the pandemic.

Just in the Cashiers, Sapphire, Glenville area, the short-term rental market has grown by at least 300 homes in the last three years.

“That does have an effect on housing, rentals and affordable housing. That’s a challenge that not only we, but a lot of communities are facing right now,” said Breedlove.

While the share of people staying in shortterm vacation rentals may be increasing, the percentage of people staying in hotels and motels appears to be decreasing steadily. For the 2019-20 fiscal year, more than 60% of overnight stays in Jackson County were short-

term vacation rentals.

During the month of October, occupancy in commercial lodging sat at 74.8%, while short-term rental lodging was at 67% occupancy. However, commercial lodging generated $1.5 million in revenue and short-term rentals generated $5 million.

“We’re seeing this trend continue and everyone nationwide is wondering if it’s going to correct itself and people will shift back to hotels. But right now, people are feeling safer to get settled into an Airbnb and clean it and just hang out as their home camp for vacation,” said Breedlove.

Another positive trend is the amount of money collected through occupancy tax.

Collection in Jackson County is ahead of schedule. JCTDA has already collected $1.2 million, 88.6% of its annual budget, with eight months of collection still remaining in the fiscal year.

“We expect to break every record in the TDA’s history in terms of occupancy tax collection,” said Breedlove.

Smoky Mountain News

January 5-11, 2022

POSITIVE TRENDS

The two busiest months for Jackson County tourism are July and October. During fiscal year 2019-20, Jackson County sold just under $50 million in accommodations. This year, with eight months remaining in the fiscal year, Jackson County has already sold $40 million in accommodations.

CAPITAL PROJECTS This year, Jackson County may get its first opportunity to use some tourism revenue for capital projects in the county. Over the last year, tourism development staff have examined best practices and spoken with other destinations to learn how best to use tourism dollars for capital projects. JCTDA has now created an application for capital projects, which is currently under review and should be open during the first or second quarter of 2022.

All capital projects will have to be approved by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, and the parameters outlined

in the Jackson TDA’s enabling legislation means that they will have to somehow relate to tourism. The statute mandates that twothirds of occupancy tax funds be used to promote travel and tourism in Jackson County and that the remainder be used for tourismrelated expenditures. The law defines tourism-related expenditures as those designed to increase use of lodging, meeting or conventino facilities, or to attract tourists or business travelers to the county.

“Capital projects are something we’ve been talking about since we began the TDA,” said Breedlove. “We wanted to make sure we went about it the absolute best way, to use these tourism dollars that are coming in at a record pace to reinvest in our community. Assets that residents and visitors alike can enjoy.”

OTHER PROJECTS Jackson County TDA funded two grants in 2021 — $35,000 for

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will seek to expand its trust lands by 3.088 acres following a unanimous vote from Tribal Council Dec. 9.

The property in question is spread across three parcels in Swain County and connects Shepherds Creek Road, which is a state road, to Walker Cove Road, which is part of the Qualla Boundary. It abuts existing tribal land on the 3,200 Acre Tract.

The tribe had encountered issues with the previous owners blocking ingress and egress to Walker Cove Road, Principal Chief Richard Sneed told Tribal Council.

“The tribe subsequently purchased the land, and we want to take it into trust so we won’t have this issue in the future,” he said.

The resolution, which Sneed submitted, empowers him to send the fee-to-trust application and supporting documents to the U.S. Secretary of the Interior and to execute all official documents, including the deed to transfer the property.

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RESEARCH In an effort to strengthen its return on investment, research has been a big component of JCTDA’s work over the last year.

“It’s something that we’re spending a lot on, but it drives every decision we make in terms of tourism marketing.”

The group now partners with Visa so JCTDA can know, month by month how much visitors spend, what origin markets they come from, and how they spend their money. The top origin markets for 2021 were the Greenville-Spartanburg area, Asheville, Atlanta and Charlotte. Most people from those areas stayed in Jackson County overnight.

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Smoky Mountain News

Hammond Group, to promote Jackson County. Commissioner Gail Woody noted at the Dec. 14 work session that this firm was instrumental in getting an article about Dillsboro in Our State Magazine.

“I had a Dillsboro merchant tell me that October was the best sales she’d ever had in all her years. And she thought that was a big part of being in the magazine,” said Woody.

The firm has also worked to get the word out to influencers, travel writers and meeting planners about the unique scene Jackson County offers. Jame, a new Mediterranean restaurant in downtown Sylva, has become a popular spot for travel writers. Ilda, another new eatery in downtown won mountain restaurant of the year from Eaters Carolina.

“During the pandemic, we focused on community first and foremost because we recognized that if we don’t focus on our small businesses and restaurants, when our visitors come back, there won’t be anything to come back to,” said Breedlove.

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January 5-11, 2022

future growth planning in the Cashiers area through the Urban Land Institute and $3,800 to the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area to produce videos of artisans in Dillsboro to generate awareness of Appalachian crafts.

The organization has also worked toward greater environmental sustainability, funding the purchase of litter pickup tools, bear-proof recycling containers, “Leave No Trace” signs and electronic trail counters for Panthertown Valley.

“As we see more visitors, as a lifelong resident here, I don’t want to grow tourism for growth’s sake. I want it to be sustainable, I want these mountains to be here for generations to come,” said Breedlove.

To ensure smart, sustainable growth, the JCTDA is funding efforts that work to spread visitors throughout the year, bringing in tourism during less busy periods of the year.

“We’re not trying to attract everyone here on a Saturday in October, because they’ll have less of a great experience, but it will also be crowded. So we’re trying to spread people during our need period which is January through March. It’s a time when the crowds clear out and the mountains are crisp, clean and cool,” said Breedlove.

The JCTDA also purchased three billboards along the main corridors coming to Jackson County from Atlanta, Cherokee and Asheville. The new signs communicate that there are five breweries in Jackson County, farm-to-table dining and shopping.

“We’ve heard from all of our merchants they’ve seen an increase in business since we put these out. So it’s a small investment to drive business into our small towns.”

The tourism department also partnered with a new public relations firm, Lou

The land is heavily wooded, says the resolution, and contains one single-family home. The house is currently undergoing rehabilitation and will be made available for sale to a tribal member, Sneed said.

The resolution’s passage is just one step in what has typically been a long, arduous fee-to-trust process. Last year, the Bureau of Indian Affairs gave the green light to two EBCI fee-to-trust requests, both of which had been filed in 2014. However, tribal leaders are hopeful that future decisions will happen more quickly, because the D.C. BIA office is now delegating decision-making on fee-to-trust applications to its regional offices. That change has sped up the process “significantly,” Sneed told Tribal Council in October.

When a property is taken into trust, it is held by the federal government in trust for the tribe and essentially becomes part of the tribe’s sovereign lands. Tribal law, not state law, applies on trust lands, and trust lands are not subject to county ordinances and property taxes.

news

EBCI hopes to expand Qualla Boundary by 3 acres

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UP IN THE AIR Challenges await Canton in the coming year

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR y the summer of 2021 things seemed to be on the up-and-up in North Carolina, and in Haywood County’s microcosm of it, Canton.

Trump-era aid packages and state unemployment benefits helped many businesses and individuals stave off economic collapse.

Coronavirus case counts declined across the state after the widespread availability of vaccines. County sales tax and room occupancy figures exceeded pre-pandemic totals.

Canton was still thriving. The papermill was still churning. The Pigeon River was still flowing lazily through the heart of town.

Then came the rains of August.

Flooding on the Pigeon River further upstream in unincorporated Cruso killed six, but Canton bore the brunt of the property damage. For the second time in less than two decades, rising waters displaced hundreds of people and washed over Canton’s core, taking out police, fire and town administration buildings.

As aldermen and alderwomen look to 2022, the future of these critical institutions — and others — remains up in the air.

Canton operates on a yearly general fund budget of about $7 million, but a list of the town’s flood damages — everything from paper to staples to bridges, buildings and cars — totals more than $17.5 million.

“I’m not sure any municipality wants to get to 2022 faster than we do,” said Zeb Smathers, now in his second term as Canton’s mayor. “We are eager to turn the corner on 2021 and quickly move into the business of the town.”

Smoky Mountain News

January 5-11, 2022

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lthough most if not all Canton businesses that were affected by the flood have reopened or will soon do so, the town government’s most pressing issue is what to do about its own buildings.

“The number one priority is laying out a plan of attack on how we’re going to build back the facilities we lost,” Smathers said.

The William G. Stamey Municipal Building, on Park Street, houses town admin6 istration as well as the Canton Police

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Pisgah Memorial Stadium, shown here in the immediate aftermath of the flood, experienced extensive damage to the playing surface.

A Shot Above WNC photo

“The question is, ‘How do we transition from the Canton comeback into building the hometown of tomorrow?’ and that’s everything from infrastructure to business development to economic development.”

— Zeb Smathers, Canton mayor

Department. On Aug. 18, it took on several feet of water, washing out law enforcement operations and forcing harried town staff to work out of makeshift locations.

The town’s fire department, located just behind town hall, also experienced damage and as the town struggled to make sense of what had happened the night before, critical services were offline, for all intents and purposes.

The same thing happened in 2004, when a one-two punch of hurricane-induced rains also flooded Canton’s downtown. As this now seems to be a regular occurrence, elected officials are giving thought to what, exactly, the future of those buildings might be.

“Town hall, police and fire, that is still up in the air and a lot of it is based upon money,” said Smathers.

Get ready to hear that refrain a lot this year in Canton — “based upon money.”

Almost every decision the town will make this year with regards to flood recovery is contingent upon how much federal and state

aid the town receives. The cost of constructing new buildings for town services is many times the size of Canton’s annual budget and Canton’s taxpayers cannot, and should not, be on the hook for any of it.

Another repeated chorus in Canton this year will be, “up in the air.” Perhaps literally.

There’s been discussion as to whether moving the buildings to a new location on higher ground is the best option, but the alternative is to build upward, possibly converting the ground floor of town hall to a parking deck so future floods won’t disrupt municipal operations.

“We might need to build a new facility,” said Alderwoman Kristina Smith. “I’m totally down for that. I think we need to figure out where it would be, how much it would cost. All of those things we have to take into consideration. If the funds and the money and opportunity are not there, building upward is not out of the question in my mind either.”

Smith thinks that a new facility would

also give the town the ability to plan for future growth and its resultant staffing concerns.

For Alderman Tim Shepard, all options are still on the table, and he prefers whatever is most cost effective.

Other town facilities, however, can’t be moved or elevated.

“We have buildings such as the Armory and the Colonial, which I expect to go back exactly the way they were, including the museum,” Smathers said.

The Canton Armory, situated up on Penland Street, suffered substantial damage, as did the town’s history museum, located right next to town hall. But right across the street, the historic town-owned Colonial Theater also took on water, just as it did in 2004.

The Colonial has been a pain point for the town for a number of years now. The 90-yearold Colonial Revival-style gem requires substantial upkeep, doesn’t even come close to breaking even each year and isn’t as nearly as fully utilized as it could be.

Discussions were held in 2018 and the prospect of selling or leasing the building to a private operator was raised, but little has changed since then.

“When it comes to the Colonial, I think we have an opportunity to optimize that space and work with a partner to attract events there. I still see an opportunity there for that,” said Smith. “I mean, we’re obvious-

in Canton cannot be discussed without also mentioning another century-old tradition that regularly whips residents not only of Canton but also of greater Haywood County into a frenzy — high school football.

The 7,000-seat Pisgah Memorial Stadium, perched just a dozen or so feet above the banks of the Pigeon River, was inundated with floodwaters that also submerged the town’s pool, wreaked havoc on the playground and dismantled dugouts on the adjacent softball field.

The pool doesn’t appear to have sustained lasting damage, and the town has committed to building a flood-resistant all-abilities playground like the one in Waynesville, but the future of the football field is a hot topic at the moment.

Unlike other infrastructure concerns, this one falls outside of Canton’s purview — it’s to be handled by the county board of education.

us, from Wilmington to Cherokee, I want them there and I want them to know that we’re back.”

Associate Superintendent Dr. Trevor Putnam recently gave a presentation outlining the possible fate of the stadium. The first step, the inventory and damage assessment phase, was completed in early December.

The second step is currently underway, as Civil Design Concepts confers with McGill and Associates on a rehabilitation plan that will meet flood-related guidance from the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Administration. Once McGill approves the final plan, which includes things like moving all utilities to at least 2 feet above flood stage, the plan will go out for bids.

“We anticipate the bidding process will be complete by mid-February, and hopefully we’ll be telling a contractor to begin work as early as March,” Putnam said.

If that all happens on that timeline, Putnam said it’s “feasible” that there could be football on the field sometime this fall.

