Smoky Mountain News

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January 15-21, 2014 Vol. 15 Iss. 33

Two Democrats seek state Senate seat Page 10

Evergreen forced to meet expensive EPA rules Page 20

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: An exhaustive mission to rescue hikers stranded deep in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park reveals just how much effort park rangers and others put into saving lives. This particular effort was made dangerous and difficult by subzero temperatures, howling winds and blowing snow. In the end, the three unprepared hikers were airlifted to safety. (Page 6) Donated photo

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News Jackson planners propose weakened slope, development rules . . . . . . . . . 4 Jackson TDA to decide on marketing plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 New Franklin mayor on a rocky road to change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Canton starts manager search — again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 State Senate race shaping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

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CONTACT

Opinion Differing opinions on Israel, Palestinians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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Evergreen challenged by EPA regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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January 15-21, 2014

State rule makers need to be watched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Welcomes

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Laxer steep slope rules head for public hearing in Jackson

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER ontrols on mountainside development in Jackson County could be loosened following a year-long line-by-line rewrite of steep slope rules by the Jackson County planning board.

The planning board voted last week to stop debating the pros and cons amongst themselves and move along to the next step in the process, scheduling a public hearing for February.

“It is time to make a decision that it is good enough to send out for public comment,” Zac Koenig, a builder in Cashiers and planning board chairman, said at the outset of last week’s planning board meeting.

Planning board member Dickey Woodard said public comment will be the true test of whether they got the revisions right.

“We could kick this around as long as we want to kick it,” said Woodard. “We are trying to throw a broad net over a lot of things.

We can always come back and change it.”

Throughout the process, only two or three planning board members have spoken out against weakening the regulations. A couple of members have been advocates of more tempered changes.

But at the outset, the majority of the 11person planning board held the belief that the steep slope rules were too restrictive and micromanaged what people could build on their own property.

“I don’t think you should take away someone’s rights unless you know you are benefiting the whole county,” said Clark Lipkin, a surveyor and planning board member who argued throughout the process that the existing rules are arbitrary and overreaching.

“That becomes the question of individual rights versus the populace and society and the beauty of the place and the reason people come here,” countered Tom Rogers, a planning board member who often defended the existing ordinance. “People don’t come here to watch the houses change colors.”

The first of two public hearings on the laxer steep slope rules will be held next month by the planning board.

The planning board will then give the ordinance a final once-over, deciding whether to make any final changes to it based on pub-

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For more than a year, Jackson County Planning Board members have been debating revisions to the steep slope ordinance that would lift some of the restrictions on mountainside construction. Becky Johnson photo

“[It] becomes the question of individual rights versus the populace and society and the beauty of the place and the reason people come here.”

— Tom Rogers, planning board member

lic input. It will then get shipped along to county commissioners.

Commissioners have the final say on what changes are made. Commissioners could tighten some of the changes, loosen it some more, or pass it just as the planning board proposes.

But first commissioners will hold a public hearing of their own.

The steep slope rules were controversial when first passed seven years ago, raising the ire of some developers who believed the rules went too far.

Stay tuned A complete analysis of revisions to Jackson County’s steep slope rules will appear in coming weeks, in advance of a public hearing scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the county administration building in Sylva.

A rewrite of the steep slope ordinance would loosen mountainside building regulations in several ways. Here are a few key points: • Steep slope regulations would no longer apply in many areas where they do now. Steep slope rules would only kick in on slopes of 35

Now, the laxer version will likely raise the ire of those on the other end of the spectrum — those who want to limit development to protect the environment, aesthetics and mountain character.

The steep slope revisions have landed at the feet of county commissioners just in time for election season. Three of the five commissioners are up for election in November.

One of the biggest challenges facing the public who may want to weigh in, however, will be sorting out all the changes that are proposed and making sense of them.

“The average layperson can’t picture all of this in their mind,” said Ben Bergen, a planning board member and home builder.

The planning board has been discussing the rewrite for 14 months, combing over the steep slope rules line by line, over and over. It has even been hard for some planning board members to keep up.

“I find myself checking back and forth trying to figure out did this section influence this one, did that one usurp that one?” said Rogers, who was appointed to the planning board toward the tail end of the rewrite process.

percent, compared to slopes of 30 percent now.

• The cap on the number of homes per acre that can be built on steep slopes would be lifted.

• Soil, hydrological and environmental impact reports would no longer be required.

• The ban on ridgetop building would be lifted. Homes could be built on ridgetops, protruding up to 35 feet above the ridgetop.

• A larger portion of a lot could be cleared, graded, paved and built on, increasing disturbance.

• Requirements to screen mountainside homes through site placement or with trees would be removed.

How to market the new message J

Clifford Meads, the marketing chair of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, shares concepts for a new marketing campaign pitching Jackson as a destination to travelers. visitor centers? Festival underwriting versus wooing travel writers? How much should go to magazine ads, and in which magazines — fly fishing magazines, golfing magazines, outdoor magazines, travel magazines?

A sample marketing plan developed by the Brandon Agency presented to the tourism board late last year is now under review.

“We are massaging it and will go back to them and massage it again until we think it is right,” said Clifford Meads, marketing chairman for the tourism board and manager of High Hampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers.

Another big question to be addressed is who will carry out the various pieces of a strategic marketing plan.

“How do you implement a comprehensive marketing plan on the ground?” Edwards said. “There are options on the table as we move forward, and the execution is yet to be determined.”

The Jackson tourism authority has no executive director or paid staff of its own but instead outsources the various aspects of its work.

On the tactical side — answering phone and email inquiries from the prospective travelers, printing and distributing visitor guides, managing web site content, and so on — the daily boots-on-the-ground operations are carried out under contracts with the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce and the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce.

The tourism authority also contracts with an outside advertising agency to design ads billing Jackson County as a travel destination and place them in magazines, newspapers, radio, billboards and other avenues. Outside consultants also handle web site development and publicity.

The tourism board must decide whether to continue farming out these various roles to multiple consultants and firms or consolidate them with a single agency.

Or, in the future, the Jackson tourism authority may need to have a director and inhouse staff of its own.

“At some point in time this thing is going to be big enough that it will need an executive director to marshal all these initiatives,”

• $261,000: advertising and marketing campaign • $74,000: Cashiers Visitor Center operations and overhead • $81,000: Jackson County Visitor Center operations and overhead • $28,000: printing, mainly for brochures • $22,000: postage, mainly for sending travel guides to prospective visitors • $8,000: 800-number phone line for visitor inquiries • $15,000: grants to support special events and festivals • $32,000: public relations/media outreach • $15,000: special projects and contingency • $38,000: financial and accounting services through the county, including billing and tax collection • $26,000: general overhead, including insurance, travel, office supplies, insurance, and audit Meads said.

But Meads and other tourism board members agree they aren’t there yet.

“There is currently no plan to hire staff,” Jumper said.

The new countywide tourism agency formed last year was charged with thinking and acting cohesively. Historically, there were two tourism entities: one for Cashiers and one for Jackson as a whole.

But the idea was tourism marketing would be more effective under one banner.

The forced mash-up had a few hiccups its first year — from political to logistical.

But progress is being made.

“We are barely walking. We are still crawling,” said Meads. “The idea is to take this thing in bites.”

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER anton residents will have the chance to weigh in on the town board’s yearlong search for a town manager at a public forum scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, at the Colonial Theatre.

There, town residents will be able to voice their priorities for qualities in a new town manager and make more general comments about their vision for the town.

“It will be whatever the public wants to address,” said Canton Mayor Mike Ray. “The forum will be to listen to the community and

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get their input and thoughts. We always want to listen to our community.”

Ray said the board will welcome views on the direction the town should be taking or challenges it faces. That input, in turn, could help inform the town’s ongoing selection of a new town manager.

The town board began its search for a new town manager in January 2013 when former manager Al Matthews announced he would retire at the end of that year.

After narrowing down applicants to the top five, the board decided to reopen the application period in August, a move that

“We want somebody who is very involved in the community as a public face. If we make a good hire, it will last for years, so we want to make a good decision.”

— Zeb Smathers, Canton alderman

Smoky Mountain News

New Canton board to hold public forum on vision, direction for town

January 15-21, 2014

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER ackson County tourism leaders are weighing the best way to get their message to the masses.

An overhaul of the county’s tourism strategy was launched last year. Tourism had declined during the recession and then stubbornly flatlined rather than rebounding as quickly as hoped.

So a new countywide tourism agency was formed last year with marching orders to ramp up the county’s marketing game.

The first step was a new logo and brand billing Jackson as a trip destination, with the winning slogan of “Play On.” Now, the still-fledgling tourism board has to figure out the best vehicle to lure visitors with the new image.

“The opportunity to have an integrated comprehensive plan is a very, very exciting time,” said Stephanie Edwards, executive director of the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce and tourism board member.

“Equally important is the evaluation of it. Are we getting the biggest bang for our buck?”

The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority has $650,000 at its disposal raised through a 4 percent tax on overnight lodging. Tourists pay the tax, which is then pumped back in to luring more tourists, a sort of self-perpetuating cycle.

The tourism authority hired a marketing firm for $10,000 to develop a new broadstrokes strategic marketing plan, which is now the center of the tourism board’s discussions.

“A strategic marketing plan would give direction and focus to the execution of Jackson County tourism,” said Robert Jumper, chair of the Jackson tourism authority.

What that strategic marketing plan should look like is the top question facing the tourism authority.

How much should be spent on billboards versus brochures? Internet campaigns versus

A 4-cent tax on overnight accommodations will bring in about $650,000 this year for Jackson County tourism efforts. That’s more than anticipated, thanks to an increase in tourism over last year. The tourism authority conservatively budgeted for $600,000 in spending this fiscal year.

Here’s a breakdown of the budget.

news

Jackson County has a new slogan; now what?

By the numbers: Jackson tourism budget

increased the pool of applicants from 40 to about 80.

But all four aldermen on the board chose not to run for reelection and didn’t arrive at a town manager decision before stepping down.

So the hiring process was passed off to the incoming aldermen. Alderman Zeb Smathers said he looks forward to hearing the public’s thoughts at the forum.

“We want somebody who is very involved in the community as a public face,” said Smathers. “If we make a good hire, it will last for years, so we want to make a good 5 decision.”

Smoky Mountain News

January 15-21, 2014

news

Fully recovered from the taxing rescue, Phil Basak (from left), Kent Looney and Brad Griest stand together in front of a park search and rescue vehicle. Donated photo

A WINTER RESCUE Rangers trek into frigid, snowy darkness to save hikers

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER y 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, the sky had long gone dark and rain was turning to snow. It was the perfect night to watch a football game. But Steve Kloster had barely gotten past the kickoff of the Sugar Bowl showdown between the Alabama Crimson Tide and Oklahoma Sooners before a phone call tore him away from cheering for the Southeastern Conference powerhouse. Chief Ranger Clayton Jordan was on the line, calling the Tennessee District Ranger for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park into an even higher-stakes contest.

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7:45 P.M.

“They told me they had a report of a significant incident at the Mollie’s Ridge shelter [on the Appalachian Trail],” Kloster said.

“There was enough communication to know that they were not moving on the trail, that they had 60-degree sleeping bags, and in the background they could hear one of the guys say, ‘I can’t walk. I have frostbite.’”

The broken cell phone signal was just clear enough for Jonathan Dobbins, 21, Steven White, 28, and Shawn Hood, 32, all of Gaffney, S.C., to tell dispatch that tempera6 tures were plummeting, the wind was howl-

ing and their equipment wasn’t enough for the 10-day backpack trip they had planned through the park. In this weather, it wasn’t even good enough for this, their first night in the backcountry.

Kloster, who is also the search and rescue coordinator for the park, immediately got on a conference call with Jordan, Cades Cove supervisory park ranger Steve Spanyer and park ranger Andrew Robinson. The four planned a response from Cade’s Cove, the closest access point to the Mollie’s Ridge shelter.

It didn’t take long to conclude that the rescue effort could not wait until morning, but a nighttime response would be anything but simple. Though the park stays wellstaffed during the high-volume holiday season, the call came one day after New Year’s.

Many rangers were away on vacation, and since budget cuts had slashed park employment anyway — especially on the North Carolina side, where the incident occurred — the pool of prospective rescuers was on the small side anyway.

“In the last few years, we have reduced that staff by 40 percent,” Kloster said of the North Carolina GSMNP ranger force.

And besides, this rescue wouldn’t be a job for a new employee with six months under his belt. This mission required experience.

9:30 P.M. Enter Phil Basak, a ranger and medic whose six years of full-time experience includes two years in Montana’s Glacier National Park, three years in Big Bend National Park in Texas, and one year with GSMNP. Basak knows cold, from both a recreational and a medical standpoint. In Glacier, located at 48.7 degrees north latitude, the average January day has a high of 26 degrees and a low of 15, according to the park website. Below zero temperatures are a common occurance.

Jan. 2 was Basak’s day off, and he’d already filled it by crossing off a list of honey-dos around the house. But when the phone rang at 9:30 p.m., he answered it by taking 30 minutes to sift through his cold-weather gear, jump in the car and head toward Cade’s Cove Ranger Station to lead the rescue mission.

11 P.M. By the time Basak reached the station, Kloster had already spent several hours gathering a team and coming up with a game plan to rival any that Oklahoma or Alabama coaches had up their sleeves. Kent Looney, a ranger stationed at Cade’s Cove, was busy preparing to join Basak on the mission after finishing his eight-hour shift at 9 p.m. Brad

Griest, a ranger at the Little River station, would round out the team.

But that’s not all the manpower Kloster would need.

“The three that went on the trail are the stars of the show, but there’s a lot of other things going on,” he said.

Taking on the role of incident commander, Kloster appointed an operations section chief, a planning section chief and a logistics section chief. He needed a family liason to keep the men’s families informed of the operation’s progress and research their gear and outdoor experience. The air rescue, if it came to that, would require a section chief to plan, and then there were the dispatchers, the public relations people, and more. All told, the National Park Service portion of the rescue involved about 22 people.

“During the incident, we were down to managing the Tennessee side of the park with three rangers,” Kloster said.

While Kloster continued the organizational effort, Basak and Looney packed their bags, putting together an extra for Griest, whose vehicle couldn’t reach the ranger station in the snow. The basic principle, Basak said, was “one for us and one for buddy.” Each rescuer packed two sets of zero-degree sleeping bags, long johns, socks, stocking caps, mittens and extra sets of base layers. They brought two sets of ground pads and tents— one for the three rescuers and one for the three stranded men — and snacks such as Cliff bars, military MREs (meals ready to eat) and cider packages.

1:30 A.M.

In the meantime, Kloster had gotten some more information about the men’s whereabouts. It turned out they were much farther from the Mollie’s Ridge shelter than they had originally thought, meaning that the rescue had to come through the Fontana Dam trailhead rather than through Cade’s Cove. By the time Basak and Looney had picked Griest up from Townsend, Tenn., it was 1:30 a.m., and Fontana Dam was another two hours away.

“We hadn’t had a whole lot more information (at that point),” Basak said. “We knew that people weren’t able to feel legs, toes, that they hadn’t felt them in a few hours.”

The men were hypothermic and in a state of panic, Basak deduced, and he knew that the sooner the rescue, the better the results.

3:34 A.M.

But the rescuers could only move so quickly. When they set out on the Appalachian Trail at Fontana Dam, the car thermometer read 16 degrees. The wind was blowing five to 10 miles per hour, with snow swirling all around.

None of the rescuers were showing much skin as when they set out, but even in 16degree weather, ascending 2,000 feet in elevation can make a Patagonia Capilene base layer, an insulating jacket, a shell jacket, long johns and snowboard pants a little too warm.

Stay safe out there

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ning of trouble,” Padgett said.

• Be aware of the time. In the wintertime, the sun sets early, and temperatures drop sharply at night. Plan to be at the shelter well in advance of sundown, and pack for a cold night.

6 A.M.

Donated photo

“We can pick people off of anything. It’s just trying to get our minds in gear of what we will be facing.”

— Doug deJong, Charlotte Fire Department captain

Because if something goes wrong, you could find yourself battling one of wintertime hiking’s deadliest hazards — hypothermia. Wind, wetness and low blood sugar can cause a quicker onset, or it could progress from moderate to severe over the course of several days.