The synthetic turf on the field is insured for more than $400,000, but utilities and the drainage system beneath it aren’t. However, the insurance policy does include $750,000 for all flood-related damage, according to Putnam. That should be enough to complete the repairs without having to utilize FEMA funding.

ith all the talk of state and federal aid flowing into flood-ravaged Canton, it’s also important to remember that the town’s annual budgeting process will soon begin. An all-day budget retreat will likely be scheduled for later this month.

Several public hearings will then ensue, and state law requires a budget be passed no later than June 30 each year.

“I am looking toward what we need to start thinking about when it comes to out-ofpocket [expenses] and hopefully what can be minimized as much as possible through FEMA, federal or state reimbursements,” Smith said.

The property tax rate in Canton had been stuck at 58 cents per $100 in assessed value for nearly 15 years, and was the highest in the county. After a countywide property revaluation last year that saw values skyrocket by 20 to 30 percent, Canton, like other municipalities, cut its rate, down to 54 cents.

Smathers doesn’t expect any major changes in the way the town will approach the budgeting process, and does not expect any tax increase in the coming budget.

There was, however, no appropriation in the state budget for Canton’s town hall, police or fire department, leaving that issue up in the air.

“The question is, ‘How do we transition from the Canton comeback into building the hometown of tomorrow?’ and that’s everything from infrastructure to business development to economic development,” Smathers said. “The flood obviously was a sucker punch to us but we’re not gonna use that as an excuse. We think not only can we catch our breath but we think we can throw a few punches ourselves and get back not only to where we were, but get even further ahead to where we want to be as a town.”

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Sandbags lie strewn around the entrance to Canton’s police department on the morning of Aug. 18, 2021. Cory Vaillancourt photo “It’s easy for me to say this, because I don’t have to make the tough decisions, but I fully expect and hope that the Pisgah Bears will be playing on that field in the fall,” Smathers said.

Smathers and others are eager to see the field back in action, especially with a big game coming up this year — it’s said to be the 100th anniversary of Canton playing Waynesville in football, a rivalry called one of the best in the United States that dates back to pre-integration Waynesville and Canton high schools.

Pisgah played its 2021 home games in nearby Enka, but wants to be back in black right next to the river as the Bears look to tie the longest win streak in the century-old contest, which currently stands at 10 and is held by the Mountaineers of Waynesville’s Tuscola High School.

“I expect not just the press, but the politicians that were here in August, will be there,” said Smathers. “I want them to see what our people have been able to do with their businesses and homes and with that stadium.

The politicians and the people that helped

Smoky Mountain News

Then, there’s Canton’s annual Labor Day celebration, an event as central to the identity of the town of Canton as the paper mill itself.

The parade is billed as the oldest Labor Day celebration in the South, but after the 113th annual event in 2019, it was cancelled in 2020 over coronavirus concerns.

After much debate, it was again cancelled in 2021 over coronavirus concerns and as a sign of respect to those who’d lost so much during the floods of the previous month, and those who’d worked so hard to help them.

In recent years, the Labor Day Festival had evolved to include major music acts — the Oak Ridge Boys, Ricky Skaggs and Yonder Mountain String Band, to name just a few — to perform at Sorrells Street Park.

“I know I can speak for myself that we’ll do everything we can to have Labor Day this year,” said Smith. “Depending on COVID, depending on resources and what things look like in Sorrells Street Park, it might look different but it is very important to me that we look toward Labor Day to reignite the excitement that Labor Day is known for.”

The concepts of excitement and identity

January 5-11, 2022

t may be far from top-of-mind at this point, but it’s important to remember that the town had a number of projects in motion before the flood. Smathers wants to make sure that they don’t get lost in the shuffle.

Chief among them is Chestnut Mountain Park, located on the edge of town nearest Asheville. Work there is largely complete as flooding didn’t really affect the 400-plus acre site, which will be home to a world-class series of mountain biking trails for riders of all abilities.

An April opening is expected, and several hundred thousand dollars in grants are rumored to be coming now that the first phase of the project has been completed with private donations.

“That’s going to dynamically change the future of Canton and Haywood County, both economically and through outdoor recreation,” Smathers said.

Closer to downtown, Sorrells Street Park was also slated for improvements. Work will continue there, thanks to a line item in the state’s budget.

“There’s $100,000 that was in the state budget for Sorrells Street Park, and that’s important,” Smathers said. “Pair that with the Cruso Endowment and other opportunities and I think people will be satisfied that we’re still on the ball on projects that we already had in the works.”

The grassy field now home to Sorrells Street Park was, once, a troublesome eyesore at the western entrance to the town, but the 2004 floods washed it all away and gave the town a unique opportunity to mitigate flood

risk while at the same time providing a parklike atmosphere for events and festivals.

Sidewalks through the park were installed by town staff last year, and even bigger plans are in the works to engage in some creative placemaking.

“The future of that space is going to be amazing,” said Smith. “As a municipality, it’s very rare that you get to start from scratch on a park and that’s essentially what Canton’s been able to do. We still have the plans for the splash pad and ideally we will also have hookups for bigger acts to be able to have a stage.”

Sorrells Street Park serves as the town’s go-to event venue, but a lack of event-grade electricity means that vendors and performers, like those at Balsam Range’s flood benefit concert last October, must rely on noisy portable gasoline generators that pollute the air and destroy the ambience.

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ly entertaining lots of different options when it comes to the Colonial, but selling it right now is not on the docket.”

Shepard is open to leasing the building to an outside operator in hopes of minimizing cost to the town, as well as generating more economic activity and jobs.

“I’d like to get more use out of it, because it just adds so much to the town,” he said.

One additional infrastructure concern that remains is the town’s aging water system. During the flooding, manholes washed away and allowed river water to infiltrate the wastewater treatment system. Canton’s wastewater is treated by Evergreen Packaging.

By all accounts the treatment system held fast during the worst of the flooding and experienced no outages or releases. Some sewer lines and various pieces of equipment were damaged in the process, but a $9.2 million appropriation in the state budget will begin to shore up the system.

“That should get them well underway,” said Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood.

Once that happens, it will likely reignite discussions about municipal water system consolidation and redundancy across the county.

“That’s a huge conversation we’re going to be having not just with our town, but with Evergreen, which houses our wastewater and with our other sister municipalities,” Smathers said. “You can’t talk about economic growth unless you have the ability to provide water and treat water.”

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Jackson County uses ARP funds to purchase policing equipment

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Jackson County Board of Commissioners has approved the use of American Rescue Plan funds to buy a new integrated system for the sheriff ’s office that includes tasers, body cameras and incar cameras.

Purchase of the equipment was scheduled to come before the board in January.

However, following safety concerns from the Sheriff ’s Office regarding equipment failure, discussion was moved up to the Dec. 14 work session. This original request for funding was made to the board at the beginning of this fiscal year.

“Their need is fairly immediate. Even waiting a month from now could cost us some incentives that are being offered at this point,” said Jackson County Manager Don Adams.

County staff have been working throughout the year to determine how American Rescue Plan money can be spent, and whether or not policing equipment is a legal use of the funds.

“As far as staff goes, myself and Finance Officer (Darlene) Fox, it’s in our opinion that these are eligible ARP expenditures,” said Adams. “And then the final aspect of it is, counsel has reviewed contracts in regards of how to move forward and she is comfortable moving forward.”

The Sheriff ’s Office was concerned about current equipment not working properly.

The department has been holding off on purchasing new equipment until this decision has been made, but after taser equipment started failing, and the vendor offered an incentive, the sheriff ’s office decided it

January 5-11, 2022

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should move forward sooner.

Chief Deputy Matt Wike spoke to the board at a Dec. 14 work session. He noted that the request for body cameras, fleet cameras and a taser system was a priority item in the budget requests from the sheriff ’s office.

“We see Axon as an integrated system that’s going to bring things together for us in our taser, our in-car cameras and our evidence storage. It’s a sole source vendor, and we want to get this project up and running,” said Wike.

Maj. Shannon Queen has done much of the work communicating with vendors and researching options for a camera and taser system. According to Queen, some of the safety concerns the force is now seeing come from taser failure in critical situations.

“That’s part of the rush. The safety concerns the sheriff has is the rush,” Queen said at the Dec. 14 work session.

Axon, the vendor supplying equipment to the Jackson County Sheriff ’s Office, offered an incentive of equipment for nine additional detectives if the contract was

signed by Dec. 30. According to the offer, this would save Jackson County $125,400.

Queen said the system is the only one that combines tasers, body cameras and incar cameras into one system and compiles all digital evidence into one place.

“We do apologize for the rush to try to do it here before the end of the year, but the incentive offer was just too great of an incentive, plus the safety concerns,” said Queen.

“Axon is the leader in what they offer,” said Commissioner Tom Stribling.

The total cost of the system, for a contract extending five years, is $1 million. The system will include 77 total body cameras and tasers, as well as 24 in-car cameras and installation of those cameras.

“It’s a big project, but I believe it accomplishes a lot, for several years and gets us to where we need to be with this technology,” said Queen.

Commissioner Gail Woody mentioned the recent fatal interaction between police and a suspect when a Minnesota police officer shot the suspect with a firearm instead of the taser she was intending to use. She asked Queen and Wike what safety measures were in place to ensure this doesn’t happen.

According to Queen, the best way to prevent these fatal accidents is through training, which all officers receiving a new taser will undergo.

“They don’t use them lightly,” said Queen. “We don’t have an issue with overuse, but we do have the additional ability of the body cameras to review these instances.

We will be reviewing these instances, and taking those instances into account to see if they should have been used. There’s probably going to be more instances where we should have used them and we didn’t, than not. Our officers are just not trained to be heavy handed, they’re trained to not be heavy handed.”

Approval for ARP funds to purchase tasers, body cameras and in-car cameras from Axon was approved unanimously by the Jackson County Board of Commissioners.

Smoky Mountain News

Discussions begin for Jackson skatepark

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BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER iscussions for a skatepark in Jackson County are set to begin in January when Parks and Recreation Director Rusty Ellis will bring the issue to the recreation advisory board.

“I have been approached in the past about this idea and I think one of the first things that comes to mind when we think about skateparks is ramps and people jumping and doing stunts, and that is a part of some skateparks, but it’s also having a place where young people are riding skateboards and a whole host of other things,” said Chairman Brian McMahan.

At the Dec. 14 Jackson County Board of Commissioners work session, Ellis presented information about the future possibility and planning of a skatepark.

Over the past several years, interest in a skatepark in Jackson County has grown. In 2005, the recreation master plan received input from 425 residents. Of those, five said they participated in skateboarding regularly. When asked what type of recreation facilities and programs people

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would like to see, 26 people responded that they would like to see a skate park.

In 2013, the updated master plan received input from 763 residents. Of those, 240 said it was important to them to have a skate park in Jackson County. The recreation department has already been investigating liability issues.

“As long as we’re coming up with some kind of ordinances and statutes that y’all [board of commissioners] vote on about implementing helmets, knee pads, stuff like that.

As long as we come up with a resolution for that, and it’s notated with signage, not only at the skate park, also eventually the greenway also,” said Ellis.

The recreation department has also begun to look into locations for a future park, studying other skateparks in places like Cherokee and Asheville to gain insight about occupancy and necessary elements.

“It all depends on what we’re looking at size-wise, and what we can accommodate,” said Ellis.

After Ellis presents information about a possible skate park to the recreation advisory board in January, the board will make recommendations which Ellis will bring back to

the County Board of Commissioners for consideration.

“Giving kids the opportunity to get outside, and to enjoy the outdoors and to recreate and do some of those things, this is just another way so I’m glad we’re taking a look at this,” said McMahan.

Waynesville installed a skatepark at the recreation center in 2013, which at the time cost $445,000.

Highlands’ skatepark, which opened in 2017, is one of the most utilized public recreation assets for the town. The project cost $220,000 when constructed. Now the town of Franklin is in the process of developing its own skatepark with the help of JE Dunn Construction, the contractor hired by HCA Healthcare to build the new Angel Medical Center.

Superintendent Steve Suttles came before the Franklin Town Council last summer offering to help the town fundraise for the project as well as offer in-kind services.

The park, which is estimated to be about 6,000 square feet, will be located on the former Whitmire property, which is also now home to a disc golf course. A final cost hasn’t been determined.

with the move to go to a work session but acknowledged the need for clear regulations on the property.

“It needs to be some kind of management on the property so the wildlife can survive there,” he said. “Right now, this being broadcast, there’s going to be deer stands all over Hall Mountain.”

While Big Cove Representative Teresa McCoy agreed with her colleagues who said

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Tribal Council balks at ‘no hunting’ request for Hall Mountain

at Hall Mountain, has said it won’t police the property until the tribe clarifies its management rules.

“If he’s not going to patrol it, then it’s open to anybody who wants to go there and kill whatever they want to,” said Cabe. “And if somebody ends up getting hurt or somebody gets killed, the blood’s not on our department’s hands, guys. We came in here to try to get this passed because we’re going to have people walking over there. The blood won’t be on our Natural Resources Department’s hands going forward.”

However, Tribal Council members were hesitant to take away from what they said was an already scarce supply of tribally owned hunting grounds and voted unanimously to table the resolution for a work session.

“I think the hunters need to just be informed to use their better judgment on areas like this,” said Yellowhill Representative David Wolfe. “I’m certainly not going to shorten a season for anyone and take a hunting area away from anyone. I can’t support this resolution right now.”

Vice Chief Alan “B” Ensley, who is not a member of Council but frequently speaks out on hunting issues, agreed with Wolfe’s point of view.

“If we put proper notification up that we’ve got groups in there, I’m sure the hunters would understand that there’s going to be school groups or whatever utilizing that property, but just to shut it off for all the hunters, I don’t necessarily agree with that,” he said.

Vice Chairman Albert Rose concurred

“To cut loose 16,000 enrolled members on 138 acres, there’s going to be a liability. We’ve already started to see some issues surface.”

— Forest Resource Specialist Tommy Cabe

hunting grounds were scarce on the Qualla Boundary and ultimately voted for the move to table, she said that in her estimation the property was not large enough to hunt on anyway, especially with a high-powered rifle.

“I just have to wonder how far that shell would travel and possibly take people out that you don’t see,” she said. “People have been shot and killed in the woods by people who didn’t see them.”

The agenda for the January Tribal Council meeting does not list Cabe’s resolution.

EBCI Forest Resource Specialist Tommy Cabe addresses Tribal Council Dec. 9. EBCI image

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already get in a turf war over there,” said Cabe.

“One’s got a camera and caught the other tribal member urinating on his corn pot.”

Looming even larger is the tribe’s desire to use the property as an experiential learning center for children. Plans include an eagle aviary and a cultural camp concept in consultation with Kituwah Academy.

Without parameters in place as to how, when and where hunting is allowed on the property, Cabe said, something tragic could occur.

Within the forest management plan, he said, the Natural Resource Department plans to propose a nonpaying lottery system, whereby tribal members would enter their names for the chance to hunt Hall Mountain, with no-shooting zones designated where needed. A carefully calibrated lottery system, Cabe said, would give participating hunters a greater chance at harvesting an animal and at reporting the health of that animal to the Natural Resources Department, so that tribal staff could better manage that population for the future. There is not currently a deer season on tribal reserve lands, so the Hall Mountain Tract — which is deeded property and would follow state game laws — could be a valuable opportunity for enrolled members hoping for an archery season.

It won’t take long to revise the forest management plan, but in the meantime, hunting should stop, Cabe said. The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, which has enforcement power over hunting activities

January 5-11, 2022

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER espite an impassioned plea for immediate action from the tribe’s Natural Resource Department, the Cherokee Tribal Council voted unanimously last month to table a resolution that would temporarily prohibit hunting on a 138-acre property in Macon County.

The Hall Mountain property near Cowee is composed of several parcels, the two largest of which, totaling 108 acres, the tribe has owned since 2013. However, a grant the U.S. Forest Service awarded in 2020 allowed the tribe to purchase additional acreage, which closed in December 2020 and granted access from Hall Farm Road.

Now, hunter behavior has gotten out of hand, and natural resource managers want a time out while they complete a new forest management plan for the property, Forest Resource Specialist Tommy Cabe told Tribal Council during its Dec. 9 meeting. He submitted a resolution on behalf of the entire Natural Resources Department seeking to ban hunting on the Hall Mountain land until further notice.

“To cut loose 16,000 enrolled members on 138 acres, there’s going to be a liability,” he said. “We’ve already started to see some issues surface.”

One of those issues has to do with territorial standoffs between tribal members who hunt the property.

“We’ve had a couple tribal members to

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Jackson, Macon work to resolve boundary line

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BY J ESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR axpayers who own property straddling the Macon-Jackson County line may notice changes to their ad valorem tax bills next year.

Both counties have signed a resolution agreeing to these suggested changes that have been part of an eight-year dispute over the county boundary lines.

Tax Administrator Abby Braswell presented the proposed resolution to Macon County commissioners on Dec. 14, a week after Jackson County passed the resolution without much discussion.

In 2013, the two counties agreed to hire a third party — North Carolina Geodetic Survey — to locate and survey the boundary line.

However, work didn’t begin on the project until early 2017. The field work for the project was completed by the State Surveyor Ronald Harding, and the final proposed line was provided to the counties in July 2020.

The process was held up again when Jackson expressed concerns over nine areas on the proposed map and more work had to be done to research those areas. Upon further review and a site visit, the NCGS didn’t find any evidence to make any changes to the information already provided.

The survey conducted found that Macon and Jackson had been using a boundary established by recorded deeds and plats depicting the location of the ridgeline separating the counties. However, Braswell said, the ridgeline is not the same as it once was.

“The ridge has changed due to all of the development that has happened over many years,” she said. “So Jackson and Macon have had separate boundary lines where they said it was and where we said it was.”

In the past, tax collectors from each county have had an unwritten, verbal agreement on how to handle the differing surveys to ensure taxpayers weren’t getting doubly taxed by both counties, but Braswell said a more formal agreement is needed moving forward.

Using the new survey, five houses will now be assessed in Macon instead of Jackson County and Jackson will gain one house that’s been taxed previously by Macon. Braswell said the N.C. Department of Revenue recommended splitting assessment on homes that are partly in Macon and partly in Jackson.

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However, if less than 5 percent of a home is located in one county, the other county will continue to assess the entire home.

“We’re not going to split those hairs,” Braswell said.

Using the DOR’s recommendations, 19 houses have been identified that straddle the Macon-Jackson line. Braswell said the splitting will be further complicated since Jackson and Macon are on different revaluation schedules. Jackson just completed a revaluation, so its property values are slightly higher

January 5-11, 2022 Smoky Mountain News

than Macon’s, which is scheduled for a revaluation next year.

“We will have to work closely with Jackson to identify the value for each county, so taxpayers are assessed fairly,” she said.

The new recommendations presented more questions for commissioners. County Attorney Eric Ridenour asked what would happen if one of the split houses went into foreclosure.

“How would we foreclose on half a house?” he asked.

Braswell said DOR didn’t address that in its report.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale assumed there would need to be some agreement between the counties requiring them both to file the foreclosure.

There were also questions about assessment software and what would happen with new builds and where the new deed would be registered if it was split between the counties.

The resolution also includes that after adoption, Macon and Jackson counties will work together to reconcile county services to affected properties such as Board of Elections, zoning, building permitting, emergency response and tax assessments.

Braswell said property owners impacted by the new boundary line will receive a letter from the state informing them of their new status.

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BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER he arrival of the extremely contagious Omicron variant in conjunction with holiday travel and gatherings has caused a spike in COVID-19 cases far eclipsing anything seen in the pandemic to date — but the variant’s milder effects compared to previous COVID-19 strains could limit its impact.

“The Omicron variant is certainly leading to both an increase in cases and in hospitalizations in our community,” said William Hathaway, chief medical officer for Mission Health System. “Fortunately, all evidence to date suggests that this variant, while more contagious than prior variants, appears to cause less significant disease in those it infects.”

After reaching a post-Thanksgiving plateau, North Carolina’s daily case counts began to climb in the days preceding Christmas and then spiked to an all-time high of 19,620 Jan. 1, with counts remaining above 12,000 every day since Dec. 30. Prior to this most recent spike, the largest singleday tally for new COVID-19 cases was on Feb. 3, 2021, with 12,079 cases.

As case counts have risen, so have hospitalizations — though thus far not nearly to the extent they did during earlier surges, when case counts were lower. As of Jan. 2, 2,772 people statewide were hospitalized with COVID-19. After Christmas last year, hospitalization numbers didn’t fall below 3,000 for a month, nearly breaking 4,000.

Local hospitals are seeing the same trend.

As of Jan. 4, Haywood Regional Hospital had 18 COVID-positive patients, and on Jan. 3 Harris Regional Hospital had fewer than 10.

During the height of the pandemic, Harris was treating 25-30 COVID-19 patients at any one time, and HRMC had 20-25.

As of 4:30 a.m. Jan. 3, the Mission Health System had 106 COVID-positive patients, of whom 75 were at Mission Hospital in Asheville and seven at Angel Medical Center in Franklin. On Jan. 3 last year, Mission had 162 COVID-positive patients across its network.

The discrepancy could be partly due to the rapid onset of the Omicron wave. Cases have been surging for less than two weeks, with the more dramatic increase just days old — there is typically a lag between increased case counts, hospitalizations and deaths.

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But Omicron seems to be causing milder illness worldwide. In both South Africa and the United Kingdom, which Omicron hit earlier than the United States, the surge in cases did not cause any corresponding surge in deaths. Recent studies indicate that Omicron does not infect the lungs like previous variants have, explaining the dearth of more serious symptoms.

It’s also possible that hospitalization numbers inflate the impact of COVID-19 as a driver for hospitalization. A Dec. 31 report from the U.K. National Health Service found that only 67% of the 8,321 COVID-positive patients occupying a hospital bed on Dec. 28 were there primarily due to COVID-19.

Despite fewer COVID-19 patients compared to this time last year, area hospitals are still struggling to meet community needs.

According to Dr. Ben Guiney, an emergency room physician at Harris, that’s primarily due to staffing issues. Harris currently has 89 open positions and HRMC has 164.

“It’s because of the nursing shortage, but it’s also because nurses are now getting sick with COVID,” he said. “They’re not getting admitted to the hospital, but they can’t work for five days.”

Other hospitals are facing similar challenges — in a Jan. 3 Facebook post, the Cherokee Indian Hospital urged people to visit the emergency room only for critical illness or urgent medical care, as WNC currently faces “a critical bed shortage.”

Principal Chief Richard Sneed announced a new slate of protective measures — including masking requirements and four-day work weeks for tribal employees — that will remain in effect on the Qualla Boundary through Jan. 30.

Omicron’s onslaught is also evident in the large number of vaccinated people who are testing positive for the virus. In the week ending Jan. 3, 61.3% of new COVID-19 cases in Haywood County occurred in unvaccinated people, down from 93.2% the previous week.

At this point, said Guiney, vaccination won’t prevent infection but will prevent serious illness. Guiney, who has been vaccinated, boosted, and contracted COVID-19 in December 2020, before vaccines were available, used himself as an example. He recently caught the virus again, but this time it was just a cough — in fact, the illness was so mild that at first he didn’t even consider that he might have COVID. “The only people that are coming in the hospital, getting admitted to the hospital, getting sick, getting on ventilators, are unvaccinated people,” he said. “Vaccinated people are not staying in the hospital. It’s just that stark.”

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Community Almanac

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approach designed to aid those most in need.

Their support also included a total investment of $400,000 in grant funds to be administered equally by both local health foundations.

Homeowners in need of home repair and/or modification services are encouraged to directly contact any one of these agencies to begin the process of determining eligibility and repair assessment. Contact information for each agency recipient is available on both HCHF and NHF’s websites.

HCC holds law enforcement training graduation Haywood Community College recently held a graduation ceremony for the Basic Law Enforcement Training Program. Guest speakers were HCC President Dr. Shelley White, Interim Canton Chief of Police Scott Sluder and BLET Class Sgt. Kayleigh Silvers.

The BLET course is designed to equip each student with the basic skills, knowledge and ability to function as a law enforcement officer in the State of North Carolina. This class is a prerequisite for Law Enforcement Officer Certification in this State.

Of the students who graduated from this class, 90% were employed in law enforcement at graduation. Cody Tiger received the top academic honors.

Patrick Smith was the outstanding cadet.

Graduates of this class include Justin William Deane, Brent Zane Gunter, Richard Patrick Johnson, Jr., Cameron Edward Jones, Chandler Douglas Norton, Benjamin Eion Riggs, Liza Heisman Rosencranz, Michael Andrew Ryan, Kaylom Morris Saylor, Kayleigh Louise Silvers, Patrick Wayne Smith, Andrew Jay Dillon Tabor, Cody Hansen Tiger and Austin Tyler Whitehead.

The next BLET class offering will be May 2022. For more information, call 828.627.4548 or email flclontz@haywood.edu.

Motorcycle club donates to toy run

Patrick Smith was the outstanding cadet of this year’s graduating class. Donated photo

WNC youth leaders honored The inaugural WNC Communities’ Youth Leadership Award was presented to Ryleigh Stevens of the Caney Fork Community Development Council of Jackson County at the 72nd WNC Honors Awards Ceremony on Dec. 2.