Mild: The first sign of hypothermia is the most obvious: You start feeling cold.

“People push that off to the side,” Padgett said. When the temperature is low, people expect to be cold. But, he said, “if they’re wet or it’s windy, the whole situation accelerates.”

Moderate: Convulsive shivering, withdrawn disposition and motor skill difficulties mark this stage. Problems zipping a jacket can lead to more severe issues, such as trouble walking. People often don’t recognize the signs of hypothermia in themselves, which is just one reason why it’s important to travel with a group, Padgett said.

Severe: There’s only one way to describe severe hypothermia, according to Padgett.

“It looks like death,” he said.

Gray skin, frostbite and breathing or pulse too low to detect are symptoms, and the situation could end with coldinduced cardiac arrest.

What to do: First of all, get the victim out of wet clothes and into dry ones, moving the person into a warm area if one is available. Warm their core by applying well-wrapped hot water bottles to the armpits, chest and groin, and give sugary liquids to drink — sugar is important fuel for the body’s recovery. Don’t apply heat directly to the skin, and keep the victim awake.

injuries resulting from the mission. And that method would have taken all day, prolonging the time before the stranded men could receive hospital care.

While helicopter rescue has its own risks — high wind speeds under the copter can cause tree branches to break and fall, radio communication between rangers and air crews can be difficult and base-to-summit weather changes can cause problems — Kloster quickly concluded it was the best tactic.

“An incident like that, there’s no doubt in my mind (the helicopter) was the most efficient way to extricate these individuals from the backcountry,” Kloster said.

At 6 a.m., while the rescuers were still en route to the stranded men, air operations chief Mike Scheid began making calls, trying to organize an air rescue. In North Carolina, that process starts at the local level. A conversation with Swain County Emergency Management Coordinator David Breedlove led to a referral to Brian Barnes, search and rescue coordinator for the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

8 A.M. By 8 a.m., the three rescuers had already been awake for 24 hours, but Charlotte Fire Department Captain Doug deJonge’s day was just beginning. The veteran firefighter and fiveyear member of the North Carolina Helicopter and Aquatic Rescue Team had clocked into his 24-hour shift at the fire station when Tim Rogers, NC HART leader, alerted de Jonge that he might have a mission that morning.

“By 9 a.m., it had been confirmed that the

rescue request had been approved,” he said.

That’s when deJonge’s day kicked into high gear. He got on a conference call with Barnes, National Guard flight crew members, GSMNP rangers and state emergency management members to learn the details of the situation and start planning the rescue.

“We can pick people off of anything,” de Jonge said. “It’s just trying to get our minds in gear of what we will be facing.”

With that gear shifted, deJonge and fellow CFD captain and NC HART member Bobby Bryson began to pack. “[The stranded men’s] mobility was in question as well, so we grabbed different equipment to extract them in different ways if we needed it,” de Jonge said.

Then, the men suited up in leggings, warm fleece, winter jackets, gloves and their uniforms, leaving at 9:20 a.m. for Salisbury, where they would meet the helicopter, a Black Hawk UH-60. By 10:15, they had arrived at the National Guard station, where the helicopter waited. From there, they flew west to Asheville, stopping to fuel up and meet the third member of their team, Bobby Cooper of Transylvania County Emergency Services.

By 11:40, the Black Hawk was headed for the mountains.

Smoky Mountain News

A Black Hawk helicopter lifts a victim into the air during a 2005 rescue at Derrick Knob Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, a situation similar to the one rescuers faced Jan. 2 and 3.

At that time, the team believed the three stranded men to be located near the 5-mile marker. When they made 4.5 miles, around 6:30 a.m., they slowed their hike, pausing frequently to call out the men’s names. The only response was the sound of trees groaning in the wind.

“You could definitely have mistaken them for somebody trying to yell back,” Basak said.

Meanwhile, Kloster and the crew at the incident command center were trying to decide what would happen when the rescue team finally reached the men. Based on what they could glean from broken cell phone calls, they concluded the men wouldn’t be able to hike out on their own. That left Kloster with two options: call a helicopter or hike the men out on stretchers.

He nixed the stretcher option pretty quickly, because that tactic would bring 12 to 15 rescue personnel per victim out in hazardous conditions, multiplying the risk of

AVOID HYPOTHERMIA

January 15-21, 2014

“Some of us warmed up pretty quick,” Basak said.

But once the team reached the ridge, that changed. Basak broke out his baklava, and as temperatures dipped toward negative and wind speeds topped 20 miles per hour, there was no getting around the fact that it was cold.

Snow fell in a base layer of 6 to 8 inches, sometimes laying in drifts two feet deep. On the white-blazed AT, those flakes caused confusion.

“The trail as we got higher up was hard to find because there was so much blowing snow,” Basak said. “It was hard to see the trail.”

“Once it’s dark, whatever cold factors were complicating you during the light are going to complicate you a lot more,” Padgett said.

news

s three hikers from South Carolina found out this month, the wintertime beauty of the Smokies is also fraught with danger. Justin Padgett, Jackson County paramedic and executive director of Landmark Learning, an emergency medical training school for wilderness first responders in Cullowhee, loves a chilly hike, but he’s also well-versed in backcountry know-how. Before you head for the woods, make a pass through Padget’s mental checklist for staying safe.

• Bring plenty of food. Your body will burn energy quickly when temperatures drop, so plan for bigger meals — and more of them, too, in case something unexpected happens.

Cut up blocky foods like cheese and protein bars in advance so they’re easier to eat when frozen, and pack the diversity of foods your body needs to perform.

“It’s kind of like building a fire,” Padgett said. “The carbs are the spark, the protein is a medium-sized log and the fat is like a big yule log to keep you going.”

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. In the cold, dehydration can sneak up on you before you realize it. Dry air and wind can wick away moisture like nothing else, so bring plenty of water, drink often and make sure you have a plan in place to keep it from freezing.

• Layer up. Wear synthetic fabrics, not natural fibers like cotton, because synthetics are better at wicking away moisture. Keep your base layer clean and dry, and avoid sweating.

“If you’re hiking too fast and you start to sweat, you need to stop or take a layer off,” Padgett said. “Most people that get in trouble, they get wet.”

• Keep your extremities in motion. Keep your fingers and toes wiggling so that the blood keeps circulating.

“When your hands and feet stop having a central nervous system response of pain and uncomfyness, that’s the begin-

Hoarfrost clings to trees near Clingmans Dome, a winter scene that is both beautiful and potentially dangerous. Donated photo

8:16 A.M. At that point, Basak, Looney and Griest were well into their first response. After hours of calling the men’s names in the darkness, they finally found the stranded hikers.

S EE R ESCUE, PAGE 8 7

news January 15-21, 2014 Smoky Mountain News

“They were right on the trail, right on the ridge,” Basak said. “They hadn’t moved off the trail at all.”

The newly risen sun was just beginning to warm the air from a bitter minus 5 degrees, but it hadn’t done its work yet. The men were lying side-by-side on top of a Mylar emergency blanket, skin gray and waxy, their summer-rated sleeping bags unzipped and spread across their backs. Steam seeped from the rudimentary shelter, maybe from the cigarettes that littered the area, maybe from the propane torch they were using to warm it or maybe from their breath. Basak saw burned clothing on the ground around them, as well as the food — ramen noodles, SpaghettiOs and other heavy foods — that they had been eating through the night.

It might have seemed a grim scene to some, but though the men couldn’t walk on their own, they were awake and coherent. It was a much better situation than the worstcase scenario that the rescuers had prepared themselves for.

“They were better off than we thought they were going to be,” Basak said.

But better off was not good enough. The rescue team sprang into action, setting up tents and pulling out the changes of clothes they had brought for the men. They got their wet jeans, cotton shirts and sweatshirts off and replaced them with dry base layers. They put dry socks on their feet and bundled them into the zero-degree sleeping bags.

“We had to assist them in walking over to the tent,” Basak said. That’s when he confirmed Kloster’s call that a walk-out option wasn’t possible. They would need the helicopter.

In the meantime, all six men needed to stay warm. Though the sun was out, the wind was whipping, and the temperature stayed low.

“It was so cold, our hotpacks wouldn’t activate,” Basak said. “It did a little, but not like it should.”

With Dobbins, White and Hood warming up in the tent, it was time for the rescuers to take care of themselves. The hike up had made them sweat, so they changed into dry base layers to stay warm. The frozen-as-lastarranged Carhart-style coats the stranded men had with them were testament to the fact that wet clothes did no good.

The six men spent the next hour in their tents, hunkering down in their sleeping bags

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The NC HART helicopter prepares to land at Asheville Regional Airport, where Mission Hospital ambulances waited to take the rescued men to the hospital. Donated photo and trying to accumulate some warmth before the helicopter’s arrival. When a person’s tissue becomes as cold as these men’s had, Basak said, direct warming can permanently damage it, and the medical risk that air rescue poses is higher.

12:05 P.M. When the helicopter arrived on-scene, victims and rescuers were ready for it. The rangers had sent the flight crew an accurate set of coordinates, so after leaving Asheville at 11:40 a.m., the helicopter needed only about 20 more minutes to reach the rescue site.

From then on, things moved quickly.

“You get the game plan before you get let out,” deJonge said. “That way everybody’s on the same page of music. The rescue takes only half the time of the 15 to 20 minutes [at the rescue site].”

After spotting Basak’s bright orange coat, the Black Hawk made a pass over the site, looking for the best place to stage the rescue.

NC HART missions never involve a landing, but the helicopter needed a big enough opening in the canopy of 80-foot-tall trees to safely lower its responders and lift up the survivors.

As luck would have it, the only such place was the area directly above the tents.

The helicopter made a second pass to blow snow off trees around the rescue site,

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12:37 P.M. As quickly as it had come, the helicopter left for Asheville Regional Airport, where three ambulances were waiting to take the men to Mission Hospital. Dobbins, White and Hood were on their way to recovery, and the entire rescue team, spread from Gatlinburg to the Appalachian Trail to the air over Asheville, drew a deep breath.

“When they left, we all said, ‘They probably are not going to lose any body parts or fingers,’” Basak said. “A much longer wait, it could have been a different story.”

Finally, the team arrived in the frontcountry at Twentymile Ranger Station, where they waited for the park service to come up with some vehicles to shuttle them home. Because they had been awake for nearly 36 hours at this point, park service regulations forbade the rescuers from getting behind the wheel.

7 P.M.

But at last, the vehicles came, and by 7 p.m., Basak was finally opening his own front door.

He said hello to his girlfriend, took a shower, ate dinner and went to bed as soon as possible.

After a 10.5-hour snooze, he was back up — and on his way back to work. The park service had offered the rescuers some additional time off, but, Basak said, “I think we all had enough sleep and thought we could do our job safely.”

Basak may not have lost much time in returning to business as usual — albeit in a business that is, at times, decidedly unusual — but he wasn’t about to forget the night of Jan. 2, 2014. He’s saving it for the record book of his mind, thankful for the part he was able to play and thankful that, in the end, no lasting harm was done.

“The cold, the wind, the environment, what could have been — this was probably the most tasking rescue any of us could recall,” he said. “I think all three on the rescue stated that this was probably the number one up there for most whatever you want to call it.”

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and on the third pass, deJonge and Bryson dropped down on a cable.

By this time, the men’s condition had improved enough that they could walk unaided, but they were still hypothermic.

Assembly-line style, they sent White up with Bryson, while deJonge put Dobbins in the sling-like device he would rise up in once Bryson came back down, Cooper staying in the air with the two pilots and two crew chiefs flying the Black Hawk to take care of the patients as they arrived.

“The patient sits at a 60-degree angle, which is fine when they’re hypothermic,” de Jonge said.

After Hood reached the helicopter, Bryson came back down to take de Jonge up.

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“I think all three on the rescue stated that this was probably the number one up there for most whatever you want to call it.”

“Knowing those guys were OK was a great feeling,” he added.

But for the rangers left on the ridgetop, the day was far from over. They were 6.5 miles from a trailhead. Snow covered the intervening terrain, and temperatures were still well below freezing. “(I thought) like, OK, what are we doing now?” Basak said.

Kloster had sent utility vehicles up the trail to meet the rescuers, but it was slow going for them, too. The team began hiking toward the vehicles, covering approximately two more miles before the groups intersected. They’d been awake for over 24 hours, but keeping their eyes open wasn’t a problem, Basak said.

“We were just standing under a Black Hawk with terrible rotor wash,” Basak said.

“We were quite awake.”

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MANDATE FOR CHANGE During his campaign, Scott projected a sense of independence. He cited his record of dissenting votes in the latter part of his 10-year tenure as alderman, emphasizing his willingness to take unpopular stances on behalf of the public.

It was perhaps the main distinction between him and his opponent, Sissy Pattillo, whose main message centered on reaching solidarity among board members as a way to make the town government more efficient.

He captured nearly three-fourths of the total number of ballots cast in the mayoral race, nearly 700, according to official election results. It was a level of support underscored by a stream of unsolicited campaign contributions.

He ended up spending $5,225, about one-fourth of which came from his own pocket. He never organized any fundraisers, he said, though he hosted a couple of gatherings he called “friend-raisers” involving food and music as a way to reach out to voters.

“I had people come out of the woodwork,” Scott said, adding that a small group of young people volunteered to use social media to help spread his message.

Scott sees the election’s outcome as a clear mandate from voters to carry out his vision of change.

“Franklin needs new ideas,” he said, “and those new ideas will come from the public.”

At the same time, he will make it a point to encourage discussion among board members.

“I want a democratic board,” he said.

Negotiations in progress over Ghost Town gunfighter incident

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER early six months after a staged gunfight left a Ghost Town gunfighter injured, the incident is still not resolved.

Ghost Town amusement park in Maggie Valley was issued a $2,000 citation last month by the N.C. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Division for violations stemming from the injury.

Ghost Town representatives met with a panel from the Department of Labor on Dec. 31 to discuss the citation.

The issue stems from a July 6 incident in which Robert Bradley, a long-time gunfighter for Ghost Town’s staged Wild West gunfights, fell to the ground in pain when something from an “enemy’s” gun lodged itself 1.5 inches into his right thigh.

The gunfighters use blanks, but in this case a projectile of some sort came shooting out of the gun. What it was exactly remains a mystery. Early speculation centered around wadding — paper or cloth used with blanks that is supposed to disintegrate upon firing. But Bradley contends the gun had been maliciously tampered with.

The DOL citation claims Ghost Town failed to provide employees “conditions of employment and a place of employment which are free from recognized hazards that were causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees.”

Specifically, the citation points to the three real 45caliber revolvers and two real 12-guage double barrel shotguns that were used, loaded with blank ammunition, to stage the gunfights and to the removal of triggers from the revolvers so that they could be fired simply by pulling the hammers back.

After receiving the citation, Ghost Town could choose to pay the fine, contest the decision or request an informal conference. They opted for the conference.

“The informal conference gives them an opportunity to present any questions or problems they have about the citation,” said Dolores Quesinberry, communications director for the North Carolina Department of Labor.

The conference’s results must be reviewed and finalized before they can become public, a process that Quesinberry said can take several weeks.

The conference could result in a compromised fine and hazard abatement requirements if Ghost Town and the department are able to come to an agreement. If they can’t, the department could issue a “no change” letter, meaning that the fine must be paid as first issued. Or, it could issue an amended citation.

“It’s like a negotiation,” Quesinberry said of the conference.

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January 15-21, 2014

JAKE FLANNICK SMN CORRESPONDENT e campaigned on the promise of making Franklin fertile ground for new ideas and encouraging more openness and transparency in government.

And when he was elected mayor by an overwhelming margin in November, Bob Scott started taking steps to keep those pledges.

But he has already encountered some stumbling blocks.

At a town board meeting earlier this month, his second in his new role, two ideas he supported came under scrutiny.

One of them — forming a town committee to work with an elementary school inside town limits — was rejected outright by board members amid questions about potential legal issues. The other — a campaign pledge to schedule monthly “town hall” meetings where the public could talk about issues on their mind — was met with skepticism by board members.

The idea of regular forums for residents, merchants and town leaders to engage in open, informal dialog was a hallmark of Scott’s campaign. He believes his message of inclusiveness resonated with voters.

But he has now had to postpone the first forum, which had been scheduled for this month, until further discussion.

Scott admitted he was off to a “rocky start,” but he credits his election win to his promise to push for change.

“I think we’re just getting started,” longtime Alderman Billy Mashburn said.

But while Scott might have captured voters with his agenda, “that doesn’t mean that it’s written in stone because he’s the mayor,” said Alderwoman Joyce Handley, who has held her seat for the past six years and has known Scott for more than 30 years.

“Good ideas,” she said, “sometimes fall flat on their face.”

Scott admits that being mayor doesn’t give him any more sway than any other member on the board to advance a particular agenda. But Scott said he hopes the outcome of the latest meeting does not presage future discord in town hall. f Scott expects to reschedule his first “town hall” forum for later this month. It is a priority to a man whose views of governments big and small were shaped by the years he worked as a newspaper reporter in the 1960s.

“I believe in openness. What kind of mayor would I be if I don’t listen to the people I’m serving?” Scott said. “It’s a twoway street. I want to hear from everybody.”

The other board members said they merely wanted to make sure the forums were organized in a way they wouldn’t violate the state’s Open Meetings Law. “We just want to tread cautiously on it,” said Warren Cabe, the town manager.

A DOSE OF REALITY Two new aldermen were elected to the town board in November, along with Scott being elected mayor.

One of those newly elected alderwomen, Barbara McRae, floated the idea of forming a school committee. Scott had planned to appoint McRae as the town’s liaison to East Franklin Elementary.

The motion was rejected 4 to 2 — McRae and the other new alderwoman, Patti Abel, voted in favor. The other board members raised concerns about the town running afoul of laws regulating the extent to which it could involve itself in county-run schools, particularly financially.

“The town has nothing to do with the school system,” said Mashburn, who made the motion to vote against forming the committee.

Beyond that, the idea came as a surprise, said Handley, who said she was unaware of the proposal before it appeared on the meeting agenda.

“Nobody on the board heard about it,” she said.

Abel said perhaps the proposal’s foundering resulted from miscommunication and it could be rekindled.

Scott’s ideas resonate with Abel, who at age 41 is the youngest member of the board.

At the same time, Abel acknowledged the more experienced board members may understand realities the newer ones don’t.

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Mayor’s mandate for change in Franklin searching for traction

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Battle for state Senate seat begins to take shape

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER The North Carolina Senate seat for the seven western counties could be one of the few swing races in the General Assembly this year as Democrats vie to make a dent in Republican dominance in Raleigh.

Two Democrats have stepped up to run against Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, who was first elected in 2010. They will face off in a Democratic primary election in May, with the winner advancing to the November ballot against Davis.

Unseating Davis won’t be easy, given the usual incumbent advantages. But the attention surrounding the controversial GOP agenda in the General Assembly last year could give Davis’ challenger a better-then-normal audience with voters.

“This could be a bigger referendum on what people think of an aggressive legislative session. The Republicans argued they had a mandate and they followed through with that mandate, and the Democrats will argue they overstepped,” said Chris Cooper, the head of the Political Science and Public

Affairs Department at Western Carolina University.

Both Democrats who have announced a run for the Senate claim voters are fed up with the new policies and legislation pushed through last year, witnessed by low approval ratings.

A September poll by Public Policy Polling put Davis at a low approval rating of 27 percent among voters in the seven western counties and the approval rating of the General Assembly as a whole at 20 percent. The same poll asked respondents who they would vote for in a hypothetical race between Davis and an unnamed Democratic challenger: 44 percent said they would vote for Davis, 43 percent for whomever his opponent was, and 13 percent were unsure.

But statewide polling shows the approval rating of Gov. Pat McCrory and the General Assembly, while still low, has inched back up since the thick of the legislative session last summer.

“It is light years before the election. It doesn’t make much difference what the polls say now. In the political environment polls can ebb and flow,” Davis said. “The candidates will have

the opportunity to spell out the differences among them and allow voters to have a clear choice. I love being an American where people have that choice.”

Davis’ Democratic challenger will undoubtedly face an uphill battle in campaign funding. Nearly $1 million was spent by Davis’ campaign and outside groups on his behalf in the 2012 election.

Davis won by a comfortable margin in 2012, with 57 percent of the vote. It was a marked gain over his narrow victory in 2010 when he won by less than 200 votes, just 50.1 percent of the vote.

The two Democratic candidates, Jane Hipps of Waynesville and Ron Robinson of Sylva, come from different wings of the Democratic Party. Hipps is more moderate, while Robinson is more liberal.

Cooper said a moderate Democrat likely has a better chance of winning against Davis.

“This Senate district is composed of a lot of self-identified conservative Democrats,” Cooper said, citing polling data.

Smoky Mountain News

January 15-21, 2014

Robinson says WNC voters Hipps brings work ethic to race need representation in Raleigh

10

BY SCOTT MCLEOD E DITOR Ron Robinson thinks a state senator should represent all of his constituents.

“I am running because we have so many needs in Western North Carolina and no representation in the state Senate,” Ron Robinson said the 68-year-old Sylva Democrat. “I am running to represent everyone rather that just a few.”

Robinson’s remarks were aimed at incumbent Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin.

Robinson accuses the current state senator from the 50th District — which includes Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Clay, Cherokee and Graham counties — of representing “Art Pope and the rich people in the state.”

Pope is Gov. Pat McCrory’s budget director and is the founder and primary donor to several conservative political organizations in North Carolina.

Robinson graduated from UNCChapel Hill. He spent his career as a management consultant, with his own firm called Land of Sky Advisory Group.

He is married and has five children.

Over the last decade he has lived in Sylva, Franklin and Asheville, but his grandfather was born and raised in Jackson County, where is now settled.

Robinson ran for school board in Jackson County last year but lost. He was

an active volunteer with the 2012 campaign of Cecil Bothwell, a liberal Asheville Democrat who made a failed run for U.S. Congress but still serves on Asheville City Council.

He says his primary objective is to “bring prosperity back to the mountain through economic development.”

His plan has three focus areas: • Improve and invest in education so that North Carolina has top-performing schools.

• Improve health care for the state’s citizens by expanding Medicaid eligibility, which would mostly be funded by the federal government and would increase the number of state citizens eligible for the health care benefits.

• Take advantage of improved schools and expanded healthcare benefits to attract good-paying jobs.

“By declining to expand Medicaid, we have our tax money going to other states,” Robinson said. McCrory chose not to expand Medicaid eligibility last summer, a move that would have made approximately 377,000 additional state residents eligible for the government healthcare program for low-income individuals and families.

Robinson also took aim at the tax overhaul approved by state GOP leaders.

The plan lowered income tax rates for individuals, families and corporations while increasing the number of transactions subject to sales taxes.

“The tax plan passed by the GOP is hurting small businesses. They have to charge sales tax on more items and that will hurt them,” said Robinson.

Ron Robinson will hold a press conference to officially announce his candidacy at 10 a.m. on Jan. 25 in the community room of the Sylva Library.

BY B ECKY JOHNSON STAFF WRITER When Jane Hipps began toying with the idea of running for state Senate as a Democratic challenger, a wave of excitement crept through party circles.

Despite the fury of Democrats over the Republican stranglehold in Raleigh, finding a challenger willing to run the gauntlet of a bigmoney Senate race with the potential to get nasty had proven tough.

Nearly $1 million was spent by Davis’ campaign and by outside groups on Davis’ behalf in the 2012 election, which devolved into an onslaught of Jane Hipps attack ads smearing Davis’ Democratic opponent.

While many in the party were ecstatic to have Hipps step up to the plate, her closest friends asked her if she was sure she wanted to do this.

“Somebody has to have the courage to run and say ‘OK, I’ll just go through that,’” said Hipps. “I am realistic enough to know it can be rough and that my character can be attacked. I just have to remember who I am when I go into this race because I plan to be the same person when I come out, winner or loser.”

Hipps, from Waynesville, has spent 40 years in public education. She doesn’t have much of a political record, but that could prove her forte, since Republican operatives can’t attack a record that doesn’t exist.

But she has always been closely involved with politics. Hipps is probably best known as the wife of Charlie Hipps, who was a state senator for seven years in the 1980s and then district attorney for the seven western counties for 12 years. He died from an unexpected heart attack while still in office in 2003.

Though Charlie was well-known, charismatic and revered — and worked in the same

counties that the Senate seat spans — Hipps said she can’t expect that to carry her.

“Charlie has been gone almost 11 years. A lot of voters aren’t going to remember him.

Some will, but I can’t rely strongly on his record,” Hipps said.

Hipps, 68, retired a couple of years ago, but retirement doesn’t become her. She worked fulltime while raising three children — which was somewhat rare in the 1970s and ‘80s — even though it wasn’t financially necessary for her to do so.

“I expected to work. I wanted to work. It was challenging to me,” Hipps said. “Now that I am quote ‘retired,’ I miss work. I want to solve more puzzles than just sudoku.”

Hipps’ long career in public education has taken many forms. She’s been a school counselor, a school psychologist, a special needs coordinator and an academically gifted coordinator.

She also worked for the state education department for several years as a science curriculum coordinator. It was her job to develop and implement new methods for developing science literacy in students, and she was at the forefront of new hands-on, experiential learning methods.

She later worked as a curriculum trainer and workshop leader for a math and science textbook company. She even worked briefly in Jackson County Schools and at Cherokee High School.

Despite working and raising children, Hipps headed back to school several times over the course of her career, racking up three different undergraduate degrees and three master’s degrees. Most recently, she went back to school in 2006 to get her nursing degree and master’s in nursing, because, as she puts it, she “always wanted to.”

“I guess I have been a lifelong student when you get right down to it,” Hipps said.

Hipps said public education will obviously be her number one platform, but not her only focus.

“I was particularly upset about

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The Women of Waynesville will mark their threeyear anniversary with an open house party at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Herren House Bed and Breakfast in Waynesville.

Anyone interested in learning more about this service organization is welcome to drop in and meet current members. The public and prospective members invited. Snacks and beverages provided free.

Nikki White at 828.545.6879 or Michelle Briggs at 828.452.7837.

Retirement reception planned for Olson

The Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson County will honor Rebecca “Becky” D. Olson, the clinic’s current executive director, on her retirement after more than 40 years in healthcare in North Carolina.

A reception will be held from 1:30-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, in the large conference room at the old Sylva Medical Center facility in Harris Medical Park in Sylva, adjacent to Harris Hospital.

828.631.8716.

Belcher to meet with Cherokee community

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what was happening in education, from preschool through college,” Hipps said.

But she disagrees with the direction Republicans are taking the state on many fronts.

“I was shocked at the bills that were introduced last year. And I thought somehow there would be some reasoning and those bills would not be passed and yet they were,” Hipps said.

Hipps defined herself as a moderate Democrat.

“I think I would be a voice for Western North Carolina and moderate values for this state,” she said.

Hipps’ parents are originally from the mountains of McDowell and Mitchell counties, but she grew up in Charlotte, where he father went to work for a construction company as a purchasing agent. She met Charlie Hipps while attending UNC-Chapel Hill, married him and followed him back to Waynesville.

January 15-21, 2014

Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher will meet with residents of the Cherokee community Thursday, Jan. 30, as part of a series of events designed to keep the university connected with alumni, friends and elected officials.

The visits, which include stops across North Carolina and the Southeast, are a follow-up to the 2011 “Get Acquainted Tour,” which took Belcher and his wife, Susan, to some 15 municipalities over four months during his first year as chancellor.

The Jan. 30 visit will include a reception for alumni and friends from Cherokee and surrounding areas. The event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in the Maple Room of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort, which is sponsoring the reception.

877.440.9990 or magill@wcu.edu.

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Smoky Mountain News January 15-21, 2014

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

Columnist’s anti-Israel tirade distorts truth DAVID C. FRIEDMAN G UEST COLUMNIST Doug Wingeier’s op-ed published in The Smoky Mountain News on Dec. 25, 2013, titled, “Christmas ‘peace’ in the land of the Holy One,” (www.smokymountainnews.com/archives/item/12259) is an impressionistic and factually distorted presentation of classic antiIsrael bias bordering on a rejection of the Jewish state’s right to exist.

In recounting his experiences traveling through Bethlehem and the West Bank, Wingeier promotes a distinctly anti-Jewish theological perspective negating any historical Jewish biblical connection to the land of Israel and demonstrates contempt for the modern democratic state of Israel. His offensive assertions include suggesting that security checkpoints are manned by “trigger-happy teenage Israeli soldiers,” and arguing that the ancestors of “Palestinian Christians” – and not Jews – were contemporaries of Jesus whose villages are now occupied by “immigrant” Jews.

Mr. Wingeier’s omission of any reference to the historical Jewish connection to, and continuous presence in, the land of Israel, and the absence of any context for Israel’s security needs vis-à-vis the security barrier and army checkpoints are an affront to the Jewish people and an insult to the intelligence of your readers.

Wingeier further pumps up his anti-Israel tirade by embracing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign, a fringe movement dedicated to undermining Israel’s legitimacy, while offering false comparisons between apartheid South Africa and the IsraeliPalestinian conflict.

It is unfortunate that instead of creating a holiday message in support of peace and understanding between Israelis and Palestinians, Mr. Wingeier used the opportunity to promote hatred and divisiveness among the two peoples and advance odious notions about Judaism and Jews. His unwarranted attacks against Israel contribute nothing significant to the decades-long debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and only serve to further embolden extremist voices opposed to a peaceful resolution between the parties.

Friedman is the regional directorof the AntiDefamation League, which is headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Much of ACA came from conservatives To the Editor: When Hillary Clinton proposed a government-run, single-payer system to solve our health care crisis, Republicans responded by proposing a private insurance system based on an individual mandate. Then-Gov. Mitt Romney then adopted this insurance proposal for Massachusetts with great success. It was the conservative approach based on the free market and designed to save taxpayers from out-of-control healthcare costs. That plan was the basis for the Affordable Care Act, now known as Obamacare.

Conservatives hate big government almost

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Views on Israel based on life experiences DOUG WINGEIER COLUMNIST My oh my! Looks like the long arm of Israeli surveillance has reached out to us way down here in the mountains of Western North Carolina (see column to the left). I hadn’t thought the experience of a peace-loving octogenarian professor worthy of such attention. But I do appreciate the opportunity to respond.

What I wrote in that Dec. 25 column was mainly an account of what I personally have seen and experienced in the “land of the Holy One” — not an exercise in ideology or biblical interpretation. In addition to what I mentioned, I have personally experienced the following: • Being stood up spread-eagle against a wall, alongside unarmed Palestinian youth, having my passport examined and my person searched by some of these teenage, weaponcarrying Israeli soldiers.

• Visiting at the bedside of a middle-aged Palestinian man, shot in the back at a checkpoint by what seemed to him to be “trigger-happy” soldiers — himself permanently paralyzed and bedridden as a result (wouldn’t a simple arrest have been sufficient?).

• Commiserating with the family and neighbors of a 10-yearold boy shot and killed by a “rubber” bullet in a Palestinian refugee camp just a 10-minute walk from the Bible College where I was teaching.

• Joining with Jews from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Rabbis for Human Rights, and the Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions (not all Jews think “Israel right or wrong”) in a protest against the uprooting of olive trees and confiscation of land from a Palestinian farmer in the Beqa’a valley outside Hebron, where Israeli Highway 60 from Jerusalem to Beersheva has divided his family farm in half, making accessibility difficult.

• Sitting down for the traditional Arab meal of maqlub (“upside down” chicken and rice) with a Palestinian family (parents and four small children) whose home had been demolished four times by bulldozers, and who were living in a Red Cross tent.

• Hearing a politically moderate Jewish family in their home in Israel proper express their fears that the illegal occupation and expansion of settlements in the West Bank to house mostly Jews immigrating from Russia and Brooklyn, N.Y., would only exacerbate conflict, prevent peace and keep them perpetually living in fear and insecurity.

• Hearing Jews in an Israeli kibbutz tell of the “good old days” before the wars of 1948 and 1967 when they got along well with their Arab friends and neighbors before Zionist ideology

as much as they dislike big government deficits. Their plan attacked both problems.

Private insurance companies ran the system and made a profit. Out-of-control healthcare costs were curbed.