WNC Communities is offering a youth leadership award based upon the annual WNC Honors Awards application for a youth-initiated and youth-led project or program that contributed in a meaningful way to one of their active community clubs. Annually, up to three youths between the ages of 14-18 may be awarded a tuition-free North Carolina Outward Bound School scholarship.

North Carolina Outward Bound School will provide scholarships for wilderness courses for recipients of the WNC Communities youth award. For more than 50 years, North Carolina Outward Bound School has delivered challenging outdoor adventure programs based in experiential education to people of all ages and walks of life.

Dogwood pledges $2 million to increase digital literacy The Institute for Emerging Issues (IEI) at NC State University recently announced it has been awarded a $2 million grant from the Dogwood Health Trust in support of the Building a New Digital Economy in NC (BAND-NC) program.

The grant will support community-based efforts to increase the number of people with the internet in their homes in North Carolina’s 18 westernmost counties and the Qualla Boundary.

“Ensuring that communities across the state

have proper access to broadband and have a deeper understanding of the benefits of adopting digital technologies are essential components of our economic vitality,” said Chancellor Randy Woodson.

Working closely with the NC Division of Broadband and Digital Equity, BAND-NC provides mini-grants to communities across the state that are implementing digital inclusion plans, beginning a digital inclusion planning process, or are looking to meet immediate digital needs. BAND-NC has supported 61 $5,000 “rapid response” and “digital inclusion planning and implementation” grants covering 62 counties since the program’s inception and has helped develop digital inclusion plans in 18 North Carolina counties.

To learn more and apply, visit iei.ncsu.edu/band-nc.

Food giveaway in Sylva The next food giveaway from Live Forgiven Church will be at 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9, until everyone is served.

Groceries and coats will be available and the bag theme is Italian this month. Eggs and produce will be available. Simply drive up to the building at 45 Crown Ridge Road in Sylva and the items are made available to anyone who can use a little extra help. For questions, email FoodMinistry@LiveForgiven.Life.

Get your taxes done for free Volunteers with the AARP Foundation Tax-Aide will be able to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing for free between 9:40 a.m. to 3 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays Feb. 7 through April 12 by appointment at the Macon

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County Library.

Masks are required. Appointments can be made online at wnctaxaide.as.me, by calling 828.524.3600 or by visiting the library located at 149 Siler Farm Road, Franklin.

After making an appointment, taxpayers are to stop by the library to pick up a packet of material to complete prior to their appointment. The packet also contains a list of items the taxpayer must bring with them to the appointment.

Taxpayers do not need to be a member of AARP or a retiree. Tax-Aide serves taxpayers of all ages.

Health foundations award grants Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation and Nantahala Health Foundation recently announced that five regional nonprofit agencies and one county government unit have been awarded grant funds to aid in their efforts to address the home repair needs for low-income homeowners throughout the far Western North Carolina region.

Agencies selected to receive Healthy Homes Initiative funding are Hinton Rural Life Center in Hayesville; Macon County Housing Department in Franklin; Macon Program for Progress in Franklin; Mountain Projects in Waynesville; Rotary Club of Highlands and Restoration House in Bryson City.

The collaborative Healthy Homes Initiative is a targeted effort designed to assist individuals at or below 60% of the area median income with home repair needs that directly impact their health and safety. In addition to affordability, multiple factors can align to create barriers for low-income homeowners to undertake repairs necessary to maintain the safety and health of their home’s occupants.

Dogwood Health Trust lent its support to the Healthy Homes Initiative by working closely with both HCHF and NHF to launch this targeted

Hell On Wheels Motorcycle Club, a nonprofit organization, raised over $10,500 and donated over 270 toys at the 7th Annual Jackson County Toy Run on Saturday, Dec. 4, in Sylva.

The proceeds, which almost doubled last year’s $6,000 total, benefited the Christmas Connection of Jackson County, a nonprofit dedicated to delivering toys to children at Christmas.

Created in 1989 and transitioning to new ownership in 2014, Christmas Connection of Jackson County “seeks to provide Christmas to local children in need through the donation of presents.”

Christmas Connection is completely volunteerrun, and 100 percent of cash and toy donations go directly to children across Jackson County, from Cashiers to Cherokee. Nearly one in every four Jackson County children fall under the poverty line, making the work of Christmas Connection and Hell On Wheels MC that much more important.

Sot, local chapter president, said Hell On Wheels MC is a family-oriented club, so “helping children is something important to us.”

Grant to assist child mentoring program Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County recently received a $5,000 Grant from the Hunter Hometown Foundation at a reception for honorees at the Stone Ashe Vineyard’s tasting room in Hendersonville.

Through the foundation’s philanthropy, it supports BBBS youth and their growth as the next generation of leaders.

The foundation particularly wanted to reach out to Haywood County and chose Big Brothers Big Sisters as one of the 13 nonprofits honored throughout Buncombe, Henderson and Haywood counties. BBBS has been on the front line helping children in Haywood County reach their potential through one-on-one mentoring.

This grant will help the organization continue to mentor children through the match of a ‘big’ with a “little.”

BBBS currently has 34 active matches.

“I am extremely grateful to Hunter Hometown Foundation for awarding Haywood BBBS this grant. The money we received came at a great time, at the end of the year when we need it the most,” said Program Coordinator Martha Barksdale. “This will definitely help support oneon-one mentoring in Haywood County and strengthen our program.”

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Do your part, let’s beat this thing

What else can we say about Cawthorn?

To the Editor: Apparently, though he took the sacred vows of marriage in front of a cross, meeting Donald Trump’s “needs” is more important to Madison Cawthorn than meeting his wife’s.

What else does anyone need to know about the man?

Mark H. Holden Franklin

Haywood County has dropped the ball To the Editor: We are in the middle of another wave of Covid and Haywood County has dropped the ball. Where are our free testing sites?

Buncombe County has them. Jackson County has them. Why don’t we?

We have neighbors who are sick and need a proper diagnosis. We have neighbors who have been off work for the holidays and need testing before they can return. We have neighbors who have been in close contact with Covid but don’t have symptoms — they could be contagious. Our stores are out of home testing kits and if they can be found cost approximately $25 for a two-test box. Urgent care tests are reportedly costing $85 to $125.

Our neighbors are being told to get online and order free tests through LabCorps but those won’t arrive in the mail for days.

able mutation abilities of this particular virus. Like the old whack-a-mole game, we’d smack one variant down and another pops up in another part of the world. Researchers, drug companies and health care workers have done an amazing job, but weary as they may be there is work yet to do.

Unfortunately, politics has played a role helping the pandemic linger, especially in the U.S. Some said Covid was no big deal, some said the vaccines did not work and were dangerous, others said mask wearing and vaccine mandates were assaults on their personal freedoms. The political divide on Covid issues started with President Donald Trump, but it has lingered and Editor festered long after he has left office.

I’ve been skeptical of authority my entire life, someone who just naturally tends to bow up to rules. Not sure where it started, not sure how it has remained a part of who I am, but if someone tells me to go one way, I’m immediately looking in the other direction.

But I also feel very strongly about doing my part for the common good. Tell me to wear a mask because some politician wants me to, I’ll laugh in your face; tell me to wear a mask because it will protect someone’s grandma or their sick father, I’m masking up, no problem. In fact, I can’t under-

Scott McLeod

Three tests, two shots, but just let me know if more is needed.

That’s a short and very superficial synopsis of my personal Covid story, but in truth the story goes much deeper. I suspect that’s the truth for most of us.

This past Sunday morning found me in a long line at a Tampa, Florida, testing site. I had what felt like a terrible head cold with congestion and coughing, and my voice was almost gone. I was hoping to visit with some nieces and nephews and their partners that afternoon, but I wanted to test first.

The results were negative, as had happened with my previous two tests, though my wife had tested positive earlier in 2021 and we had not quarantined because we didn’t know in time. I have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccination and had gotten a booster in November soon after it became available for me.

As of today, reports are that there were 1 million new cases reported on Monday, Jan. 3 (though many think the high number was due to a holiday backlog, but likely still we are having 500,000 new cases per day at least). The president plans to talk to the nation tonight (Tuesday) as the omicron variant is sending cases soaring and raising more questions about where all this is headed.

Last January, many were writing that by January 2022 we would have the Covid-19 epidemic behind us. There are many reasons that did not happen, among them the wildly adapt-

LETTERS The costs are out of reach for many of our neighbors. For a lot of folks, driving to neighboring counties and waiting for tests to arrive aren’t acceptable options. Meanwhile, our Covid numbers are very likely underreported because of lack of testing or home testing without reporting.

We need free Covid testing sites in

The line in Tampa, Florida, for Covid testing on Sunday, Jan. 2. Scott McLeod photo stand how anyone could feel differently.

Here I am writing my first column of 2022 and we’re not out of the woods yet with Covid. Do your part, think about others, and let’s get this damn thing behind us.

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

Haywood County. We have needed them all along but especially now. What is Haywood County Health and Human Services doing about this? How is the Haywood County Commission directing funding? Testing is one of the key pieces to getting this pandemic under control. Who can make this happen now?

Ann Holtz Waynesville

Medicare changes bad for patients To the Editor: If you survived the daily bombardment of TV ads for Medicare Advantage plans during Medicare Open Enrollment and chose to stick with traditional Medicare, you could be in for a big surprise. The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services “Innovation Center” is “piloting” a program in North Carolina and other states that will move traditional Medicare enrollees into third-party private, for profit middlemen — labeled “Direct Contracting Entities” — without your knowledge or consent, and without congressional oversight.

Traditional enrollees are to be autoaligned in DCEs if their primary care physician becomes affiliated with a DCE. CMS automatically searches two years of a senior’s claim history to find any visits with a participating DCE provider and assigns the enrollee to that DCE. This is all done without your knowledge or consent. The payment model is similar to Medicare Advantage plans, which means it incentivizes DCEs to both “upcode” diagnoses to increase capitation payments and then to spend as little as possible on patient care.

Upcoding is fraud in that the provider is getting paid a higher rate for a service that was not provided. It encourages rationing of care, because the DCE can keep as profit any of the capitation payment that is not spent on patient care. It is also about

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Don’t blame woes on Trump

twice as lucrative as Medicare Advantage plans. Advantage plan are required to spend 85% of revenues on patient care. It is estimated that DCEs will only spend 60% of revenue on patient care while 40% can be kept for overhead and profit compared to 15% for Medicare Advantage plans.

It should be noted that traditional Medicare spends 98% on patient care and only 2% on overhead and nothing on profit.

A recent Kaiser Health News report that ran at npr.org on 11/11/2021 showed that switching seniors to Medicare Advantage plans has cost taxpayers tens of billions of dollars more than keeping them on original Medicare. Medicare overpaid private health plans by more than $106 billion from 2010 through 2019 because of the way private plans charge for sicker patients.

Author of the report, Richard Kronick, former federal health policy researcher and

a professor at the University of CaliforniaSan Diego, called the growth in Medicare Advantage costs a “systemic problem across the industry,” which CMS has failed to rein in. Medicare Advantage plans have demonstrated that injecting a profit motive into patient care actually leads to higher costs for taxpayers with tragic consequences for patients. Why should we think that DCEs, with double the profit incentives, would be an improvement for traditional Medicare enrollees?

If you want to keep traditional Medicare, call your congressional delegation and ask them to demand HHS halt this insidious DCE program immediately; hold hearings on DCEs; and establish congressional oversight of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Center.

Jane Harrison Haywood County

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Smoky Mountain News

cal democrats said Jan. 6 was an insurrection. What weapons were used? Where were the machine guns, the cannons, tanks?

They were only armed with Trump signs and hats. But Trump is blamed and accused of overthrowing a democracy. Do you Trump haters realize how nutty this sounds? This was no insurrection. It was unfortunate and should have never happened, but who’s to say it wasn’t instigated by leftist infiltrators.

How can you say because of one man we as a nation are more or less doomed? I think you really should be more concerned about the present President Joe Biden who is chomping at the bit to put the remaining nails in the coffin. He and his administration are the most incompetent people ever to walk into the White House. He has in just 12 months caused chaos at our southern border by allowing mass caravans of illegal aliens to enter our country. Trump had the border under control. He is asking Americans to get vaccinated while thousands of illegals are not required to. This is insane. Inflation is running rampant because of our puppet President Biden shutting down pipelines and helping Putin put in his pipeline.

I do agree with you, however, that the politicians in Washington have not been doing their jobs for years. We the American people are to blame, not Trump! We don’t hold Congress accountable, oh wait, some Republicans are but not Democrats. You can Blame Trump or I can blame Biden, but actually slowly over the years we were being sold out by all of our corrupt government politicians. The Democrats died with Kennedy and the party is no longer recognizable. A house divided will not stand and a corrupt society will fall. Cancel culture, wokeness, liberalism, socialism, communism, anti-police leftists and Antifa had infiltrated our society long before Trump arrived. God help us.

Dennis Ford Franklin

January 5-11, 2022

To the Editor: This is in response to another Trump hit piece disguised as an opinion letter to the editor. I thought Trump derangement syndrome was cured. Come on man, get over it! No one cares.

Trump has been gone from office for almost a year now. OK, if you expect the small number of people who actually read these op-eds to be influenced by your words, don’t hold your breath. Why are we still talking about the former president? I guess he is still in the obsessed minds of liberal progressive Democrats.

The letter writer quoted The International Institute of for Democracy and Electoral Assistance. This institute was formed by people appointed by foreign entities to promote democracy and election integrity throughout the world. By the way, we are a republic, not a democracy. Sounds to me like just another do-nothing organization run by foreign bureaucrats.

So exactly what does the lowering ranking for the U.S. mean? In my opinion it is proof that liberal progressive Democrats are ruining our country. The people who control our elections are in the hands of the individual states of America. It has been proven there is fraud in elections. A person who is running for office has the right to challenge an election, something the Democrats know all too well.

So Donald Trump is to blame, including causing democracies all around the world major harm. I don’t agree. You accuse him of all this havoc but as usual there is absolutely no proof he has caused any of it.

Maybe people are just fed up with the liberal progressive liars who try to bully and badger conservatives. The corrupt news media is an extension of the Trump-hating Democrats. These accusations are just a continuation of the left-wing liberal Democrat agenda.

An insurrection by definition is a violent attempt to take control of a government.

The left leaning media along with the radi-

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

The maker and the mare Haywood artisan combines love of horses, jewelry

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR rowing up on a family farm just outside of Greensboro, Jean Osborne was surrounded by hundreds of cows and thousands of acres — a place where she roamed freely and in her own time on her horse.

“I grew up riding horses and working on the farm, and that’s where not only my love of horses comes from, but also my work ethic, something I learned from my father,” Osborne said. “Being on a horse is something so natural and peaceful for me, that unbreakable bond between you and the animal — you treat horses like you treat people, and you treat people like you treat horses.”

Following high school, Osborne went to Brevard College and studied sculpture. After a while, she realized that medium wasn’t her true artistic passion. That, and she missed being on horses. Soon, Osborne left college and headed west, working on dude ranches, all while diving into other creative realms on the side.

“I’ve always been creative and dabbling in all different kinds of art,” Osborne said. “But, when I was on those dude ranches, I realized that I wanted to combine my love of the ranching lifestyle with my love of silversmithing — there’s just so much art in that type of living and that type of work with horses.”

Osborne decided she wanted to make personalized pieces for horses and riders alike, from custom bits to spurs, but also earrings and necklaces with a western feel and equestrian flare. Making her way back east, she entered the famed metalsmithing program at Haywood Community College in Clyde.

“It’s funny, I grew up around horses and art, but it never clicked that this is obviously my path in life — to create and to ride, and to combine both,” Osborne said. “I’ve always worn jewelry and collected rock and crystals.

There’s something so unique about jewelry. It’s the first thing you notice on someone, where you can immediately tell so much about that person’s style and attitude, and it usually breaks the ice and sparks conversation.”

The pieces of her life and her art were falling into place, literally and figuratively, especially when her inspiration emerged from the “vaquero lifestyle” (aka: horse-mounted livestock herder), something at the heart of Osborne and her work — in the studio or on the saddle.

“The vaquero lifestyle isn’t just a way of training horses, you’re starting a relationship.

You’re starting an unspoken communication with them, one where you both equally have to learn,” Osborne said. “In this process — this vaquero way — your end game is to make a ‘finished’ horse, with the steps to do this involving different gear.”

That gear includes a snaffle bit (very mild on the horses’ mouth), hackamore (rawhide

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Want to know more?

For more information on Jean Osborne and her fine art jewelry/metalsmithing business, The Maker & The Mare, go to themakerandthemare.com or email themakerandthemare@gmail.com. braided nose piece and a leather hanger around the ears, no bit involved), two reins with a spade bit, then finally ending the training process with a spade bit alone. It’s a process Osborne immerses herself in throughout the year as a burgeoning horse trainer, one until the tutelage and guidance of storied instructor Robbie Potter.

“It’s a long journey to get a horse into a spade. But, when it happens, it’s like a ceremony. It’s pure harmony between you and the horse, and the way you work and ride together,” Osborne said. “And that’s why I want to be a silversmith, to be able to start a horse in a snaffle bit I made myself, then to finally adorn them in a spade bit once they’re finished — my ultimate goal is a true fusion of my two crafts.”

With her home studio now in Clyde, Osborne’s work (the business now dubbed, “The Maker & The Mare”) is in high-demand these days as online orders and commissions constantly roll in. Her waitlist can extend out for a month, with each piece hammered and shaped with precision, passion, grace and grit — something at the core of all timeless, mesmerizing art.

“It’s crazy and humbling to see people wearing my pieces. It makes you feel so good, there’s no other feeling like it,” Osborne said.

“You spend your life looking for something that you love, and you want to be able to do it without angst, to look forward to getting up and going to work. I wake up, make a cup of coffee, walk into my studio, open the windows, open the doors, and create — life is good.”

Jean Osborne, owner/artisan at The Maker & The Mare, at her studio in Clyde.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Ain’t nobody slowing down no way, everybody’s stepping on their accelerator

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Syrrup (jazz/soul) will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.

3 4

Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Alma Russ (indie/folk) at 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15.

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Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host The UpBeats at 8 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 8.

Western Carolina University’s Dulcimer U will hold its annual Winter Weekend event on Jan. 69 in the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

The popular “Keyboards After Christmas” piano ensemble concert will return as an in-person event at 6 p.m. Jan. 8 and 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

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Smoky Mountain News

wander up to Rouses Point to pay my respects to my late cousin’s (Nate) gravesite, then head back to downtown Plattsburgh for unknown New Year’s Eve shenanigans.

Although the North Country landscape was covered in a thick layer of snow and ice pack, a slight rainstorm was expected at some point in the afternoon. The last week or so of below freezing temperatures now gave way to high 30s and low 40s, seemingly “warm” for these parts during this time of year. Threw on my Yaktrax spikes into my trail running shoes and trotted into Point Au Roche, pushing along these backwoods routes that bordered the ancient Lake Champlain.

Popping out at the end of Long Point, I stood there in the immense silence of a single entity immersed in the depths of Mother Nature. Then, I could hear the sound of the waves hitting the shoreline below. Soon, the trickling tone of freezing rain fell from

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January 5-11, 2022

t was about 4:30 a.m. when the cover of the hot tub was finally pulled off and we jumped into the warm waters in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The air temperature was around 20 degrees, our current location less than two miles from the Canadian Border. The town of Rouses Point, New York (population: 2,200). My hometown until I graduated high school and put this place in the rearview mirror. The hot tub was on Smith Street, my childhood home (sold when I was in college) just up the road at the top of the hill.

It was one of my oldest friends, Ryan, his girlfriend, and myself. Hopping into the hot tub at Ryan’s parents’ house, seeing as his folks were gone to Maine to visit his older sister. Poaching the hot tub wasn’t planned for our New Year’s Eve adventure. But, like anything worthwhile in life, it just unfolded in that manner of happenstance and serendipity.

New Year’s Eve. I opened my eyes and stared at the ceiling in the guest room of my parents’ farmhouse, just outside of Plattsburgh, New York. Yawned and stretched, emerging from my slumber and meandering down the creaky wooden stairwell in the back of the house.

Make a pot of coffee. Cook up some eggs and sausage on the stove. Glass of orange juice. Glass of water. Two cups of coffee.

Turn on the small TV in the kitchen corner.

Watch the local news for the weather expected today. Eat with gusto, for it’s the last day of 2021. Another go-round on this hurtling rock through infinite space and time.

The plan for this final day on the calendar was to go for a trail run at nearby Point Au Roche State Park, get lunch with my mother,

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eral of our old high school friends happened to walk through the door. Faces I’ve known since elementary school. Faces I haven’t seen in years, but they still know me as good as anybody, and vice versa.

That American Legion encounter parlayed itself into all of us heading across town to our friend’s house to watch the ball drop.

Ryan called up his girlfriend and told her to join us once she got done work. The Plattsburgh shenanigans were scrapped for a totally by-chance New Year’s Eve celebration in a hometown I hadn’t really dove back into in many moons.

The ball dropped in Times Square. The champagne was poured. Tall tales from back in the day rehashed over hearty laughter and a sense of camaraderie that will never be broken by distance or time apart. By 3 a.m. it was goodbye hugs. Ryan, his girlfriend and I left to crash at his parents’ humble abode.

It was about 4:30 a.m. when the cover of the hot tub was finally pulled off and we jumped into the warm waters in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The air temperature was around 20 degrees, our current location less than two miles from the Canadian Border.

With nightcaps in-hand, we saluted each other, and the moment we had found ourselves in, too — one of togetherness and solidarity. Talk of our trials and tribulations that occurred in the last year. But, more so, we spoke of hopes and dreams for the unknown days, weeks and months ahead in 2022. Onward.

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

arts & entertainment

This must be the place

above, through the trees and branches, ultimately dripping onto my windbreaker.

Gazing out onto the lake, I turned and glanced over at Plattsburgh situated across the bay. I thought of all those souls, whether lost or found (or lost again), buzzing around the small city, all of us reflecting on the end of another year. I smiled, wished them well, turned around and jogged back to the truck.

Ryan decided to join me in going to visit Nate’s grave in Rouses Point. Nate passed away unexpectedly last June at age 42. He was my first cousin, but more so he was one of my best friends, ultimately being the “big brother I never had.” When I was a little kid, he introduced me to rock music, to all of the bands I still love to this day. He would sit me down in his bedroom with a sly grin and go, “Listen to this.”

Just as it got dark and the frozen landscape of the Champlain Valley got quiet, we rolled up to the cemetery, an endless cornfield behind the rows and rows of headstones. Leave the truck lights on and walk over to his grave (I hadn’t been back since they placed the headstone).

I placed a drink token from our beloved Monopole bar in Plattsburgh on his headstone and poured a full beer out in his honor. I told him I loved and missed him.

Kissed my fingers and placed them on the headstone. I then walked back through the wet snow and drove away.

Before we left town, Ryan and I stopped at the local American Legion for a quick beer and meal. That simple intent led to he and I staying there for a few hours, seeing as a sev-

828.452.2313 479 Dellwood Road Waynesville 17

arts & entertainment

On the beat

Larry and Elaine Conger.

Smoky Mountain News

January 5-11, 2022

‘Dulcimer U’ winter weekend Western Carolina University’s Dulcimer U will hold its annual Winter Weekend event Jan. 6-9 in the Lambuth Inn at Lake Junaluska.

“This event is for the beginner dulcimer player all the way to advanced players,” said Bobby Hensley, associate director of continuing education. “This is a wonderful weekend of music and fellowship and a great way to learn more about the mountain dulcimer.”

Participants will be able to choose classes based on their skill level during registration.

The registration fee will be $199 per person.

The fee for non-participating guests is $20.

Directors are Elaine and Larry Conger, with instructors Keith Watson, Ruth Barber, Jeff Furman, Anne Lough and Jim Miller.

Accommodations, classes and meals will all be located at the Lambuth Inn. Participants will need to book their room separate from their registration by calling the Lambuth Inn at 800.222.4930.

University COVID-19 guidelines will be followed during class time.

To register, visit dulcimeru.wcu.edu or call 828.227.7397.

Interested in learning the dulcimer?

ditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

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

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

The Pic’ & Play Mountain Dulcimer Players has resumed in-person jam sessions at the St. John’s Episcopal Church basement fellowship hall in Sylva.

The group welcomes all beginners and experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include tra-

Syrrup.

Jazz, soul at Lazy Hiker Asheville-based group Syrrup will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 7, at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.

Syrrup is a jazz/soul duo regularly playing at breweries and wineries around Western North Carolina. Their originals dip into jazz, soul, blues and rock. They also play hits from the likes of Stevie Wonder, Steely Dan and Al Green, while sprinkling in a few jazz standards of swing and Bossa Nova.

The show is free and open to the public. Call 828.349.2337 or visit lazyhikerbrewing.com.

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On the beat

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

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

ALSO:

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating. Reservations required.

828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.369.4080 or coweeschool.org.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular 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 (Sylva) will host Syrrup (jazz/soul) Jan. 7 and Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 14. 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 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.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m.

828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

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

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

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

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

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• The Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

828.526.8364 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 6, Brian Ashley Jones Jan. 7, The UpBeats Jan. 8, Blackjack Country Jan. 13, Rock Holler Band Jan. 14 and Outlaw Whiskey Jan. 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Craig (singer-songwriter) at 6 p.m. Jan. 27.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and

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

828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

The popular “Keyboards After Christmas” piano ensemble concert will return as an in-person event at 6 p.m. Jan. 8 and 4 p.m. Jan. 9 at the First Baptist Church in Waynesville.