Money is the key. The United States pays almost twice as much for health care than any other industrialized country, and yet we have much poorer health outcomes and fewer people covered. Our current system was broken, and would have soon bankrupted the country.

The Affordable Care Act is not something progressive Democrats wanted. What they wanted was a government-run single-payer plan. What we got was a private, for-profit insurance plan that everybody has to join because of the individual mandate. As the very conservative Heritage Foundation said,

prevailed and made such “fraternization” politically unacceptable.

I am well aware of the suffering and death experienced by Israelis at the hands of Arab terrorists, causing them to feel that strict security measures and violent repression are the surest way to keep them safe. I hurt for them, too. But when, according to figures I’ve seen, there have been approximately 100 Palestinian deaths (both Muslim and Christian) — nearly all civilians — for every one Israeli Jew killed, such retaliation seems excessive and counterproductive. As Gandhi put it, “an eye for an eye leaves everyone blind.”

To be sure, my column did not evoke happy feelings of Christmas joy and peace, but this was not because of any wish “to promote hatred and divisiveness among the two peoples and advance odious notions about Judaism and Jews.” Rather, it was because I was describing the actual scenes I witnessed and people I knew, that evoked in me (and in many others, both local residents and visiting pilgrims) feelings of oppression and gloom similar to those surely experienced by first century Jews and Christians living under Roman occupation.

And I closed with a specific call to “reject both anti-Arab prejudice and anti-Semitism” (while at the same time opposing injustice), and to live in the spirit of the carol honoring the One who “taught us to love one another” and whose “law is love and his gospel is peace.”

I wholeheartedly support Israel’s right to exist, and agree that this ongoing existence can be supported by biblical references and historical residence in the territory. This can best be assured when its policies adhere to the guidelines, enunciated by their Hebrew ancestors, that their nation: “beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah 2:4); “proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants” (Leviticus 25:10); “... not oppress the alien ...; love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus 19:33-34); and “let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an everflowing stream” (Amos 5:24). (This time I am being biblical and theological.)

And how about a quid pro quo — a free, viable, contiguous, democratic Palestinian state existing side-by-side with Israel as Semitic kindred, living with mutual respect of each other’s humanity and rights, observance of international law, restoration of or reimbursement for confiscated lands and demolished homes, and a shared administration of Jerusalem under United Nations supervision?

Doug Wingeier is a retired seminary professor and minister who lives at Lake Junaluska. He can be reached at dcwing@main.nc.us.

the key is personal responsibility. Everybody has to pull their own weight, no free rides.

What you don’t hear through the media noise surrounding the now-repaired website is the fact that the ACA is already helping to reduce health care cost inflation to a 50-year low. That fact alone will reduce our long-term deficit more than short-term cuts in spending.

Congress spent over a year crafting this law. It is complex because it is full of compromises to satisfy all the stakeholders. It is clear Republicans are doing everything possible to make it fail even though it was their idea.

Whether this law is good for you may depend on who is your governor. Democraticled states created their own websites, expanded Medicaid and in general promoted competition between insurance carriers. In those

states there has been much success.

In Republican states like North Carolina, the insurance rates have been higher because of the state’s failure to encourage competition.

The state’s failure to expand Medicaid to more than 500,000 uninsured has caused a financial crisis for many hospitals. One in four uninsured Macon County residents will continue to use the emergency room for basic care, at great cost to all of us.

As Mitt Romney said of the individual mandate in 2006, the plan must include “... the personal responsibility principal, that is essential to bring health care cost down for everyone and getting everyone the health insurance they deserve and need.”

Louis Vitale Franklin

THURSDAYS: SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS

MOVIE NIGHT!

JANUARY 16: “TAPPED” JAN. 17: MUSIC CHRIS TITCHNER JAN. 18: MUSIC MATTHEW TOWNSEND

S PRING S TREET, D OWNTOWN S YLVA CREPES, PANINIS, SOUPS, SALADS, GOURMET PASTAS WINE & BEER

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Nutrition Facts serving size : ab out 50 p ag es Am ount per Serving Calories 0 % Daily Value * Tot al Fat 0g

0%

Reg ional New s

100%

Op inion

100%

Outd oors

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Art s

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Entert ainm ent

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* Percent Weekly values b ased on Hayw ood, Jackson, M acon, Sw ain and Buncom b e d iet s.

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tasteTHEmountains Taste the Mountains is an ever-evolving paid section of places to dine in Western North Carolina. If you would like to be included in the listing please contact our advertising department at 828.452.4251 AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR 1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.

828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years.

Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burgers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings and chicken. Be sure to save room for dessert.

The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sure to satisfy any sweet tooth.

ANTHONY WAYNE’S 37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789.

Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to 9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Exceptional, new-American cuisine, offering several gluten free items.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plaza at the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. Open Monday through Friday. Friendly and fun family atmosphere. Local, handmade Southern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-simmered soups; flame grilled burgers and steaks, and homemade signature desserts.

Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.

Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties, catering, and take-out available. Call-ahead seating available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE 454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville, 828.452.9191. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.

Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut, all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other classic American comfort foods that are made using only the finest local and sustainable ingredients available. We also feature a great selection of craft beers from local artisan brewers, and of course an extensive selection of small batch bourbons and whiskey. The Barrel is a friendly and casual neighborhood dining experience where our guests enjoy a great meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ 6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station) 828.648.3838 Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (takeout only 5 to 6 p.m.) Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Serving Mediterranean style foods; join us for weekly specials. We roast our own ham, turkey and roast beef just like you get on Thanksgiving to use in our sandwiches. Try our chicken, tuna, egg and pasta salads made with gluten free mayo. Enjoy our variety of baked goods made daily: muffins, donuts, cinnamon buns and desserts.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1401. Mile-high mountaintop dining with a spectacular view. Join us for plentiful buffet-style dinners on Fridays and Saturdays, and long winter holiday weekends.

Dinner is served from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in winter and includes pot roast, Virginia ham or herb-baked chicken, complemented with

an assortment of seasonal vegetables, homemade breads, jellies and desserts. We also offer a fine selection of wine and beer. Lunch is served on the same days from 12 to 2 p.m.

CHEF’S TABLE 30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.

From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of” Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator Magazine. Set in a distinguished atmosphere with an exceptional menu. Extensive selection of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CITY BAKERY 18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.

Winter hours: Sunday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Join us in our historic location for scratch made soups and daily specials. Breakfast is made to order daily: Gourmet cheddar & scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausage and eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quiche and fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide variety of breads daily, specializing in traditional french breads. All of our breads are hand shaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sandwiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck.

Private room available for meetings.

CITY LIGHTS CAFE Spring Street in downtown Sylva.

828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30 a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come taste the savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis, fresh, organic salads, soups and more.

Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friendly. Live music and lots of events. Check the web calendar at citylightscafe.com.

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEAN A MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE 16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.

Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to 3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving fresh and delicious weekday morning lite fare, lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly prepared menu offerings range from house-made soups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes, specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be sure not to miss the bold flavors and creative combinations that make up the daily Chef Supper Specials starting at 5pm every day.

Followed by a tempting selection of desserts prepared daily by our chefs and other local bakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well as our full bar and eclectic wine list.

CORK & CLEAVER 176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.

828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.

4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked away inside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver has an approachable menu designed around locally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-table ingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green prepares innovative and unique Southern fare from local, organic vegetables grown in Western North Carolina. Full bar and wine cellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT 3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.

828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at Country Vittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresses will bring your food piping hot from the kitchen right to your table and as many

refills as you want. So if you have a big appetite, but sure to ask your waitress about our family style service.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA 1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.

828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frank and Louis Perrone cook up dinners steeped in Italian tradition. With recipies passed down from generations gone by, the Perrones have brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley. frankiestrattoria.com FRYDAY’S & SUNDAES 24 & 26 Fry St., Bryson City (Next To The Train Depot). 828.488.5379. Frydays is open; but closed on Wednesdays. Sundaes is open 7 days a week. Fryday’s is known for its Traditional English Beer Battered Fish & Chips, but also has burgers, deep fried dogs, gyro, shrimp, bangers, Chip Butty, chicken, sandwiches & a great kids menu. Price friendly, $3-$10, Everything available to go or call ahead takeout. Sundaes has 24 rotating flavors of Hershey's Ice Cream making them into floats, splits, sundaes, shakes. Private seating inside & out for both locations right across from the train station & pet friendly.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE 44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville 828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. Frogs Leap is a farm to table restaurant focused on local, sustainable, natural and organic products prepared in modern regional dishes.

Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfort foods with upscale flavors. Come for the restaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose a center and three sides at special prices.

Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappublichouse.org.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ 606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.

Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in the historic Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Café is a chef-owned and operated restaurant serving Caribbean inspired fare complimented by a quirky selection of wines and microbrews. Supporting local farmers of organic produce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, and using sustainably harvested seafood.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.

Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.

Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Join us in our beautiful patio garden. We are your local neighborhood host for special events: business party’s, luncheons, weddings, showers and more. Private parties & catering are available 7 days a week by reservation only.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEY U.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.

Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinner nightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famous prime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzola cheese and salads. All ABC permits and open year-round. Children always welcome.

Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospitality. Reservations appreciated.

JUKEBOX JUNCTION U.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.

828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday

tasteTHEmountains through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch, nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s & 60s theme decorated with memorabilia from that era.

LOS AMIGOS 366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza.

828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. for dinner Monday through Friday and 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Enjoy the lunch prices Monday through Sunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

LUCIO'S RESTAURANT 313 Highlands Road, Franklin.

828.369.6670. Serving Macon County since 1984. Closed Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Lunch Wednesday-Friday 11:30 a.m. until.Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5 p.m. until. Owned and operated by Tanya and Dorothy Gamboni. Serving authentic Italian and continental cuisine including appetizers, pastas, poultry, veal, seafood, steaks and homemade deserts. Selection of wine and beer. Lunch and Dinner menus.

Wednesday and Thursday nights only. 1 appetizer and 2 selected entrées with unlimited salad and Lucio’s famous garlic rolls for $24.95. Winter Special: half-off house wines, Friday and Saturday only. luciosnc.com

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB 1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.

828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.

Open daily for lunch and dinner. Fine and casual fireside dining in welcoming atmosphere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ 9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.

Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With music at the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Life is too short for bad coffee. We feature wonderful breakfast and lunch selections.

Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, salads and quiche with a variety of specialty coffees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT 1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441 North at entrance to GSMNP).

828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Off exit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week. Classic Italian dishes, exceptional steaks and seafood (available in full and lighter sizes), thin crust pizza, homemade soups, salads hand tossed at your table. Fine wine and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, dine indoor, outside on the patio or at the bar.

Reservations appreciated.

PASQUALINO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT 25 Everett Street, Bryson City.

828.488.9555. Open for lunch and dinner everyday 11:30 a.m.-late. A taste of Italy in beautiful Bryson City. Exceptional pasta, pizza, homemade soups, salads. Fine wine, mixed drinks and beer selection. Casual atmosphere, reservations appreciated.

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.

828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Breakfast bagels and sandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwiches for lunch with homemade soups, quiches, and desserts. Wide selection of wine and beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BAR Maggie Valley Inn and Conference Center 828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thru Saturday; dining room open Tuesday thru Saturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurant serving steaks, prime rib, seafood and dinner specials.

SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO 628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire & UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until.

Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teas served hot or cold, black, chai, herbal.

Seasonal and rotating draft beers, good selection of wine. Home-Grown Music Network Venue with live music most weekends. Pet friendly and kid ready.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA 285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.

Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m., Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for 30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza made to order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, calzones and seafood. Also serving excellent prime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take out available. Located across from the Fire Station.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL 176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville 828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, salads and hearty appetizers along with a full bar menu in our casual, smoke-free neighborhood grill.

THE WINE BAR 20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.

828.452.6000. Underground cellar for wine and beer, served by the glass all day.

Cheese and tapas served Wednesday through Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or later. info@classicwineseller.com. Also on facebook and twitter.

Café

Mediterranean Style Foods

FRIDAY JANUARY 17TH

Joe Lasher Jr. Band SATURDAY JANUARY 18TH

Arnold Hill 83 Asheville Hwy. Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

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6147 Hwy 276 S. • Bethel (at the Mobil Gas Station)

bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838 Tu-F 8-6 (takeout only 5-6) • Sat 8-3

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ITALIAN

MEDITERRANEAN

STEAKS • PIZZA CHICKEN • SEAFOOD SANDWICHES OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER 7 DAYS A WEEK 1863 S. MAIN ST. WAYNESVILLE 828.454.5002 HWY. 19/23 EXIT 98

ARTISAN BREADS & PASTRIES

WINTER HOURS SUN-THURS: 8 AM - 3 PM FRI & SAT: 8AM - 5 PM

BREAKFAST • LUNCH TAKE-OUT • EAT-IN • CATERING

Burgers to Salads Southern Favorites & Classics -Local beers now on draft-

Live Music on the Patio Tues.-Fri. Call to see who’s playing.

117 Main Street, Canton NC 828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com Serving Lunch & Dinner

MON.-THURS. 11 A.M.-9 P.M. • FRI. & SAT. 11 A.M.-10 P.M. SUNDAY BRUNCH 11 A.M. TO 2:30 P.M.

Scratch-Made Fresh Daily Breads • Biscuits Bagels • Cakes • Pies Pastries • Soups Salads • Sandwiches 223-24

Fair Trade Coffee & Espresso

18 North Main Street Waynesville • 452.3881 SUN-THR: 8 a.m.-3 p.m.

FRIDAY & SATURDAY: 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

ASHEVILLE: 60 Biltmore Ave. 252.4426 & 88 Charlotte St. 254.4289

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We’ll feed your spirit, too.

Smoky Mountain News

MOONSHINE GRILL 2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted in the Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440.

Open Thursday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9 p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, woodfired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrumptious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-fired grill gives amazing flavor to every meal that comes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes made using moonshine. Stop by and simmer for a while and soak up the atmosphere. The best kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoonshinegrill.com

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast, lunch and dinner seven days a week. Family style dining for adults and children.

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MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉ Located on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee.

828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices.

Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries, breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friendly service, casual atmosphere and wireless Internet. Organic ingredients, local produce, gourmet fair trade and organic coffees.

UPCOMING EVENTS

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Smoky Mountain News

teams showed up, but the numbers grew each week. He was then asked to put on a cornhole event for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Haywood County.

The tournament was a success, with Nathan soon seeing the potential for giving back to the community through his competitions.

“It’s an easy way to raise money for good causes,” he said. “People come out, have a good time, support local businesses and support local charities and organizations.”

For his second tournament, Nathan did an event for the Tye Blanton Foundation. Founded in 2009, the nonprofit provides assistance to families of premature infants. Tye was the late son of slain North Carolina State Trooper Shawn Blanton and his wife Michaela. Now remarried to Nathan, Michaela has spearheaded numerous fundraisers and public awareness campaigns for the foundation.

“Everybody has kids, and once you have a kid you realize the things people go through, the time and money spent in unfamiliar places [like hospitals],” Nathan said. “So, with these cornhole tournaments, it’s nice to help out on a different level.”

During the winter, Nathan averages three tournaments a week.

Mondays, he’s at the Showtime Saloon (Asheville); Tuesdays, it’s the Canton Armory; Wednesdays are spent at the Asheville Moose Lodge.

When the weather warms up and summer rolls around, he might be holding competitions seven nights a week.

“I just love watching people that have never played before start playing,” he said. “They’ll start out not very good, but then a month or two later, they’re competing for first place in our tournaments.”

On the stage HART to hold 2014 season auditions There’s an open call for actors to audition for “To Kill A Mockingbird” Feb. 2-3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville. Professional actors are asked to be there at 6 p.m., with community theater actors at 7 p.m.

This year HART is trying something new. The theater is giving actors a chance to audition for principal roles for the entire season at one time. The idea is to give actors interested in being considered for leading roles an early shot at casting and give directors more time to assemble a cast. This is the only scheduled audition for “To Kill A Mockingbird,” the first show on the season, which will cast all roles. Anyone interested in being a part of that show in any role should attend one of the two nights or contact the director Wanda Taylor to make special arrangements for another time.

HART’s 2014 season includes “To Kill A Mockingbird,” opening April 25; “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do,” opening May 23, with auditions March 23-24; “Grand Night For Singing,” opening June 20, with auditions April 27-28; “Hello Dolly,” opening July 11, with auditions May 4-5; “The Odd Couple,” opening Aug. 22, with auditions June 29-30; “Urinetown,” opening Sept. 26, with auditions July 27-28; “Macbeth,” opening Oct. 24, with auditions Aug. 17-18; “A Christmas Carol,” opening Dec. 11, with auditions Nov. 2-3. www.harttheater.com.

• A dance party and dance classes will be offered at the Waynesville Recreation Center. The dance party will be from 7 to 8:45 p.m.

Saturday, Jan. 18. $10 per person. Bring a dish of finger foods to share. 828.456.2030 or recfitness@townofwaynesville.org. Dance classes featuring the Texas Two-Step will be offered on Jan. 20 and 27 and Feb. 3, 10 and 17. Lessons for the waltz will take place Jan. 15, 22 and 29 and Feb. 5, 12 and 19. $60 per person.

828.316.1412 or 828.356.7060.

ALSO:

• The Tony-winning drama “Agnes of God” stages at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17-18 and 3 p.m. Jan. 19 at the HART Theatre in Waynesville. Possible holdover dates are Jan. 24-26. Seating in the Feichter Studio is limited and reservations are recommended. 828.456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com.

BUILDING THE DREAM Owner/founder of Blue Ridge Cornhole, Nathan Lowe (right) puts on numerous tournaments around Western North Carolina. He and his father Randy (left) also run BKL Boards, a business specializing in custom cornhole boards. The business is named after Nathan’s daughter, Brindley Khaine Lowe (center). Garret K. Woodward photo

Tossing fate into the air

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER What started as a backyard game one afternoon has turned into a passionate career for Nathan Lowe.

“I just got addicted to playing cornhole,” the 28-year-old chuckled.

Lowe was at his sister’s college graduation party at North Carolina State in Raleigh. He got teamed up with his father, Randy, to play in a casual cornhole tournament. Though the duo had never tossed previously, they ended up beating everyone that day.

“Nathan is one of the best players in the area these days,” his father said, smiling. “But, at that graduation party five years ago, he hadn’t ever played before. He tried to beat me for months after that and never did.

And now, I can’t hardly beat him.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT And in the five years since that first game, Nathan played cornhole anytime, anywhere. That love for competition and camaraderie molded itself into Blue Ridge Cornhole. Founded last year by Nathan, the Waynesville-based company specializes in putting together tournaments around the region for businesses, organizations and charities.

“I’ve played against 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds that are amazing at cornhole,” Nathan said. “It’s a game anybody can play and enjoy.”

Nathan put together his first tournaments in the fall of 2012 at BearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. Initially, a handful of

Alongside Blue Ridge Cornhole is BKL Boards. Named after 2-yearold Brindley Khaine Lowe (Michaela and Nathan’s daughter), the side business is where Randy comes into play. With a wood-crafting background, Randy currently works for Jacob Holm Industries in Candler.

And as Nathan put on the tournaments, the father/son duo decided it would be a good idea to construct and play on their own board, something that lends itself to consistency For more information on Blue Ridge and accuracy when Cornhole and their weekly tournaments, playing by American click on www.blueridgecornhole.com. To Cornhole Association learn more about BKL Boards, go to regulations. www.bklboards.com. Both companies can “I just enjoy workbe found on Facebook. ing with wood, and when Nathan started Blue Ridge Cornhole, I made him some board sets to start with,” Randy said. “We’re always learning new ways to change and improve our boards.”

Made from three-quarter inch plywood and full two-by-four boards, the ACA-certified boards consist of birch wood and cabinet-grade pine.

Prices range from $100 to $200, depending on the customization of the order. Since the two started building boards this past June, they’ve constructed more than 100 sets for cornhole enthusiasts around Western North Carolina.

“I really enjoy the reactions from people when they see their boards for the first time,” Randy said. “They’re always amazed at the way they look, the painting, how good they are.”

But, through it all, Randy looks at the time together with his son in v their workshop as the real success of the business.

“Before, we’d talk on the phone daily and have great conversations,” Randy said. “But now, we’re hanging out every day, always talking about life, cornhole and such. I go and play in a lot of the tournaments, too.”

While 2013 was a great year, 2014 looks to be even more bountiful for Blue Ridge Cornhole and BKL Boards. The orders keep coming in, with more local and regional tournaments emerging as winter turns to spring and summer looms just ahead.

“It’s going to be a busy year, and we’re really looking forward to helping work with more organizations and charities,” Nathan said.

“Everybody would like to have their own business and be successful, and that’s what we’re hoping to aim towards.”

Want to know more?

On the wall

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ailing from the Green Mountains of Burlington, Vt., The DuPont Brothers have emerged as a breath of fresh air in an often stifling, suffocating music industry.

Consisting of Zack and Sam DuPont, the duo carries a torch of melodic beauty, one handed down from the likes of Simon & Garfunkel, Seals & Croft, America and Wilco.

On the heels of their self-titled debut record, the DuPonts combine folk, roots and Americana music into a formula of their own.

Alongside a successful east coast tour in 2013, they also found themselves sharing the stage with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Howie Day, Ben Sollee and Langhorne Slim, to name a few. And yet, this is just the beginning for the brothers, who are as thirsty for musical innovation as they are determined to break through into the ears of the world.

H

small victories. First and foremost, we deeply appreciate any person who feels compelled to share that they were moved by our music.

Those are the people we care about, and those are the people we want to work with.

‘Good Thoughts Better’ exhibit opens at WCU An exhibit of work by Edward J. Bisese titled “Good Thoughts Better� will open with an artist talk and reception at 5 p.m.

Thursday, Jan. 16, in the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University.

Bisese’s ArtTalk will begin in Room 130

• The films “Rear Windowâ€? and “The Butlerâ€? will be screened at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville. “Rear Windowâ€? plays Jan. 17-18, with “The Butler,â€? Jan. 2425. Screenings are at 7:45 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $6 per person, $4 for children.

828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

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Smoky Mountain News: What’s the songwriting/performance realm like when your musical partner is your brother? Are there any challenges with that?

The DuPont Brothers Sam DuPont: It’s a mixed bag of emoplay The Classic tions, with very few boundaries. We know Wineseller in each other better than we know ourselves at Waynesville on Jan. 16. times, and that includes all of our strengths and faults. Those factors only bring us closer together as performers. The positives certainly outweigh the negatives of this relationship. From a writing standpoint, we almost know what the songs are about before we even sit down and play “Rear Window� will be screened at 7:45 p.m. them for each other. That sibling Jan. 17 and at 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Jan. 18 connection is something that just at The Strand, 38 Main St., in Waynesville. simply can’t be replicated.

Humps & The Blackouts and the Hooten Hollars play at 9 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Water’n SMN: When you’re onstage, Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville. and in the moment of a great show, what goes through your “Smokey Joe’s CafĂŠâ€? rock ‘n’ roll review will head? Where do you go in your show at 5 p.m. Jan. 26 at Western Carolina mind?

University in Cullowhee.

Zack DuPont: I go where the The DuPont Brothers play at 7 p.m. Jan. 16 song takes me, and it varies with at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. every song. They all have their own story to tell, and I often lose myself in the stories as they A reception/exhibit for artist Edward J. Bisese unfold onstage. It’s like a meditabegins at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 at WCU. tion more than anything else. I’m the most satisfied when the focus is deep enough to really take me to another place. It’s a transfer of energy SMN: Why should people care and supfrom us to the audience. I can feel them and port independent music, live music and vice versa. musicians in general?

ZD: It’s important for this to be identified SMN: How do you want to contribute to as a valid profession. Essentially, when people the music industry, or be different from it? support an independent musician, they’re SD: We want to learn it inside and out as allowing the profession to exist. In many much as we can. We’re sponges when it cases, the support that musicians receive from comes to that stuff. We’re running a busitheir fans can shape their careers. We’re in this ness, and if we don’t know anything about together and we’re in it because we love it. the administrative side of the profession, then we’re setting ourselves up for failure.

Editor’s Note: The DuPont Brothers will perOur move is the slow burn. We set realistic form at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at The Classic goals and expectations and relish in the Wineseller in Waynesville.

An exhibit for artist Edward J. Bisese will run through March at WCU. A reception will be held on Jan. 16. Donated photo

of the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center and will be followed at 6 p.m. by a reception in the museum’s Star Atrium. The exhibit, which will be open through the end of March, as well as the talk and the reception, are free and open to the public.

Bisese’s paintings, drawings and objects in “Good Things Better� are characterized as celebrating the beautiful and the grotesque, mixing skewed realities with real events. Bisese paints and draws on unstretched canvas, wood panels of various shapes, paper, vinyl records and postcards. fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or 828.227.3591.

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On the beat • The DuPont Brothers, Leo Johnson and Joe Cruz will perform at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville. The DuPont Brothers perform Jan. 16, with Johnson, Jan. 17 and Cruz, Jan. 18.

All shows begin at 7 p.m. $10 minimum food, drink or merchandise purchase. 828.452.6000 or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Chris Titchner and Matthew Townsend will play City Lights Café in Sylva. Titchner performs Jan. 17 and Townsend, Jan. 18. All shows are free and begin at 7 p.m.

828.587.2233 or www.citylightscafe.com.

• The “Winter Pickin’ in the Armory” will be at 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at the Canton Armory.

Performance includes mountain music, vintage country, clogging and dancing. The “pickin’” is every first and third Friday of the month. www.cantonnc.com.

Apollo Winds brings chamber music to WCU Apollo Winds, a professional chamber music group, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, in the recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

The concert features Francis Poulenc’s “Sextet,” a three-movement work with an extensive part for the piano, to be played by Bradley Martin, WCU associate professor of music. Also on the program are “Three Shanties” by Malcolm Arnold, “Dublin Bay”

by Percy Granger and “Klezmer Music for Woodwind Quintet” by Donald Draganski.

Apollo Winds is a group of musicians who teach at colleges and universities in Western North Carolina and are members of several orchestras in the region.

Free.

828.227.7242.

• Wade Baker & Kyle Bledsoe, PMA and Porch 40 will perform at No Name Sports Pub in Sylva. Baker & Bledsoe play Jan. 16, with PMA, Jan. 17 and Porch 40, Jan. 18. All shows are free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 or www.nonamesportspub.com.

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January 15-21, 2014

• A music documentary about legendary singer/songwriter Sixto Rodriquez will be screened at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, at the Macon County Public Library in Sylva. Free. www.fontanalib.org.

• An Oskar Blues tap takeover, Humps & The Blackouts and the Hooten Hollars hit the stage at the Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville.

The tap takeover is Jan. 17, with Humps & The Blackouts and the Hooten Hollars, Jan. 25.

There will be a $4 cover for the Jan. 25 performance, which begins at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750.

Apollo Winds plays WCU on Jan. 21. Donated photo

The Stuart Brothers to play The Strand Appalachian fiddle and banjo duo The Stuart Brothers will perform at 7:45 p.m. Jan. 16 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Their family musical roots are deep: their great-grandfather was the legendary fiddler Rev. Henry King and their great uncle, the banjoist and singer Austin Stamey. The brothers learned some of the oldest regional fiddle and banjo styles from masters such as the Smathers Family, Byard Ray, Oscar “Red” Wilson, Gordon Freeman and the Sutton family. They formed their first band in junior high and played for local clogging teams, local functions and fiddlers’ conventions. Since then they have toured extensively throughout the United States and several foreign countries, teaching and performing at major festivals and music camps.

Tickets are $12 per person. www.38main.com.

The Stuart Brothers come to The Strand in Waynesville on Jan. 16. Donated photo

Smoky Mountain News

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WCU will kick off its 125th year celebration on Jan. 23 in Cullowhee.

This year marks the beginning of Western Carolina University’s 125th year of existence, and university faculty, staff and students are planning a yearlong celebration to mark the milestone.

The festivities will get underway at 12:25

FUN ZONE ribbon cutting, customer appreciation skate

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from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at the Church of Christ in Sylva.

Children in Uganda are susceptible to a parasite called jiggers laying eggs in their feet. This is very painful and can be debilitating. Shoes can make all the difference. The shoe pieces will be sent to workers in Uganda who will be paid fair wages to add recycled tires for soles to finish the shoes.

Bring an old pair of blue jeans or denim fabric and sharp scissors. Financial contributions as well as the following supplies (to help with parasite removal) are also gladly accepted: large safety pins, surgical gloves, cotton balls, medical tape, antibiotic cream, gauze, band aids, topical lidocaine and fun stickers for the children.

This project is sponsored by the Jackson County Youth Leadership Council. Open to the public.

828.586.4009 or heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

For more information on other events during MLK Day, please look at the calendar in the back of this issue.

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Smoky Mountain News

Play Shop, a free event in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. National Day of Service and Celebration, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 E. Ridge Drive, Bryson City. The event will include a craft court, inside games, face and finger painting, refreshments, a film festival, music, dance, skits and fun.

Sponsored by OccupyWNC, the event will also present a Move to Amend reenactment of “Timeline of Rights and Privileges.”

828.331.1524.

adding a new FUN ZONE, with inflatable obstacle course, climbing wall and slides, and a new wood skate floor. Also, the snack bar has been remodeled and its menu expanded. The rink also added another 100 pairs of brand new rental skates so they can accommodate larger groups.

Admission is free for this fun-filled night of roller-skating. Skate rentals cost $2; FUN ZONE is $2, with all-night specials on pizza and drinks.

828.246.9124 or www.smokymountainsk8way.com.

Shop

January 15-21, 2014

Smoky Mountain Sk8way & FUN ZONE will host a ribbon cutting ceremony and customer appreciation skate on Wednesday, Jan. 15, in Waynesville. The ribbon cutting will be from 4 to 6 p.m. followed by a customer appreciation night from 6 to 9 p.m.

The rink has expanded and improved,

p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in the Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus. The kick-off event will include a fashion show of apparel adorned with WCU’s 125th logo, and refreshments, prizes, games, giveaways, displays and birthday cake. That night, the men’s basketball team will play Davidson in a Southern Conference game at Ramsey Regional Activity Center.

The official 125th anniversary bash will be held in August, the month in which the school that became WCU was founded in 1889. The event is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 26, with a picnic on the University Center lawn, old-fashioned games, music and photo opportunities in historical garb representative of the late 19th century.

The final celebration event is tentatively set for Friday, Dec. 5, in the Ramsey Center, with music from the Pride of the Mountains Marching Band for those who will graduate during the December 2014 commencement, the last graduating class of WCU’s 125th year.

For more information and a full list of events, click on www.celebrate125.wcu.edu.

The Denture

arts & entertainment

2014 marks 125th year for WCU

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Smoky Mountain News

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER vergreen Packaging’s Canton paper mill will be writing some big checks over the coming years as it moves to comply with an Environmental Protection Agency rule 10 years in the making.

It’s been more than a decade since the EPA first proposed stricter limits for toxic pollutant emissions from boilers, but once it released the final regulation in December 2012, companies nationwide began gearing up for the expensive upgrades necessary to comply.

Evergreen is among them.

“These paper mills, they’re very energy-intensive,” said Steve Schliesser, engineer for the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Division of Air Quality. “That’s why they need a lot of boilers.”

Of Evergreen’s seven industrial boilers, five — one coal-and-wood-burning and four coal-burning — would be affected by the rule, which puts new limits on toxic air pollutants.

Evergreen refused to comment for this article, but others familiar with the mill’s situation attested to financial burden the regulation will cause.

Mark Clasby, economic development director for Haywood County, said the paper mill will likely comply with the limits by switching its boilers to natural gas, which is a cleaner-burning fuel. But that change will bear a price tag of about $50 million, he said.

“It’s still a lot of money for them, even to a company their size,” Clasby said.

The plant is Haywood County’s largest employer. It has 1,100 employees, who make an average $78,300 in salary and benefits.

That statistic, plus the $330 million that the mill has already spent on environmental improvements since 1990, leads N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Yancey, to give jobs the priority over environmental regulation in this situation.

“I think there’s a lot of regulation there, and I’d like to back off on that,” Presnell said.

Presnell is supporting Evergreen’s request for financial assistance from the state to pay for the natural gas upgrade. The mill is seeking a $12 million grant from the N.C. Job Maintenance and Capital Development Fund and $2.8 million from the state’s Department of Commerce.