The program will also be recorded and released on Facebook and YouTube.

Although admission is free, tickets will be required for those who attend the concert.

Because of COVID, attendance is being limited to 250 per concert.

Tickets will be made available to the public beginning on Tuesday, Dec. 28, and can be picked up at the First Baptist Church office, which is open Tuesdays through Thursdays 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Fridays 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tickets must be picked up and will not be held at the door.

This year’s players are Anna Watson, Carol Brown, Craig Summers, Diane Combs, Hilda Ryan, Jerri Meigs, Kathy Sheppard, Kaye Sebastyn, Marna Dodson, Sarah Smith and Mary Ann Cooper.

For more information, call 828.456.9465.

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Smoky Mountain News

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Anna Barnes (Americana) at 7 p.m. Jan. 20. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovation-brewing.com.

‘Keyboards After Christmas’ returns

January 5-11, 2022

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public.

828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

arts & entertainment

• Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva) will host an open mic from 8 to 10 p.m. every Thursday.

Free and open to the public. 828.631.1987 or balsamfallsbrewing.com.

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January 5-11, 2022

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Robin Arramae of WNC Paint Events will be continuing her fun paint nights to bring you not only a "night out" but an experience that lifts your spirits.

Join others as Arramae shows you stepby-step how to paint a beginner level painting of the evening as you sip on your favorite local craft beer. This two-hour event should have you feeling better than you felt before you came.

Events will be held at the following locations: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton) and Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City).

Please visit WNC Paint Events (@paintwnc) Facebook page, under “Events” for date and time of upcoming events. For pictures of previous events, visit Arramae’s Instagram: @wnc_paint_events.

For pricing and to sign up, text Arramae at 828.400.9560. Space is limited. Drinks sold separately.

• Cold Mountain Art Collective (Canton) will host “Kids Ceramic Magnet Painting” from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 15, which will welcome kids ages 3-12 for a creative afternoon painting their choice of three ceramic magnets from over a dozen different designs.

The “unWIND: Mommy’s Night Out” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 21, where you can join other local mommas for a night out painting your own ceramic wine cup. coldmountainartcollective.com/events.

ALSO:

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

On the street • “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, visit waynesvillewine.com.

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. mountainlovers.com.

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

828.631.3075.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood Street in downtown Waynesville. More than two dozen artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. mountainmakersmarket.com.

ALSO:

On the shelf

Murder

Jeff Minick

Once he reaches Paris, Sharpe finds himself charged with protecting a man named Fox, an intelligence agent whose other job is to sort through the artworks in the Louvre which the French looted in 20 years of war throughout Europe, and to return these stolen paintings and sculptures to their

rightful owners. In one humorous scene with Fox and with Sergeant Patrick Harper, Sharpe’s long-trusted friend and right hand man, the three men discuss a sculpture. Fox informs Sharpe and Harper that the artist of this Madonna and child was Michelangelo.

Near the end of the novel, Sharpe meets Lanier, the leader of the resistance to the forces conquering France. What impresses us about this dramatic confrontation is the respect both these men feel for each other, a bond of near friendship created by the suffering the war has brought to them despite the antagonism demanded by their fate and circumstances.

As with Cornwell’s other books, we can learn a great deal of history from reading him.

Here he shows us the chaos that ensued in France once Napoleon’s forces had met their end at Waterloo: the scattered resistance by some French garrisons, the fanaticism some showed for the toppled Emperor as opposed to others, like Sharpe’s love Lucille, who believes that enough sons of France have been sacrificed on the altar of ambition, and the armies and politicians converging on Paris.

For readers who enjoy historical fiction, great characters, and drama on the battlefield and in the drawing rooms of this period in time, Bernard Cornwell and his Sharpe saga should provide hours of reading entertainment and pleasure.

Highly recommended.

••• A note: By the time you read this review, we will have already observed New Year’s Day and passed into 2022. Allow me this opportunity to say that I hope the new year brings all of you a bounty of gifts and blessings … and lots of good books and the time to read them.

May we all receive the best and brightest from this new year.

(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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“Who?” Sharpe asked.

“Michelangelo. Surely you’ve heard of him?”

“Never,” Sharpe said.

“I have,” Harper said proudly.

“Good man,” Fox said enthusiastically.

“Who is he?” Sharpe asked.

“You must remember him!” Harper said.

“Spanish lad who joined the second battalion of the Rifles after Talavera. Miguel Angelo.”

“Miguel did that!” Sharpe gazed at the statue. “Bloody hell! He was a damned fine shot, I do remember that.”

“Poor bugger got gut-shot at Salamanca,” Harper went on, “and died. And by Christ he could use a chisel!”

“Michelangelo,” Fox said patiently, “was an

Italian genius of the Renaissance. He painted the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”

“So not the same man, sir?” Harper inquired.

Saturday, January 22nd

January 5-11, 2022

Good grief!

Let me say that again: Good grief!

After reading “Sharpe’s Assassin” (HarperCollins, 2021, 321 pages), I then turned to the front of the novel and counted the number of books Bernard Cornwell has written about his fictional hero of the Napoleonic Wars, Richard Sharpe.

The grand total?

Twenty-one novels and three collections of short stories. (I thanked the muse of literature that some kind editor put these novels in chronologiWriter cal order.) Add to this mountain of words Cornwell’s other historical novels and thrillers, plus a nonfiction book on the Battle of Waterloo, and the guy’s put out over 50 books.

Sharpe first attracted my attention years ago when I checked out some videos based on the early books from the Haywood County Public Library. Taken from a British television series starring Sean Bean, who plays the rough-cut commoner Richard Sharp to perfection, those shows led me to read several of the Sharpe novels.

And I’m now happy to report that in Sharpe’s Assassin Cornwell has kept intact his narrative abilities, his eye for historical details and his vivid powers of description regarding battles and skirmishes. Here’s Sharpe just as I remember him, older now and advanced in rank, yes, but still in fighting trim. Here, too, after his participation in the horrific Battle of Waterloo, the powers that be have ordered him help stop a group of fanatics from taking revenge for Napoleon’s loss.

When we first meet Sharpe in the early novels, including in India and the Peninsular War in Spain, he is still very much a product of his rough boyhood, the son of a prostitute and an orphan who joins the army to escape a charge of murder. When he is promoted from the ranks for saving the life of Arthur Wellesley, known best to us today as Lord Wellington, Sharpe becomes an officer but certainly no gentleman, and is often scorned by those whose titles derive in part from their aristocratic background.

By the time we meet him in this most recent story, some still regard Sharpe as unworthy of his rank, but most, as one fellow officer tells him, now think of him as a legend. Wellington frequently calls on his services, as he does here, and Sharpe’s leadership abilities and skill and ingenuity in warfare, knowledge gleaned from years of fighting, are valued by his men and by others who serve with him.

Mystery Night

arts & entertainment

Rowdy adventures: a review of “Sharpe’s Assassin”

Asheville 828-274-8822 Waynesville 828-407-4034 Sylva 828-586-9333 Reynolds Mountain 828-785-5825

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

Native to North America, the eastern tree hole mosquito was found on a batch of used tires shipped to Europe, but is thought to have been exterminated from the continent. Anders Lindström photo

Telling the biters apart WCU lab helps researcher with mosquito project

BY TOM LOTSHAW CONTRIBUTING WRITER Don’t swat at that mosquito.

Swedish entomologist Anders Lindström is sitting in a Western Carolina University lab, patiently waiting for the insect to stay put on a leaf cutting long enough to take its photo.

When the mosquito takes flight, Lindström captures it in a vial and puts it back on the leaf.

Lindström visited Cullowhee from the Swedish National Veterinary Institute the week after Thanksgiving. He was working in WCU’s Mosquito and Vector-Borne Infectious Disease Facility, which specializes in research and education about mosquito-borne diseases in Western North Carolina.

Lindström traveled to the facility to photograph two local mosquito species for a guidebook he’s creating, a project for the European Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.

The publication aims to be a tool for nonentomologists to identify and report invasive mosquito species in Europe and help stop their spread across that continent.

The mosquito flies off again. And again.

Lindström says he often has to offer the bloodthirsty insects a sacrificial finger as a perch to help them pose long enough for a photo.

“Usually, it’s a good way to make them sit still. But these are too young, I think. They don’t seem interested in me,” Lindström says of the American rock pool mosquito, Aedes atropalpus, he’s trying to photograph. The other mosquito species, the eastern tree hole mosquito, Aedes triseriatus, later proves more than happy to take a bite of Lindström’s finger.

The WCU facility maintains collections of many of North Carolina’s mosquito species and can make them available to researchers.

Shipping the two requested mosquito species to Sweden proved impossible, so the lab hatched some for Lindström to come photograph in person. The WCU facility started its mosquito collection in 2008 and has since preserved more than 4,000 specimens representing more than 100 mosquito species from North America.

Both species are native to North Carolina and much of Eastern North America. They grow in small water pools on trees and among rocks — and in countless items that can hold a bit of water and are commonly found outside homes and businesses. They’re not native to Europe, so they will go into the guidebook as invasive species of concern.

The American rock pool mosquito has already been reported in parts of Europe, though the eastern tree hole mosquito has not. It was, however, found in a batch of used tires shipped to the continent from North America.

“They have been exterminated, at least that’s what we think,” said Lindström.

“Whole tire yards were sprayed and they have been doing captures afterwards, and they have not been found again.”

Through human trade and travel, mosquitoes can be transported from continent to continent and create problems for quality of life, public health and the environment, Lindström said. He points to the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, and the Asian

bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus, as two examples. Both were transported from Asia to North America and to Europe, where they now bite aggressively and transmit diseases.

The tiger mosquito “is all around the Mediterranean now, and it’s spreading,” Lindström said. “It’s a really annoying mosquito that lives close to people, and we have had outbreaks of dengue, chikungunya, Zika, all the associated viruses.”

The European Centre for Disease

F

Anders Lindström photographs a mosquito in Western Carolina University’s Mosquito and VectorBorne Infectious Disease Facility. Tom Lotshaw/WCU photo

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NPS announces fee-free days The National Park Service will waive admission on five days in 2022, aiming to encourage discovery and visitation of the country’s variety of national parks.

Fee-free days are scheduled for Monday, Jan. 17, in recognition of Martin Luther King Jr. Day; Saturday, April 16, for the first day of National Park Week; Thursday, Aug. 4, for the anniversary of the Great American Outdoors Act; Saturday, Sept. 24, for National Public Lands Day; and Friday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day. “National parks are for everyone and we are committed to increasing access and providing opportunities for all to experience

the sense of wonder, awe and refreshment that comes with a visit to these treasured landscapes and sites,” said National Park Service Director Chuck Sams.

Out of the more than 400 National Park Service units, about 110 have admission fees, which range from $5 to $35. Fee money stays in the Park Service, with 80100% remaining in the park where it was collected. In 2020, $170 million was collected in NPS entrance fees.

The fee-free day waiver applies only to entrance fees and does not cover additional fees such as camping, transportation or special tours.

January 5-11, 2022 Smoky Mountain News

Prevention, between 2010 and 2019, 683 cases were reported in the United States — of which 180 were in North Carolina.

Nearly all of those occurred in the western region.

While many infected people have no apparent symptoms, others develop severe disease affecting the nervous system, often involving inflammation of the brain and sometimes including seizures, coma and paralysis, according to the CDC. Severe disease most often affects children under the age of 16.

“We are happy to The WCU facility maintains collections of many help Anders as of North Carolina’s mosquito species and can he develops this impormake them available to researchers. tant surveillance tool,” says Brian Byrd, an environmental sives in North Carolina. In the United health sciences professor at WCU and States, they’re known to transmit La Crosse supervisor of WCU’s Mosquito and VectorEncephalitis, which most severely impacts Borne Infectious Disease Facility. “We also children. understand the impacts of invasive mosquiAddressing regional needs related to La toes, as there are two invasive Aedes species Crosse Encephalitis — including education, here in Western North Carolina that are prevention and response — is the primary known to transmit La Crosse virus — our mission of the Mosquito and Vector-Borne most common mosquito-borne disease in Infectious Disease Facility. The viral disease North Carolina.” is the most common mosquito-borne disTom Lotshaw is a multimedia journalist withease in North Carolina and is most probin WCU’s University Communications and lematic in the western counties. According Marketing Office. to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Control will make the mosquito guidebook available for free online and translate it into all the various European languages. The guide will include identification tips, photos and detailed illustrations. The goal, Lindström says, is to help more people observe and report invasive mosquitoes for control measures before they become well-established, problematic and more difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate from the landscape.