“This is a lot of jobs, and they are good, high-paying jobs,” Presnell said. “That’s my number one. That’s what we’ve got to keep.”

The mill’s importance to Haywood County’s econo-

E

What’s in the regulation?

New federal air pollution rules are forcing factories and power plants with older coal- or oil-fired boilers to clean up their act.

Tighter controls on heavy metals, acidic gases, particulate matter and toxic organic compounds have been mandated through a regulation known as Maximum Achievable Control Technology, or MACT, which seeks to limit emissions of 189 different toxic pollutants.

Since monitoring 189 different substances is a lot of monitoring, only representative pollutants would actually be tested for, acting as surrogate for similar pollutants in the same family.

For example, carbon monoxide emissions will be monitored as a reflection of toxic organic compounds.

And mercury would be monitored as a reflection of various heavy metal emissions.

The cost of cleaner air New pollution standards would cost paper mill $50 million in upgrades natural gas that an energy-intensive plant like Evergreen needs to operate.

“That’s the big question — capacity,” Clasby said. “That’s been the challenge.”

Canton’s Evergreen Packaging paper mill is Haywood County’s largest employer, but it’s also had to deal with federal and state environmental regulations quite a bit over the years. Most recently, an EPA rule regulating boiler emissions of toxic pollutants will mean a costly makeover for the mill. Holly Kays photo

my is not in question — what is, is the importance of economic costs versus environmental benefits.

“We are not trying to close the plant,” said Julie Mayfield, co-director of Western North Carolina Alliance, a regional environmental advocacy group. “We do think the plant should operate in an environmentally responsible way, and as our understanding of impacts develops and changes, they have to change with that.”

REGULATION OVERLOAD

OR MISSED OPPORTUNITY?

But others believe that the regulation doesn’t go far enough. To meet the emissions standard, Evergreen will fuel its boilers with natural gas, which burns more cleanly than coal. Representatives of environmental organizations like the Canary Coalition, however, believe a more drastic solution is needed.

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Evergreen to take the lead in showing the world a new way that is both environmentally responsible and economically practical and profitable,” said Avram Friedman, executive director of Canary Coalition, an air quality advocacy group based in Sylva.

Rather than moving from one fossil fuel to another, Friedman said, Evergreen

NOTHING NEW

should combine sun, wind and geothermal energy with an efficiency remake of the plant to replace the need for these fuels.

“It could become the cleanest paper plant ever to operate, anywhere. That’s the legacy we would like to see begin in Canton,” he said.

But Paul Muller, regional supervisor for the state air quality division, said the technology and supply infrastructure for the mill to use renewables as its primary energy source just aren’t there yet.

“The challenge with wind and solar is just the quantity,” he said. “It would take a lot of wind and solar to equal the quantity of a coal-fired boiler. As the technology develops, we’ll continue to go that direction. It’s just having the resources to make that happen.”

A QUESTION OF CAPACITY At the moment, natural gas is dirt cheap, but the fuel’s prices are historically volatile, so they can’t be relied upon to remain low, Friedman said. And while natural gas is less polluting than coal, it’s still a fossil fuel — and it’s one that requires a specific infrastructure to transport.

A natural gas pipeline does run through Canton, but it’s unlikely that line would be able to supply the quantity of

This won’t be the first time Evergreen has had to make changes to comply with EPA air quality regulations. In 1990, Congress passed a set of amendments to the Clean Air Act of 1970 that gave the EPA the authority to regulate emissions of 189 hazardous air pollutants.

They called the framework MACT, which stands for Maximum Achievable Control Technology. The EPA continually ratchets up its emission standards under MACT, using the best-performing facilities as a benchmark.

High-performing facilities set the bar for what’s expected of similar plants. The EPA looks at the emissions levels of the top 12 percent of facilities and bases the new standards on those levels.

Evergreen has had to make upgrades under MACT in the past.

But according to Schliesser, this one is the big kahuna.

“For coal or wood-fired boilers, the cost would be substantial,” Schliesser said, adding that facilities could face upgrades of anywhere from $30 to $100 million. “I guess that’s why industry is so interested in the EPA getting this rule right, because the cost is so expensive.”

Since Evergreen refused to comment for this story, its hard to say whether the upgrades are a financial burden the company can bear or whether they will cost locals their jobs. But either way, no one disputes that the cost will be substantial.

“To say it’s huge would be an understatement,” Schliesser said.

The initial timeline to comply with the new standards was 2015.

But after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit vacated the rules that the EPA had proposed in 2004, the EPA did not meet the 2007 compliance date for the rule. Therefore, states had to step in with their own standards as placeholders until the federal regulation could be completed.

North Carolina’s standards are less stringent than the EPA’s, Schliesser said, so boiler operators such as Evergreen will likely be able to find workaround methods of complying instead of making one change for the state’s March 2015 compliance date and another for the federal January 2019 compliance date.

F

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will receive 25 to 50 white-tailed deer every year for the next three years from Morrow Mountain State Park.

The project is aimed at augmenting the reservationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sparse population of whitetailed deer, an animal that figures prominently in Cherokee lore and cultural traditions.

Morrow Mountain, meanwhile, has a healthy and abundant deer population.

Cherokee Principal Chief Michell Hicks said protecting the environment and natural resources â&#x20AC;&#x201D; including the restoration of native species â&#x20AC;&#x201D; have been a priority for his administration. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The white-tailed deer restoration continues this important tribal work and demonstrates the tribeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s commitment to work with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources in collaboration. These efforts will have lasting effects on our tribal community and on the region,â&#x20AC;? Hicks said.

The relocation project will provide insight on white-tailed deer health and best practices for rebuilding and sustaining

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The Jackson County Farmers Market has a lending library full of books and DVDs mostly focused on food â&#x20AC;&#x201D; growing, eating, and cooking it. Become a Friend of the Market by donating a minimum of $5 to the market and get check-out privileges for these resource materials. For a complete listing of books and DVDs, visit www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org/books/library-books-and-dvds/.

The farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market winter hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Community Table, 23 Central St. in downtown Sylva.

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And it will be a big one, both in time and money. Because of the cost involved, the mill would likely need about one year to explore its options, Schliesser said, and then it

From US 23/74 take exit 100 223-25

The Macon County Heritage Center at the old Cowee School is launching a new farmers market in the region this summer.

Friends of the Rickman Store has received a small startup grant for planning the market. It will be on a different day than the Franklin farmerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s market, giving local growers an outlet to increase sales and expand production. The new market may also pull in new growers and new buyers due to the different location. pmonahan4988@gmail.com or 828.421.2923.

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;You donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want to make two sets of small changes if you have the opportunity to make one big change,â&#x20AC;? Schliesser said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s more cost-effective and more resource-effective just to make one change.â&#x20AC;?

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Relocated white-tailed deer come to Cherokee

1 Offer valid from January 3, 2014, until March 3, 2014. Get $500 off X700 Signature Series, $400 off X500 Select Series and $300 off X300 Select Series models. Prices are suggested retail prices only and are subject to change without notice at any time. Dealer may sell for less.

Taxes, setup, delivery, freight and preparation charges not included. Attachments and implements sold separately. Shown with the optional equipment not included in the price. Prices and models may vary by dealer. *The engine horsepower and torque information are provided by the engine manufacturer to be used for comparison purposes only. Actual operating horsepower and torque will be less. Refer to the engine manufacturerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website for additional information. **Hour limitations apply and vary by model. See the LIMITED WARRANTY FOR NEW JOHN DEERE TURF AND UTILITY EQUIPMENT at JohnDeere.com and JohnDeere.ca/TUWarranty for details. John Deereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s green and yellow color scheme, the leaping deer symbol and JOHN DEERE are trademarks of Deere & Company.

A0B03KKCU1A58169 A0B03KKCU1A58169-00403749

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outdoors

Cold temps freeze Highlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s lake Lindenwood Lake, a four to five-acre stretch of water in Highlands, froze over last week during the areaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s record-cold temperatures. Michelle Ruigrok, program assistant at the Highlands Biological Station, said she was able to stand on the edge of the frozen pond, where it appeared to be frozen several inches deep. However, she said it was hard to tell how deep the middle of the pond had frozen.

Be a Master Gardener in Macon County

January 15-21, 2014

A Master Gardener Program is being offered by the N.C. Cooperative Extension in Macon County.

Master Gardeners receive 42 hours of classes and training in home horticulture subjects, including insects and disease, fruits, shade trees, ornamentals, lawn care and vegetable culture.

Classes begin in February. 828.349.2046.

Saturday, February 23, 11:30 am Lake Junaluska Assembly Beach (next to swimming pool)

100% of proceeds benefit Kids in the Creek and Youth Education programs.

PRIZES AWARDED TO TOP FUNDRAISERS AND BEST COSTUMES! FREE T-SHIRT FOR ALL PLUNGERS. HOT CHILI LUNCH & BONFIRE AVAILABLE FOR ALL.

$25 to be a Plunger, or raise your own sponsorships.

Visit www.crowdrise.com/2NDPOLARPLUNGE for more information and to register. Registration packets can also be requested at info@haywoodwaterways.org or 828-476-4667.

Hosted by: 22

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Smoky Mountain News

Benefit-t-t-ting Kids in the Creek

Race to support the Community Table

Last call for Polar Plungers Haywood Waterways Association is calling on lovers of clean water, those immune to the cold or anyone out there crazy enough to jump on Polar Plunge bandwagon.

The Polar Plunge will be held on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the Lake Junaluska beach. It features a “plunge” into Lake Junaluska followed by a bonfire and hot chili lunch. Costumes are encouraged and prizes will be awarded. The cost is $25, but plungers are encouraged to raise additional

Registration is now open for the Assault on Black Rock, a seven-mile trail race in Jackson County that takes runners and hikers on an ascent and descent of one of Western North Carolina’s most picturesque mountain summits.

The 4th annual Assault on Black Rock will be held on Saturday, March 22, at Sylva’s Pinnacle Park. Runners and hikers who register for the race will climb rocky roadbeds and a single-track trail to the 5,810-foot Black Rock summit on the spine of the Plott Balsam Mountains.

The first 100 registrants for the race will receive a T-shirt, and prizes will be awarded Donated photo to the top finishers.

For those who complete the race in 101 minutes — known as Black Rock 101 Challenge — will get a special belt buckle.

The preregistration fee is $25, and the fee is $30 on race day. All proceeds from the race go to the Community Table, a nonprofit organization in Sylva that offers free, nutritious meals and a free food pantry to local residents in need.

For a race map and registration packet, to to www.CommunityTable.org and click on the “Event Calendar.”

506.2802 or barwatt@hotmail.com.

Slide closes Tsali Trail loop The left loop of the Tsali Trail system popular among mountain bikers is closed due to a slide along the trail.

The other three loops in the trail system remain open. The Forest Service will work to evaluate and repair damage to the trail and issue an alert when the trail is reopened. Located near Fontana Lake, Tsali Recreation Area is nationally known for its 42-mile trail system. The four-loop network is open to hikers and horses, but the system is best known as a challenging mountain bike course. www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

223-38

CONVENIENT CHEROKEE LOCATION

222-25

Fibromyalgia Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Adrenal Fatigue Sub-Clinical Hypothyroidism Osteo & Rheumatoid Arthritis Gout ADDHD Poor Immune System/Shingles Ulcerative Colitis Acne Pain Relief

Smoky Mountain News

Call today and schedule your consultation with Bill.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Two free fly-tying clinics are coming up at the Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education, put on by the N.C. Wildlife Commission.

• Level I, 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 15.

Work at your own pace with experienced flytiers who teach the fundamentals of flytying.

• Level II, 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 17. For those who have learned the basics of fly tying, spend a day with experienced flytiers who will teach advanced patterns and techniques.

Equipment and materials provided for both. 828.877.4423 or ncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/calenda rView.

January 15-21, 2014

We are excited to have Bill Morris, pharmacist and nutritionist here on Friday’s from 9-4. Bill focuses on a holistic approach and specializes in:

It’s fly-tying time in the mountains

outdoors

money for the cause through plunge sponsors. Proceeds go to Haywood Waterway’s Kids in the Creek and youth education programs.

Register and donate online at www.crowdrise.com/2NDPOLARPLUNGE. Sponsorship packets are available by contacting Haywood Waterways at 828.476.4667 and info@haywoodwaterways.org.

366 RUSS AVE | WAYNESVILLE | 828.452.0911 BiLo Shopping Center Find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/kimscompounds

West Asheville - 1186 Patton Ave. • East Asheville - 736 Tunnel Rd.

Cherokee - Across from the casino (open 24 hours) 828.554.0431

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WNC Calendar

Smoky Mountain News

COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • Live and Learn session, 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. Guest speaker will be Haywood County native Clara A. Curtis, director for Design and Exhibits and interim director of Education at the North Carolina Arboretum. Everyone welcome. 452.7802.

• Three year anniversary celebration for The Women of Waynesville (WOW), 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, Herren House Bed and Breakfast, 94 East St., Waynesville.

Free. Nikki White, 545.6879 or Michelle Briggs, 452.7837. Snow date: Thursday, Jan. 30.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION • iPad Users Group, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, JCPL, Sylva. 586.2016.

• E-Reader Workshop 10 a.m. to noon, Friday, Jan. 17, Macon County Public Library, Franklin. www.fontanalib.org.

• Ribbon cutting, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, Be Well Western Carolina, LLC, new location, 29 Forga Loop, Waynesville.

• Small Business Development Series, 8:30 to 10 a.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 21, Haywood Chamber of Commerce, 28 Walnut St., Waynesville. Free program addressing and assisting business owners with overcoming and identifying the challenges of sustaining and growing a business. Speaker Lindsey Dills will present her session, “Success by the Numbers.” 456.3021, haywoodchamber.com.

• Workforce development online course on new coding system related to ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCS changes, Jan. 27 through May 2, Southwestern Community College. Registration deadline is Tuesday, Jan. 21. Scott Sutton, 306.7034.

• Franklin Chamber annual Banquet and Awards Ceremony, 6:15 p.m. social, 7 p.m. dinner, Tuesday, Jan. 21, Tartan Hall at First Presbyterian Church, Franklin. $25. Tickets available at Franklin Chamber of Commerce. RSVP, 524.3161.

• Free 90-minute basic internet class, 5:45 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 22, Jackson County Public Library computer lab, Sylva. Register, 586.2016.

BLOOD DRIVES Swain • Swain County Hospital Blood Drive, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Monday, Jan. 27, 48 Plateau St., Bryson City. www.redcrossblood.org, keyword: Swain.

Macon • SCC Macon Campus Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Tuesday, Jan. 21, Macon County Library, 149 Siler Farm Road, Franklin. www.redcrossblood.org keyword: Macon or 800.Red.Cross.

• Thursday, January 23 Franklin Community Blood Drive, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, First Baptist Church, 69 Iotla St., Franklin. www.redcrossblood.org keyword: Franklin or call 800.Red.Cross.

HEALTH MATTERS • Date Night, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, A-B Tech Asheville Campus, Magnolia Building, 340 Victoria Road, Asheville. Five-month cooking class series on healthy meals for individuals who face challenges of health-related diet restrictions for Diabetes. Mission Health Professional Chef, Chris Aquilino and Dietician/Nutritionist, Mary Beth Horrell. $45 per couple.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Registration required, store.mission-health.org/innovation/date-night.html.

Diabetes Management Class • Two-day diabetes management class, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Jan. 21-22, Cardiac Rehab Department, Angel Medical Center. Pre-register at 369.4166.

RECREATION & FITNESS • Women’s Volleyball League registration Jan. 21-Feb. 14. $175 per team. League play will be held Tuesday nights beginning March 4, at Jackson County Center in Cullowhee. 293.3053, rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Adult Coed Indoor Soccer pickup games, 6 to 8 p.m.

Wednesdays, Jan. 22-March 26, Old Hazelwood Gym, 112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville. Players must be 18 years old & up. $3 per session or $20 for a season pass punch card and available for purchase at the door.

Daniel Taylor, 452.6789 or email drtaylor@haywoodnc.net.

KIDS & FAMILIES • Ribbon cutting , 4 to 6 p.m., and Customer Appreciation Night, 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15, Smoky Mountain Sk8way and FUN ZONE, 19025 Great Smoky Mountain Expressway, Waynesville. Newly remodeled and expanded skating rink and snack bar, with additional activities. $2 skate rentals, $2 FUN ZONE, with specials on pizza and drinks all night. 246.9124, www.SmokyMountainSk8way.com • Children’s yoga session, 11:30 to 11:50 a.m.

Saturday, Jan. 18, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. Parents are welcome to participate. Adult Gentle Yoga follows from noon to 1 p.m. No fee, but donations are welcome and will benefit Reading Rover program. Bring your own mat or blanket. 586.9499.

• Day Camp, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. For kids in kindergarten through sixth grade. Deadline to register is Friday, Jan. 17. 456.2030 or email recprogramspecialist@townofwaynesville.org .

• Register for Jackson County Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) classes. Semester II classes will run January through May 2014, Thursdays at Cullowhee Valley School. $100 per student. Dusk Weaver, JAM director, 497.4964 or weaverdusk@gmail.com or Heather Gordon, 4-H Agent, at 586.4009 or heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• Annual Elks National “Hoop Shoot” Free Throw Contest, 5 p.m. registration, 6 p.m. contest, Friday, Jan. 17, Waynesville Recreation Center. Free hotdogs and drinks for all participants. Open to all boys and girls ages 8 to 13 as of April 1. Haywood County Recreation and Parks, 452.6789 or Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department, 456.2030. www.elks.org/hoopshoot.cfm.

A&E MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EVENTS • 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, Pride March in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., Haywood County Justice Center to Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center, Waynesville.

• 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Commemorative Service in honor of MLK, Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church, Lake Junaluska. Chuck Wilson, senior pastor; speaker: Rev. Reginald Eldridge, pastor of Harris Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church.

• 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, MLK Prayer Breakfast, Lambuth Inn Dining Room, Lake Junaluska. Speaker: Dr. Dudley E. Flood, retired school administrator, Raleigh; entertainment by Chuck Beatie (aka Dr. Blues), blues aficionado and music historian, Asheville. Breakfast tickets: $15 adults; $8 students and children (8 and under free). Tammy McDowell, 215.0296; Rocky Tucker, 246.2588; Ann McAdams, 648.3363; Lunia Williams, 648.5471; Christiana Gibson 648.1233; or Agnes Bryson 456.6816. Tickets may also be purchased at the Administration Building at Lake Junaluska.

• Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party, 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, Sylva Church of Christ, 86 Storybrook Lane, Sylva. Help cut out shoes for children in Uganda who suffer from parasites in their feet. Heather Gordon, Jackson County 4-H, 586.4009 or heather_gordon@ncsu.edu.

• Playshop, 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Swain County Regional Business Education and Training Center, 45 East Ridge Drive, Bryson City. Free.

• Human Relations Council of Franklin, 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, First United Methodist Church, Franklin.

Keynote speaker will be Barbara McCrae. The WCU Inspirational Choir will be featured.

• Community service event honoring Martin Luther King Jr., 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, Wesley’s Playground at Big Bear Park. Sponsored by the Human Relations Council of Franklin.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EVENTS AT WCU • Unity March, birthday party for Martin Luther King Jr, 4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, Illusions, University Center, Western Carolina University. Screening of Part 1 of “King: From Montgomery to Memphis,” 6 p.m. University Center theater. Sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.

Takeshia Brown, associate director of intercultural affairs, at ftbrown@wcu.edu or 227.2276.

• MLK “I Have a Dream” speech re-enactment, noon Tuesday, Jan. 21, University Center balcony, Western Carolina University. Part 2 of “King: From Montgomery to Memphis,” 6 p.m. University Center theater. Takeshia Brown, associate director of intercultural affairs, at ftbrown@wcu.edu or 227.2276.

• 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 – Sew Easy Girls ECA, Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• TV show host, political science professor and writer Melissa V. Harris-Perry, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, Western Carolina University. Free. Keynote speaker for Western Carolina University’s annual celebration in honor of slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Takeshia Brown, associate director of intercultural affairs, at ftbrown@wcu.edu or 227.2276.

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 – Soup and Book Exchange, Cane Creek ECA. For location information, call the Extension Office at 586.4009.

• Open Mic Night, 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, Illusions, University Center, and Western Carolina University.

Sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Last

ECA EVENTS • Extension and Community Association (ECA) groups meet throughout the county at various locations and times each month. NC Cooperative Extension Office, 586.4009. This month’s meetings include:

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for: ■ Complete listings of local music scene ■ Regional festivals ■ Art gallery events and openings ■ Complete listings of recreational offerings at regional health and fitness centers ■ Civic and social club gatherings Minute Productions as part of MLK Jr. activities. Western Carolina University administrative offices will be closed Jan. 20 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday. ftbrown@wcu.edu or 227.2276 or www.wcu.edu.

FESTIVALS, SPECIAL & SEASONAL EVENTS • “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future,” exhibit on Cherokee language and culture, through Feb. 9, Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Exhibit uses sound recordings as the basis for presenting a coherent story in words and text. www.fontanalib.org.

• Acclaimed artist Buzz Spector public lecture, “Buzz Spector: Material Reading,” 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, Room 130. John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center, Western Carolina University. 227.3594.

• Western Carolina University will host events including panel discussions this spring on social and cultural issues of the 1960s and is searching for community members to take part by sharing their experiences during that time on topics such as voting rights, abortion and the environment and energy. Contact Amy Cherry, assistant professor of music and chair of the 1960s theme steering committee, at 227.3725 or acherry@wcu.edu.

• CWCU Magical Mystery Tour, walkthrough, interactive retrospective of the 1960s, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30, concourse of Ramsey Regional Activity Center. qep.wcu.edu.

• Haywood County Tourism Development Authority Big John promotional videos can be found at www.visitncsmokies.com/galleries/.

• Western Carolina University 125th anniversary yearlong celebration kickoff, 12:25 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, WCU. Fashion show of apparel adorned with WCU’s 125th logo, and refreshments, prizes, games, giveaways, displays and birthday cake. Complete schedule at celebrate125.wcu.edu.

DANCE • Texas 2-Step and the Waltz, dance lessons, Waynesville Recreation Center. Texas 2-Step, level 1 class, 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3, 10 and 17. The Waltz, intermediate level 2 class, 7 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5, 12 and 19. Taught by Herb and Sally Roach. $60 per person for six classes of a specific dance. 316.1412 or 356.7060.

• Dance Party, 7 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, Waynesville Recreation Center. $10 per person. Bring an appetizer to share. 456.2030 or email recfitness@townofwaynesville.org.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • “Agnes of God,” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17-18, and 3 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 19, Feichter Studio at HART Theater, 250 Pigeon St., Waynesville. Possible hold over dates, Jan. 24-26. Seating in the Feichter Studio is limited to 65

and reservations are recommended. 456.6322 or www.harttheatre.com .

• Guest pianist Craig Randal Johnson concert of Finnish and American music, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 27, recital hall of Coulter Building, Western Carolina University. Free. 227.7242.

• Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” a song and dance revue of hit tunes from the rock ’n’ roll era before the Beatles, will take the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 WCU faculty and staff and $5 students and children.

227.2479 or visit the websitebardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

LITERARY (ADULTS) • Coffee with the Poet featuring Asheville poet Keith Flynn, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• The Friends of the Jackson County Library Used Book Store annual Store-Wide Winter Half-Price Sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, through Sunday, Jan.19, Jackson County Public Library, 536 West Main St., Sylva. Everything priced at 50 percent off the regular low prices. 586.1221.

• Book Club Bash, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville.

• Author Luncheon with Wiley Cash, noon Friday, Jan. 31, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville.

Tickets, $35, must be purchased in advance at Blue Ridge Books. Includes a signed copy of Cash’s new hardback novel, This Dark Road to Mercy and a Kanini’scatered lunch. www.blueridgebooksnc.com, 456.6000.

Outdoors JOIN US FOR ARTS EVENTS AT WCU OUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS

TUE JAN 21 | 7:30PM | COULTER Music: Apollo Winds & Bradley Martin, piano

• Nantahala Hiking Club, 4.5-mile hike Saturday, Jan. 18, to Round Mountain. Meet at 10 a.m. at Cashiers Recreation Center parking lot. Leaders Mike and Susan Kettles, 743.1079. Visitors welcome; no pets.

SUN JAN 26 | 5PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $20 Music: Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Lieber and Stoller

• Nantahala Hiking Club, 2-mile easy hike, 2 p.m.

Sunday, Jan. 19, Bartram Trail Loop from Wallace Branch. Meet at 2 p.m. at Westgate Plaza in Franklin Leader Jean Hunnicutt, 524.5234.

TUE JAN 28 | 7:30PM | COULTER Music: Faculty Showcase

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS • Winter Tree Identification Hike, 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Montreat Wilderness. Easy to moderate hike.

Leaders, Chris Coxen, Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy field ecologist and Anna Zanetti, AmeriCorps Associate. Free for SAHC members and $10 for non-members. Directions upon RSVP to Anna@appalachian.org.

• Hands-On Garmin GPS Basics, 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Jan. 25, REI, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville.

687.0918, www.rei.com/asheville. $30 REI members/$50 non-members.

• Hands-On Bike Maintenance: Drive Train, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, REI, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville. 687.0918, www.rei.com/asheville. $20 REI members/$40 non-members.

• Hunter Safety Course, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 3-5, Haywood Community College Building 3300, Room 3322. Must attend three consecutive evenings to receive certification. Free and open to all ages. Must register at www.ncwildlife.org.

THU JAN 16 – FRI MAR 21 | WCU FINE ART MUSEUM Exhibit: Edward J Bisese’s Good Thoughts Better

SAVE THE DATE: TUE FEB 4 | 7:30PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $10

Artist in Residence Orchestral Concert EVENTS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS AT WCU. JOIN FRIENDS OF THE ARTS TODAY!

FOR MORE INFO – 828.227.7028 | ARTS.WCU.EDU

NIGHT LIFE • The Stewart Brothers, 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, The Strand, 38 Main St., Waynesville. Appalachian fiddle and banjo duets.

• The Classic Wineseller, Church Street, Waynesville: DuPont Brothers (guitars, vocals) 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16; Leo Johnson (guitar, vocals) 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, and Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18. Reservations suggested, 452.6000, www.classicwineseller.com.

• O’Malley’s in Sylva: Jan. 17, Joe Lasher Jr. Band; Jan. 18, Arnold Hill; Jan. 24, Paradise 56; Jan. 25, Bobby Sullivan; and Jan. 31, Marc Keller.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS & OPENINGS

• “Land Of The Crooked Water” works by artist Joshua Grant will be on display through January 2014 at Macon County Public Library, Franklin.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS & DEMONSTRATIONS • Woodturning demonstration by Ashley Harwood, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, Folk Art Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville. 645.6633 or visit www.carolinamountainwoodturners.org, www.ashleyharwood.net/ashleyharwood/Home.html.

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MLS#544225 RECIPE FOR COMFORT A sense of flowing space from this 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath home offering gas fireplace, vaulted ceilings, 22x14 office, screened porch and 24x14 open deck. The detached 20x24 workshop with 24x26 carport is an added bonus. Convenient location; near lake Junaluska Golf Course.

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Smoky Mountain News

• “Good Thoughts Better,” an exhibit of work by Edward J. Bisese will open at the Fine Art Museum at Western Carolina University with an artist talk at 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, in Room 130 of the John W. Bardo Fine and a reception following at 6 p.m. in the museum’s Star Atrium. The exhibit runs through March. fineartmuseum.wcu.edu online or 227.3591.

• Online registration is open through Tuesday, April 1, for Western Carolina University’s 4th annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K, which will be held Saturday, April 5, on the campus in Cullowhee. Race day registration will be available at $80 for the half marathon and $30 for the 5K. www.halfmarathon.wcu.edu or contact race directors Shauna Sage or James Scifers at ValleyoftheLilies@wcu.edu.

0 9,0 0 $39

January 15-21, 2014

COMPETITIVE EDGE • 4th annual Assault on Black Rock (ABR), 9 a.m.

Saturday, March 22, Jackson County. A 7-mile trail race from the parking lot of Sylva’s Pinnacle Park to the 5,810-foot Black Rock summit on the spine of the Plott Balsam Mountains. Proceeds to benefit the Community Table. Register at www.CommunityTable.org, “event calendar.” Online registration at Active.com, but an extra $3.25 fee is included. Brian Barwatt, 506.2802 or barwatt@hotmail.com.

FARM & GARDEN • Haywood County Extension is accepting applications for the 2014 Master Gardener class. Training sessions will be held Tuesday mornings through April 22.

456.3575 to reserve a spot.

FARMERS & TAILGATE MARKETS Sylva • Jackson County Farmers Market Jackson County Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Saturday, Community Table in downtown Sylva near Poteet Park and accepts SNAP benefits. Contact Jenny McPherson for more information 631.3033 or visit www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org

wnc calendar

• Apollo Winds, a professional chamber music group, 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, recital hall of the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.

Apollo Winds is a group of musicians who teach at colleges and universities in Western North Carolina and are members of several orchestras in the region.

Free. 227.7242.

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Offering AC, city water & sewer, fireplace, easy access, front porch storage and back deck.

TAKE FIVE … Minutes to call! To ask about this home located in Clyde. Offering one-level living, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, city water & sewer and a detached 2 car garage/workshop on .45 acres.

WWW.MAGGIEVALLEYPROPERTY.COM Ellis Morris 828-734-5887

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1-866-795-9393 TOLL FREE

223-41

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Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

ANNOUNCEMENTS

MarketPlace information:

2 NEW LIVING ESTATES Fri. & Sat. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Lots of Good Furniture, Home Decor, Art, Tons of Great Antiques, Everything Under the Sun! We are Frog Pond Downsizing Located at 255 Depot St., Waynesville. Look for the Frog on the Brick Building and You’ve Found Treasures & Bargains from the Origianl Estate Sale Company!

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to our MarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of our MarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visit www.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates: ■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.

■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.

■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2.

■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.

■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.

■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.

■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with 1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.

■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

ARTS AND CRAFTS ALLISON CREEK Iron Works & Woodworking. Crafting custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

Classified Advertising:

AUCTION AUCTION Absolute Online w/Bid Center, Land Tracts in Marion, Marlboro & Dillon Counties, NC. Jan. 17 at 8am to Jan. 23 at 3pm. Bid Center at BC Steak & BBQ in Dillon, SC. Iron Horse Auction, Co., Inc. 800.997.2248.

NCAL3936/SCAL1684. www.ironhorseauction.com

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Serving Haywood, Jackson & Surrounding Counties

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE In Kinston offers an auctioneering class on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 2. Cost is $180. To register call 252.527.6223, ext.

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Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS, LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS, AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck available for on-site repairs LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

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828-456-5387

223-44

REACH READERS ACROSS North Carolina for only $330. Run your 25-word classified line ad in 99 newspapers with one call to this newspaper or call NCPS 919.789.2083.

BUILDING MATERIALS HAYWOOD BUILDERS Garage Doors, New Installations Service & Repairs, 828.456.6051 100 Charles St. Waynesville Employee Owned.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs!

Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control. FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217

COUPON CLIPPERS NEEDED! Trade extra grocery coupons for $$$$$ All national brands requested. Free details, send stamped self-addressed envelope: CFCO Box 18529, Milwaukee, WI 53218

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon request. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construction, repairs & additions.

Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson.

Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or 828.508.0316

JOIN FOR A LIMITED TIME Your Virtual Portal Offers Tools to Promote ANY Business. Listen to Recorded Message @ 1.559.726.1399 code: 623836# fhaun.yourvirtualportal.NET Call J. Dyas @ 1.404.747.6224 SAPA

SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORS Installation- Finish - Refinish 828.399.1847.

AUTO PARTS

Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 | classads@smokymountainnews.com

COO

CONSTRUCTION/ REMODELING

DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

CARS DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing 24 hr. Response Tax Deduction United Breast Cancer Foundation Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 888.759.9782.

SAPA DONATE YOUR CAR Fast Free Towing. 24 hr. Response.