As in Europe, the tiger mosquito and the bush mosquito are disease-spreading inva-

23

outdoors

Organic assistance deadline extended

Conservation purchase protects Lake James watershed The Lake James watershed near Morganton is now a little more protected following a 35-acre conservation purchase Dec. 23 along Paddy’s Creek.

Owned by the Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, the property includes open pastureland and forested buffers along one-third mile of Paddy’s Creek and a small tributary stream. The conservancy has now helped protect more than 11,000 acres surrounding Lake James, including 235 acres in Paddy’s Creek watershed.

Private donors, along with grants from the Catawba-Wateree Water Management Group and Duke Energy’s Catawba-Wateree Habitat Enhancement Program, made the purchase possible.

The deadline for organic farmers to apply for pandemic assistance funds to cover certification and education expenses has been extended and now falls on Feb. 4 rather than the original deadline of Jan. 7.

Called the Organic and Transitional Education and Certification Program, the program is open to agricultural producers who are certified organic or transitioning to organic, and covers eligible expenses from 2020 and 2021.

For more information, contact the county Farm Service Agency office. The program application and additional information is available at farmers.gov/otecp.

The plant doctor is in

The property includes forested buffers along one-third mile of Paddy’s Creek.

Foothills Conservancy photo

Oust plastic bags from Haywood Volunteers are wanted for a community-wide effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic bags, with a sew-a-thon planned for Friday, Jan. 7, at the Haywood County Library — or on your living room couch.

A novelty in the 1970s, plastic shopping bags are now an omnipresent product found in every corner of the world. Produced at a rate of up to one trillion bags per year, they are showing up from the darkest depths of the ocean to the summit of Mount Everest to the polar ice caps. Being so widespread, plastic bags are intensifying some major environmental challenges.

A group led by Outdoor Mission Community and area churches will spend Jan. 7 sewing cloth bags out of repurposed materials to distribute free at local grocery stores. Volunteers do not need to be experienced seamstresses, tailors or crafters to participate — cutters, folders and distributers are needed too.

Sew at the library or at home. To join in, call or text Jamie Shackleford at 336.583.9932.

Smoky Mountain News

January 5-11, 2022

A virtual plant clinic is open at the Haywood County Cooperative Extension Center, with Master Gardeners available to answer all manner of plant-related questions.

Email haywoodemgv@gmail.com with a detailed description of the problem, plant or insect, along with clear digital photos if possible. Community members can also call 828.456.3575 and describe the gardening issue to the receptionist. Either way, a Master Gardener will reply within a couple days, providing an answer with research-based information.

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outdoors

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Born without eyes, Oscar the opossum now resides at Chimney Rock State Park. Donated photo

We are open to continue

providing essential services to our patients in a safe environment.

Our staff is following protocol recommended by the CDC and local and state health departments.

ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Chimney Rock gets new resident Chimney Rock State Park has a new animal ambassador — Oscar the opossum, who was born with no eyes.

When he first arrived at the park, Oscar, a juvenile opossum, was nervous as he explored his new surroundings, but he’s warming up more each day. Despite not

being able to see, he climbs around his enclosure and explores even the highest areas with confidence. Oscar and his opossum friend Ossie live outside at the Animal Discovery Den on warm days and also appear in various animal programs. chimneyrockpark.com.

January 5-11, 2022

Weather forces ski area to pause operations Unseasonably warm weather is causing trouble for Cataloochee Ski Area in Maggie Valley, with the resort announcing Dec. 29 that it would be forced to close until Monday, Jan. 3. The week between Christmas and New Year’s Day is typically the busiest time for ski resorts.

“Cold weather will be moving in Sunday, which will allow us to resume snowmaking,” the resort posted on Facebook. As of Jan. 3, nine trails were open with a base of 12-24 inches.

Cataloochee opened for the season on Saturday, Nov. 20, and has an average season length of 125 days. Hours and rates are available at cataloochee.com.

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Puzzles can be found on page 30 These are only the answers.

Tobacco Commission grants fund WNC ag efforts The N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission awarded 23 grants worth more than $4 million for agricultural and economic initiatives across the state.

Grant projects impacting the western region include: n The Waynesville Public Market received $50,000 for farmers market capital and equipment improvement, serving Haywood County. n Western North Carolina Agricultural Options, a program that provides small grants directly to on-farm projects, received $849,900 to serve 21 western counties through a grant to WNC Communities. n The Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project, which serves 23 western counties, received $79,000 for efforts to increase small farm profitability. n The Mountain Valleys Resource Conservation and Development Council received $100,000 for its Energy CAP AgEnergy Program to serve 28 western counties.

The grant program supports projects that assist counties with facility enhancements, universities with research and educational opportunities, commodity groups with marketing and farmers with operations improvements and diversification.

The N.C. General Assembly created the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission in 2000 to lessen the financial impact to farmers and tobacco-related businesses caused by the sharp decline of tobacco in the agricultural economy.

The commission’s original funding was established through tobacco industry annual payments as a result of the Master Settlement Agreement. Its current funding comes from a set appropriation of funds. tobaccotrustfund.org.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Jackson Neighbors in Need is hosting its Annual Blanket Drive. The Jackson County Public Library and The Department of Social Services are collecting new blankets for people in need. New hats, scarves, and gloves can also be donated. The locations for dropping off these items are at Jackson County Public Library's Atrium and the front desk of The Department of Social Services. Blankets and other items will be available for those in need starting now and lasting as long as supplies last. For more information, call the library at 828.586.2016.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com are 12 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays at Sylva First United Methodist Church in downtown Sylva. Entrance at back of building. Also Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Cullowhee Methodist Church and Saturdays 6 p.m. at Cullowhee Methodist Church. For more details visit ncmountainna.org.

• A candlelight vigil will be held from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 6, at the Main Street Fountain in Sylva. The event is hosted by Indivisible Common Ground WNC. For more information contact Betsy Swift, 828.507.1678, bswift4252@gmail.com.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • Volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filing Mondays and Tuesdays from 9:40 a.m. to 3 p.m., Feb. 7 through April 12, by appointment at the Macon County Library. Masks are required. Appointments can be made online at wnctaxaide.as.me, by calling 828.524.3600 or visiting the library located at 149 Siler Farm Road, Franklin.

• Volunteers will be available to assist with federal and state income tax preparation and filings Mondays from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 7 through April 13, at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater. Masks are required. Appointments can be made online at wnctaxaide.as.me. Appointments can be made by phone starting Jan. 17 at 828.476.9570.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • On Monday, Jan. 10 at 12:30 p.m., the Jackson County Public Library is hosting a free substance abuse seminar facilitated by VAYA Health at 12:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 10. This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge. Registration and masks are required.

Call 828.586.2016 to register.

• Free Yoga will be hosted by Beyond Bending Yoga from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 19, at the Macon County Public Library in the Public Meeting Room. Register with our instructor at Beyond Bending Yoga, https://beyondbendingyoga.com/schedule/ to ensure safe numbers.

• A free community class on substance use, misuse and the opioid crisis will be held from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m.

Jan. 19, in the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room. Register ahead by calling or emailing Kristina Moe at 828.524.3600 or kmoe@fontanalib.org.

SUPPORT GROUPS • Dementia Caregivers Support Group, for those providing care for folks who are dealing with dementia, meets from 4:30 to 6 p.m. on the fourth Tuesday of every month at the Haywood Senior Resource Center (81 Elmwood Way, Waynesville). For additional information call 828-476-7985.

• Al-Anon, for families and friends of alcoholics, meets every Monday night from 7-8 p.m. at First United Methodist Church, 77 Jackson St., Sylva. Enter at front of church through the door to the left of the sanctuary; meeting is first door on the right. The Church requests that you wear a mask if you are not vaccinated.

• Narcotics Anonymous meetings are back "live" in-person after a year of being on Zoom only. Local meetings

Smoky Mountain News

A&E

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

• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host a semiregular acoustic jam with the Main Street NoTones from 7 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays. Free and open to the public.

For more information, click on blueridgebeerhub.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host Anna Barnes (Americana) at 7 p.m. Jan. 20. All events are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Innovationbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Syrrup (jazz/soul) Jan. 7 and Alma Russ (indie/folk) Jan. 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host Live Karaoke in the Smokies Jan. 6, Brian Ashley Jones Jan. 7, The UpBeats Jan. 8, Blackjack Country Jan. 13, Rock Holler Band Jan. 14 and Outlaw Whiskey Jan. 15. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public.

828.538.2488.

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

• “Dillsboro After Five” will take place from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Wednesdays in downtown Dillsboro. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. .mountainlovers.com.

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

Outdoors

• Pickleball lessons will be held 9 a.m. to noon Mondays and Wednesdays at the Waynesville Recreation

Center for beginning and seasoned players. Free for rec center members, with non-members charged the daily rate of purchasing a “ten play” pickleball card for $20.

Pickleball Nights will be 5 to 8 p.m. Monday and Tuesday. Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesville.gov or 828.456.2030.

• The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy’s Virtual Hiking Challenge is back with a call to complete 60 miles of trail in 60 day, kicking off New Year’s Day. To complete the challenge, participants must walk, run or hike 60 miles by March 1. Registration ends Feb. 1, but earlier registration means more time to log the miles. Cost is $25. Sign up at appalachian.org/event/sahcs-winter-hiking-challenge60-miles-in-60-days.

• Wednesday evenings will offer open volleyball play and practice at the Waynesville Recreation Center this month, with sessions held 5 to 8 p.m. Jan. 5 through Feb. 9. Donald Hummel, dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov or 828.456.2030.

• Spend January hiking the Mountains-to-Sea Trail through Haywood County during a special series offered

by Haywood County Recreation. The first hike in the series — on Wednesday, Jan. 5 — will take Soco Gap to Howards Bridge, led by Kathy Odvody and Steve Szczepanski. The series will also include a difficult 6mile hike to Looking Glass Rock on Saturday, Jan. 22, led by Phyllis Woollen and Lisa Cook. Hikes cost $10.

Call 828.452.6789 to register.

• Volunteers are wanted for a community-wide effort to reduce consumption of single-use plastic bags, with a sew-a-thon planned for Friday, Jan. 7, at the Haywood County Library — or on your living room couch. A group led by Outdoor Mission Community and area churches will spend Jan. 7 sewing cloth bags out of repurposed materials to distribute free at local grocery stores.

Volunteers do not need to be experienced seamstresses, tailors or crafters to participate — cutters, folders and distributers are needed too. Sew at the library or at

27

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

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings home. To join in, call or text Jamie Shackleford at 336.583.9932.

• The Franklin Appalachian Trail Community Council is open to businesses, organizations and individuals interested in protecting and promoting the A.T. The next meeting will be held on Monday, Jan. 10. Contact franklinatcc@gmail.com.

• Grow your knowledge of vegetable gardening during a two-hour virtual class offered at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 11. Given via Zoom, the course costs $10 with registration open through Jan. 6. Sign up by clicking “Extension Gardener: Learn to Grow Series” at haywod.ces.ncsu.edu or email mgarticles@charter.net.

• Choose your challenge at the Tsali Frosty Foot Fest Saturday, Jan. 15, at Tsali Recreation Area in Swain County. The day offers 8K, 30K and 50K race options starting at the Tsali Boating Access parking lot. Space is limited, and registration ends Jan. 1. Sign up at runsignup.com.

• The Wildlife Resources Commission is proposing a slate of changes to agency regulations for seasons in 2022-2023. Public comment is open through Monday, Jan. 31. This year, the agency’s furthest-west public hearing will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 18, at McDowell Technical College in Marion, and an online hearing is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20.

Market WNC PLACE

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County.

Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates: • • • •

• •

• • • • • •

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

Free — Lost or found pet ads. $6 — Residential yard sale ads.* $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m.

Monday for your ad to run again FREE Legal Notices — 25¢ per word $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less) Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4 Boost in Print Add Photo $6 Bold ad $2 Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4 Border $4

Announcements

A-1 DONATE YOUR CAR, Running or Not, Fast Free Pickup. Maximum tax deduction. Support United Breast Cancer Fdn. Programs. Your car donation could save a life. 888-641-9690

Business Opportunities BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! Publications sold at all major secular & specialty Christian bookstores. CALL Christian Faith Publishing for your FREE author submission kit. 1-855-658-2057

Employment

IXOO\ TXDOL¿HG 0LQLPXP TXDOL¿FDWLRQV LQFOXGH IRXU year degree in a Human Service Field. Preference will be given to applicants with a Master’s or Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and/or experience providing Social Work Services. The application for employment is available online at www.jcdss. org. Applications should be submitted to the Jackson County Department of Social Services, 15 *ULI¿Q 6WUHHW 6\OYD 1& 28779 or the NC Works Career Center. Applications will be taken until January 10, 2022.

DUMP TRUCK DRIVER B. H. Graning Landscapes is hiring a Dump Truck Driver. CDL required. Part time and/or full time availability. $17$22/hour. Pay is negotiable based on knowledge and experience. For more information please call 828.586.8303. Apply online or in person. www. bhglandscapes.com/employment-application.

THE JACKSON COUNTY DEPARTMENT Of Social Services is recruiting for a Foster Care Worker in Child Welfare. This position will work with foster children and provide services to families where needs KDYH EHHQ LGHQWL¿HG EARN YOUR HOSPIRequires limited availTALITY DEGREE ONability after hours as LINE! Earn your Assoneeded. The starting ciates Degree ONLINE salary is $42,102.07, if with CTI! Great career I NTRODUCTORY - HOCL M ICROBE T REATMENT FOR THE ENTIRE A UTO I NTERIOR E Eng t tin FwiR th

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

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

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com 28

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 5-11, 2022

advancement with the right credentials! Learn who’s hiring! Call 833990-0354. The Mission, Program Information and Tuition is located at CareerTechnical.edu/consumer-information. (M-F 8am-6pm ET) MEDICAL BILLING & CODING TRAINING. New Students Only. Call & Press 1. 100% online courses. Financial Aid Available for those who qualify.

Call 833-9900354

FACILITIES MANAGER FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking a parttime FACILTIES MANAGER. The Facilities Manager is responsible for maintaining church buildings and performing or scheduling routine PDLQWHQDQFH $ TXDOL¿HG candidate will possess carpentry skills and knowledge of mechanical, plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems. For more information or to apply, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at (828) 5572273 or marybrown@ sylvafumc.org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH OF SYLVA is seeking D IXOO WLPH 2I¿FH $GPLQLVWUDWRU 7KH 2I¿FH Administrator is responVLEOH IRU WKH ¿QDQFLDO DQG administrative operations of the church. This position directly manages and is responsible for all accounting and payroll functions, oversight of all

accounts receivable and payable, maintenance of general ledger, and reconciliation of bank accounts. This position also works with support from RI¿FH VWDII WR PDQDJH membership database, RUJDQL]H FKXUFK ¿OHV DQG prepare communications such as email, newsletters, and bulletins. Degree in accounting and/or administration preferred; minimum two years’ experience required. For more information or to submit a resume, please contact Rev. Dr. Mary Brown, Senior Pastor at marybrown@sylvafumc. org. marybrown@sylvafumc.org WNC RECOVERY PROJECT: BILINGUAL Engagement Ambassador: Mountain Projects, Inc. is immediately seeking a fulltime Bilingual &HUWL¿HG $SSOLFDWLRQ Counselor and Hispanic outreach specialist to support a WNC grant project to increase insurance enrollments and decrease childhood poverty via outreach to QRQ WD[ ¿OLQJ FRPPXnity members as well as the uninsured. You will be responsible for EHFRPLQJ D &HUWL¿HG Application Counselor, enrolling consumers in individual health plans on the health insurance marketplace, translating materials into Spanish, understanding policies pertaining to the project, and conducting outreach with communities and RWKHU QRQ SUR¿W FRPPXnity agencies serving the targeted population. This position will require a 2+

WNC MarketPlace

years of experience in QRQ SUR¿W FRPPXQLW\ VHUvice roles with a strong emphasis on health equity and social determinants of health. Previous training as a community health worker, educator, social work, clergy, Peace Corps, or eligibility interviewing will be very helpful in this position.

Candidates must have at minimum an AssociDWH¶V 'HJUHH EH ÀXHQW in Spanish and English, SDVV D FHUWL¿FDWLRQ H[DP have reliable transportation, and be willing to travel to conduct outreach across the seven western counties of NC. Experience as a CPA or accountant helpful but not required. Pay begins at $19 dollars an hour.

This project is possible through a 3 year grant from the Dogwood Health Trust in collaboration with Pisgah Legal Services.

WNC RECOVERY PROJECT: OUTREACH SPECIALIST Mountain Projects, Inc. is immediately seeking a fulltime WNC Recovery Outreach Specialist for a 3 year grant funded project focused on decreasing childhood poverty and increasing health insurance enrollments and access to health care. The project will target low income and hard to reach rural

communities and will include education about IUHH WD[ ¿OLQJ VHUYLFHV at VITA sites in order to assist them with receiving tax credits and qualifying for health insurance through the exchange.

You will be responsible for coordinating and conducting outreach in the rural and remote areas of Western North Carolina, coordinating efforts with public service agencies, meeting individuals, tabling at events, distributing education materials, and discussing the program with key contacts in local communities.

Volunteer recruitment and development of community champions will be expected. This position will require 2+ years of H[SHULHQFH LQ QRQ SUR¿W community service roles with a strong emphasis on health equity and social determinants of health. Previous training and experience in community outreach, volunteer management, public speaking, social media, and proven community partner engagement is required. Candidates must have a minimum of an Associate’s Degree, EH SUR¿FLHQW RQ FRPputer, pass an online FHUWL¿FDWLRQ H[DP WR EHFRPH D &HUWL¿HG $Splication Counselor, have reliable transportation,

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents Amanda Cook Williams Broker Realtor

Follow Amanda Williams Real Estate

Once a client always a friend

828.400.4825 awilliams@cbking.com

See Virtual Tours of listed homes at

MaggieValleyHomeSales.com Market Square, 3457 Soco Rd. • Maggie Valley, NC • 828-926-0400

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage • Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither - esither@beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com • • • •

Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436

EXP Realty • Jeanne Forrest - ashevillerealeat8@gmail.com

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com Lakeshore Realty • Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com • Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

I Am Proud of Our Mountains and Would Love to Show You Around!

Real Experience.

Real Service. Real Results.

Randall Rogers BROKER ASSOCIATE —————————————

828.452.3727

(828) 734-8862

www.TheRealTeamNC.com

RE/MAX

EXECUTIVE

RROGERS@BEVERLY-HANKS.COM

71 N. Main Street Waynesville

RE/MAX

71 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

www.ronbreese.com Each office independently owned & operated.

• Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

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

remax-maggievalleync.com The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com Ron Breese - ronbreese.com Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com Sara Sherman - sarashermanncrealtor@gmail.com David Rogers- davidr@remax-waynesville.com Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty

EXECUTIVE

Ron Breese Broker/Owner

Mountain Creek Real Estate

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com • Sherell Johnson - Sherellwj@aol.com

Ellen Sither esither@beverly-hanks.com (828) 734-8305

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

828.452.4251

ads@smokymountainnews.com

SUPER

CROSSWORD

OFF DUTY ACROSS 1 Pillager 7 Branch of Buddhism 10 Mosque minister 14 Stallone role 19 Large lizard 20 Shirt-pocket audio player 22 Wine coolers 23 Gasohol, e.g.

25 Italy's largest port 26 Apartment, e.g.: Abbr.

27 Sculling need 28 That, in Spanish 29 America's Cup sport 31 Passed-on value system, say 36 Ever and -38 "The Fresh Prince of -- Air" 39 Volkswagen hatchback 40 Ellipsis bit 41 Serious moral offense 45 Big Apple airport code 48 Superbright colors 52 "Relax, GI!" 53 -- Kippur 54 Song of thanksgiving 56 Drink sample 57 Tattoos and piercings 59 Journalistic profession 63 Childbirth assistant 66 Two-spinoff CBS series 67 Quit sleeping 68 Very manly 72 Like gross profits ... or how the ends of eight answers in this puzzle might appear 75 Digital greeting 76 Illicit love affairs

78 Helen's city 79 4-point Scrabble piece 81 Events to move merchandise for charity 84 Redgrave of film 89 Ending for Canton 90 Leg bone 91 Pro hoops gp.

94 Tested the weight of by lifting 95 Take hold 98 Flanders on "The Simpsons" 99 Bucolic byway 101 Here-there linkup 103 Madam's partner 105 Plains tribe 106 Shady giants 107 Earnings not allocated for necessary items 115 Very brave 116 Adam's partner 117 Suffix with northwest 118 Provided with a meal 121 Razor-honing band 122 It may be trespassed on 127 Move around like a baby 128 Bristlecone, for one 129 "Tru" subject 130 Made of turf 131 River through Flanders 132 37-Down part: Abbr.

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37 Western mil. alliance 42 Dancer Duncan 43 Roman despot 44 Global financial gp.

46 Reaches 47 Jacuzzi sigh 49 Honshu port 50 Saltpeter 51 Fork out 54 Purple-brown 55 School lobby gp.

58 Soaking spot 60 One way to serve ham or pastrami 61 "It's Pat" star Julia 62 Tic-toe linkup 64 Leaves alone 65 "Yes, sorry to say" 68 Former fillies

69 Entertain 70 Tailed orbiter 71 Engine noise 73 Dancing girl in "Return of the Jedi" 74 VII times II 77 Boss of a cpl.

80 Actor Bert of "The Wizard of Oz" 82 A, to Wilhelm 83 -- -cone (frozen treat) 85 Actor -- Zimbalist Jr. 86 Robbed 87 Stitched line 88 Counts up 92 Wave-tossed bobber 93 Voting "no" 96 Exclusive group of people 97 Lack of a response 99 Fancy tie 100 Copier ink 102 Agent, for short 104 "The nerve!"

107 Wafers, e.g.

108 Prelim 109 Fine fiddle 110 Prone to tilt 111 "The Wire" actor Elba 112 Trendy again 113 Earthen pot 114 Comparable (with) 119 Feminizing suffix 120 Batik artisan 123 Feminizing suffix 124 Ending for cannon 125 Cribbage pin 126 Green-minded gp.

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

and be willing to travel in their personal vehicle to conduct outreach across the seven western counties of NC. Experience as a CPA or accountant helpful but not required.

Pay begins at $19 dollars an hour. This project is possible through a 3 year grant from the Dogwood Health Trust in collaboration with Pisgah Legal Services.

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM! Train Online to get the skills to become a Computer & Help Desk Professional Now! Grants and Scholarships available for certain SURJUDPV IRU TXDOL¿HG applicants. Call CTI for details.

855-554-4616 The Mission, Program information and tuition is located at CareerTechnical. edu/consumer-information (AAN CAN) ATTENTION ACTIVE DUTY/MILITARY Veterans Begin a new career and earn your degree at CTI. Online computer & medical training available for veterans & families! To learn more call 833-9703466

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CASTILLO

Tree Service, Etc, Inc.

• Dangerous Tree Removal • Pruning • Creating Views

plan. Do not wait! Call now! Get your FREE Dental Information Kit with all the details! 1-844-4968601 www.dental50plus. com/ncpress #6258

Pets KITTENS! Asheville Humane Society has several kittens for adoption, all 2-6 months old, in a variety of colors. All cute as can be! (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ ashevillehumane.org PITBULL TERRIER MIX (TAN), TWITCH 5-yr old cutie, ready for adventures. Loves toys and people; prefer to be only pet.

Asheville Humane Society (828) 761-2001 adoptions@ashevillehumane.org

Real Estate Announcements FREE ESTIMATES • INSURED

828-342-3024

saulcastillo7212@gmail.com

WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE From America’s Top Movers. Fully insured and bonded. Let us take the stress out of your

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 26 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

30

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January 5-11, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

out of state move. FREE QUOTES! Call: 855-8212782

Entertainment CABLE PRICE INCREASE AGAIN? Switch to DIRECTV & Save + get $100 visa gift card! Get More Channels For Less Money. Restrictions apply, call now! 1-888-5202338

offer- 5 screenings for $149 call 866-563-3640 ATTENTION: Oxygen Users. Gain freedom with a portable oxygen concentrator. No more heavy WDQNV RU UH¿OOV *XDUDQteed lowest prices. Oxygen Concentrator Store 844-866-4793

Home Improvement

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Computer not necessary.

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BATH & SHOWER UPDATES In as little as ONE DAY! Affordable prices - No payments for 18 months! Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & Military Discounts available. Call: 833-987-0207

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STROKE & CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE Are leading causes of death, according to the American Heart Ass. Screenings can provide peace of mind or early detection! Contact Life Line Screening to schedule your screening. Special

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FREON WANTED: We pay $$$ for cylinders and cans. R12 R500 R11 R113 R114. Convenient. CerWL¿HG 3URIHVVLRQDOV &DOO 312-291-9169 or visit RefrigerantFinders.com

Health/Beauty

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Wanted to Buy

Great Smokies

STORAGE LLC Call 828.506.4112 greatsmokiesstorage.com 434 Champion Drive, Canton, NC 28716 21 Hollon Cove Rd, Waynesville, NC 28786

January 5-11, 2022

WNC MarketPlace

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Smoky Mountain News January 5-11, 2022