Tax Deduction. United Breast Cancer Foundation, Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 855.733.5472 DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax Deductible, Free Towing, All Paperwork Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT $$$ GET LOADED $$$ Exp pays - up to 50 cpm New CSA Friendly Equip (KW)CDL-A Required. 1.888.592.4752. www.ad-drivers.com SAPA 1500+ RGN LOADS From Clayton, NC to multiple destinations. Accepting Contractors with their own RGN's or pull Company trailers AT NO COST. 1.800.669.6414 or go to: www.dailyrecruiting.com AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA DRIVERS Home Weekly & Bi-Weekly. Earn $900-$1200/Wk. Major Benefits Available. Class-A CDL & 6 Mos. Exp. Req. No Canada, HazMat or NYC! 877.705.9261 DRIVERS: DEDICATED. Regional & OTR. Start up to $.44/mi. + Excellent Benefits.

401K + Bonuses. Excellent Hometime! CDL-A 6mos. exp.

877.704.3773.

R

EMPLOYMENT

START THE NEW YEAR With a great career by joining our team. Class-A Professional Drivers call 866.291.2631 for more details or visit SuperServiceLLC.com SAPA

MILAN EXPRESS OTR CDL-A Drivers. Home Weekly, Annual Increases & Bonuses. No Hazmat.

Vacation/Paid Holidays. Great Benefits. www.drivemilan.com 800.552.2591 extension# 3133 or 3187.

TANKER & FLATBED Company. Drivers/Independent Contractors! Immediate Placement Available. Best Opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today 800.277.0212 or go to: www.driveforprime.com TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR To fill 2014-15 Vacancies in 17 Virginia school divisions. Friday, Jan 31, 2014 - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Sat, Feb 1, 2014 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon @ Salem Civic Center, 1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153-5298. www.wvpec.org -Job Fair. Sponsored by the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed.

Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122 TOP 1% PAY & CSA Friendly Equip. Full Benefits + Quality Hometime. No slip seating - Take truck home. CDL-A Req. 877.258.8782. Or go to: www.ad-drivers.com REACH READERS ACROSS North Carolina for only $330. Run your 25-word classified line ad in 99 newspapers with one call to this newspaper or call NCPS 919.789.2083.

FINANCIAL $$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!

Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need fast $500-$500,000? Rates as low as 1/2% month. Call Now! 1.800.568.8321. www.lawcapital.com Not valid in NC SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

SAPA

FURNITURE ALL REMAINING FURNITURE Lumber Must Go! $3,250 Cherry, Walnut & Butternut.

For more info 828.627.2342 COMPARE QUALITY & PRICE Shop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC. The best bedding at the best price!

533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

Ann knows real estate!

Ann Eavenson CRS, GRI, E-PRO

ann@mainstreetrealty.net

506-0542 CELL 223-39

101 South Main St. Waynesville

MainStreet Realty

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTS

(828) 452-2227 mainstreetrealty.net

Fred Alter

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

ph. 828-564-1260 fred.alter@sothebysrealty.c

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400

Asheville | Waynesville | N

Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS: Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm & Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm 168 E. Nicol Arms Road Sylva, NC 28779

2992 MEMORIAL HWY., PO BOX 225 • LAKE LU

www.PinnacleSIR.com

Cleaner, Clearer and Healthier water at every tap in your home

Phone# 1.828.586.3346 TDD# 1.800.725.2962

223-03

Equal Housing Opportunity 223-36

January 15-21, 2014

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITAL Positions now available: ER and Med/Surg Registered Nurses, Medical Labaratory Technologist, Medical Records Manager, Inpatient Coder, and Activities Assistant.

Benefits available the first of the month following 60 days of full-time employment. PreEmployment screening required.

Call Human Resources.

828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital. org

POSITION AVAILABLE Independent Living Specialist for fast paced nonprofit organization.

Must have ability to multi-task, have good listening skills with outgoing personality to assist people with disabilities in setting and reaching independent living goals.

Must have the ability to interact with local, state and federal agencies. Ability to work independently, one on one or in a group setting.

Degree in Human Services or work experience will be considered. A disability is required. Submit application along with resume to Barbara Davis, DisAbility Partners, at 525 Mineral Springs Drive, Sylva NC 28779 or call 828.631.1167 for more information.

EMPLOYMENT REGIONAL CDL-A DRIVERS Averitt offers fantastic benefits & weekly hometime. 888.362.8608.

Paid training for recent grads w/a CDL-A & drivers with limited experience. Apply online at AverittCareers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer.

WNC MarketPlace

HEALTH CARE NAVIGATOR Part-Time - Jackson County Mountain Projects is currently accepting applications for a part time position. Bachelor’s degree with experience in Human Services, and/or Health Care is preferred. Applicants must have reliable transportation, valid NC driver’s license, be willing to travel the seven most western counties of NC. Must be willing to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends. Out of area travel is required. 20-30 hours of training is required to be certified.

Applications will be taken at Mountain Projects, Inc., 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC 28786, or 25 Schulman St., Sylva, NC 28779, or you may apply online at: www.mountainprojects.org Pre-employment drug testing required. EOE/AA

EMPLOYMENT

An EcoWater Water System can remove

TASHA A VERY STRIKING, PETITE PLOTT HOUND MIX. HER COAT IS BRINDLE WITH SOME WHITE ACCENTS. TASHA IS A GREAT MEDIUM SIZE, GETS ALONG WELL WITH OTHER DOGS AND LOVES PEOPLE.

Lease to Own

smokymountainnews.com

CHARDONNAY IS ELEGANT, BEAUTIFUL AND LOVABLE, JUST LIKE A FINE WINE! SHE'S A SWEET GIRL WHO WOULD LOVE TO MAKE HERSELF PART OF YOUR FAMILY.

Bad Taste & Odors Iron/Rust Sediment/ Silt Bacterias Harmful Chlorine Balance pH

828.452.3995 | www.americanwatercareinc.com

find us at: facebook.com/smnews 27

WNC MarketPlace

PETS HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER 828.452.1329

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT PUBLISHER’S NOTICE

Prevent Unwanted Litters!

The Heat Is On! Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!

Free Spay/Neuter, Microchip & Vaccines For Haywood Pitbull Types & Mixes!

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm 182 Richland Street, Waynesville

HOMES FOR SALE BRUCE MCGOVERN A Full Service Realtor shamrock13@charter.net McGovern Property Management 828.283.2112.

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin, or an intention, to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination” Familial status includes children under the age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate which is in violation of the law. Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis.

REAL ESTATE ANNOUNCEMENT REAL ESTATE AUCTION 219.21+/-Beautiful Rolling Acres Divided into 19 Homesites, Prospect Hill, NC, Caswell Co., 1/4/14 at 10am, Auction at Prospect Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Iron Horse Auction Co., Inc., 800.997.2248. NCAL3936.

GEORGIA INVESTMENT PROPERTYLimited Inventory Available! Renovated homes, low taxes & insurance, Low cost of living. Great for homeowners or Investors earn 15% ROI! Starting at $29,000. CALL OWNER 1.404.550.6900. SAPA BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

LOTS FOR SALE 2.819 ACRE TRACT Building Lot in great location.

Build your 2nd home log cabin here. Large 2-story building near HCC, was a Work Shop. $66,500.

Call 828.627.2342.

www.smokymountainnews.com

January 15-21, 2014

Class A Office/Professional space, 1850 sq. ft./ 2 floor plans

28

Building was a complete renovation and space was first built out for a CPA’s office and an Edward Jones office in 2005. Spaces were occupied by Lifespan & Haywood Co. Insurance Health Clinic and both outgrew their space. Units includes 2 restrooms, kitchenette and mechanical room. There is direct access to an outdoor covered patio area on the creek. The building has excellent onsite parking and is located in Waynesville only 3/10 mile North of the courthouse. Lease includes exterior maintenance, taxes, water and lighted sign. Can combine both units for 3700 s/f.

627 N. Main Street, Suite 2, Waynesville.

Shown by appointment only.

Call Jeff Kuhlman at 828-646-0907.

VACATION RENTALS OCEAN ISLE BEACH, North Carolina's #1 Family Vacation Spot! Minutes from Myrtle Beach. Reserve your Vacation Today! www.CookeRealty.com or call 1.800.NCBEACH.

STORAGE SPACE FOR RENT GREAT SMOKIES STORAGE Conveniently located off 19/23

by Thad Woods Auction. Available for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call 828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

MEDICAL MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.983.4906. SAPA

MEDICAL

FOR SALE

CANADA DRUG CENTER Is your choice for safe and affordable medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 1.800.265.0768 for $25.00 off your first prescription and free shipping. SAPA VIAGRA 100mg & CIALIS 20mg!

40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA

FOR SALE CHAMPION SUPPLY Janitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, janitorial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & outdoor light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair including household vacuums. Free delivery across WNC. www.championsupply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

SOUTHWESTERN/NATIVE American- Throw Blanket. Colorful, 3’ x 9’, $30. For more info call 828.452.3832.

WRAP UP YOUR Holiday Shopping with 100 percent guaranteed, delivered-to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 67 PERCENT - PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - Many Gourmet Favorites ONLY $49.99.ORDER Today 1.800.715.2010 Use code “4937 CFW” or visit us at: www.OmahaSteaks.com/holiday33 SAPA

WANTED TO BUY CASH FOR UNEXPIRED Diabetic Test Strips! Free Shipping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24 hour payment! Call Mandy at 1.855.578.7477, or visit www.TestStripSearch.com Espanol 1.888.440.4001 SAPA

NOTICES BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

Puzzles can be found on page 30.

These are only the answers.

PERSONAL

PERSONAL WHITE MALE, NON-DRINKER, Looking for a live-in girlfriend for companionship & light housework. Any age, kids okay. 2/BR in a nice neighborhood. For more info call Donnie at 706.335.6496 or write to PO Box 411, ILA, GA 30647.

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let us help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, housing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first!

1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA

MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, exchange messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978.

SAPA

ENTERTAINMENT

www.selecthomeswnc.com Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

AIRLINES ARE HIRING Train for hands on Aviation Career.

FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494.

Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com Ellen Sither — esither@beverly-hanks.com Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com Billie Green — bgreen@beverly-hanks.com Pam Braun — pambraun@beverly-hanks.com

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com • Steve Cox — info@haywoodproperties.com

EARN YOUR High School Diploma at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nationally accredited. Call for free brochure. 1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR To fill 2014-15 Vacancies in 17 Virginia school divisions. Friday, Jan 31, 2014 - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Sat, Feb 1, 2014 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon @ Salem Civic Center, 1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153-5298. www.wvpec.org -Job Fair. Sponsored by the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium

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

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM Home. 6-8 weeks. Accredited.

Get a Diploma. Get a Job! No Computer Needed. FREE Brochure.

1.800.264.8330. Benjamin Franklin HS. www.diplomafromhome.com

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

Keller Williams Realty kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com • Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com • Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

10-5 M-SAT. 12-4 SUN.

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net McGovern Real Estate & Property Management • Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

223-09

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANE WAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

Preferred Properties • George Escaravage — gke333@gmail.com

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com Realty World Heritage Realty realtyworldheritage.com • Carolyn Lauter realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766/

• Thomas & Christine Mallette realtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM Home 6-8 weeks. ACCREDITED. Get a Diploma. Get a Job! No Computer Needed. FREE BROCHURE. 1.800.264.8330. Benjamin Franklin High School www.diplomafromhome.com.

SAPA

RE/MAX — Mountain Realty

223-34

Ellen’s clients said it best!

Wa y n e s v i l l e O ff i c e 2 0 1 2 R a v i n g F a n Aw a rd

• • • • • • • • •

remax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com The Real Team — the-real-team.com Ron Breese — ronbreese.com Dan Womack — womackdan@aol.com Catherine Proben — cp@catherineproben.com

smokymountainnews.com

SCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM 86 East Main St., Franklin, 828.584.7472. www.scottishtartans.org. Matthew A.C. Newsome, GTS, FSA, SCOT., Curator & General Manager, Ronan B. MacGregor, Business Assistant.

DISH TV RETAILER - SAVE! Starting $19.99/month (for 12 months.) FREE Premium Movie Channels. FREE Equipment, Installation & Activation. CALL, COMPARE LOCAL DEALS! 1.800.351.0850.

SAPA

Full Service Property Management 828-456-6111

January 15-21, 2014

ARE YOU PREGNANT? A childless married couple seeks to adopt. Will be Hands-On Mom/ Devoted Dad. Financial security.

Expenses PAID. Call/TEXT Jessica & Adam. 1.800.790.5260.

(FL Bar #0150789) SAPA

*REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL* Get a 4-Room All-Digital Satellite system installed for FREE! Programming starting at $19.99/MO. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers. CALL NOW 1.800.795.1315 SAPA

WNC MarketPlace

YOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC! Your classified ad could be reaching over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Network- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to appear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press Association's website at www.ncpress.com

223-06

ENTERTAINMENT

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com • Phil Ferguson — philferguson@bellsouth.net

esither@beverly-hanks.com

Ellen

Sither

828.734.8305

beverly-hanks.com

223-07

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE 828.452.4251 | ads@smokymountainnews.com 29

Smoky Mountain News

January 15-21, 2014

Super

30

CROSSWORD

GETTING PREPOSITIONED ACROSS 1 Symbol before a key signature 5 Neighbor of Kauai 9 Actress Fox 14 Produces a winter blanket?

19 Arriving like fog 21 Prefix with anthropology 22 Smith’s tool 23 Out of character 25 Hard up 26 Barks in pain 27 Suffix with meteor 28 Without face value, as stock 30 Theologian’s subj.

31 Not up on current trends 36 Take a whack 37 States north of Nebraska 40 Bauxite, e.g.

41 Pizazz 43 Applying to all 48 Ones going a-courting 51 Reassuring words after an accident 52 “... Mac - PC?” 53 Suffix with schnozz or Motor 55 “Come again?”

56 Brief moment 57 Past proper limits 64 Ending for opal 65 Bring forth 66 Union topic 67 Lower exterior part of a ship’s hull 69 L’Oréal rival 72 “Nothing -!”

74 Finer in meaning

76 Taxing work 77 Construction beams with 90-degree angles 79 Buenos -, Argentina 80 Gold, to Julio 81 Loony 85 Drink like Fido 88 S-X linkup 90 Woodsy, e.g.

91 Have unpaid bills 92 Washoe County seat 93 “So long” 95 Irrelevant 102 Its capital is Nuku’alofa 104 “- for Cookie” (“Sesame Street” tune) 105 Awakens 106 Oom- 108 Subjected to severe trials 113 Golf surprise 114 “Ad - per aspera” (Kansas’ motto) 115 Co. offering a Buddy List 116 “The Family Circus” cartoonist Bil 120 Shah, e.g.

122 A bit ill 127 Shah, e.g.

128 Hen’s resting place 129 Remove from a computer 130 Arranged for 131 Spanish for “others” 132 Challenge for a lab rat 133 “To be,” to Tiberius DOWN 1 Big name in early computers 2 Theater area

3 Airline to Ben Gurion 4 Publication that’s quickly thumbed 5 Add- - (peripherals) 6 Bus. rep 7 Arrive at, as a solution 8 Not masked 9 Stat of fuel efficiency 10 Gift for music 11 One peeking 12 Vowel string 13 Amateur 14 Italian Riviera city 15 Dayton-to-Toledo dir.

16 Way up there in years 17 Broader 18 In a foxy way 20 Enlarged map details 24 D.C. summer hrs.

29 Declaration 32 Holds 33 Suffix with 58-Down 34 “Woo- -!”

35 Momentous time 37 Speech spot 38 Peak 39 Ray of fast-food fame 42 Punch noise 44 Give a - (care) 45 Suffix with east 46 With 62-Down, rotten sort 47 Dumbbell 49 Extent 50 Handle the helm 54 Timmy’s TV dog 57 Yogi of baseball 58 Inflated head 59 Lemon-hued 60 Be snaky 61 Sci-fi’s Solo 62 See 46-Down 63 Tapered off 65 Prefix with diversity

68 “- a snap!”

69 Coagulates 70 Lash of Western films 71 Exempt from regulations 72 Pol Quayle 73 Municipal statute: Abbr.

75 Banquet liquid holder 78 Onion or lily 79 Help in crime 82 Beats (up) 83 Coal carrier 84 Lea lady?

85 Luau gifts 86 Bancroft of “7 Women” 87 Ollas, e.g.

89 Ida. neighbor 92 Casino game 94 Ottawa site 96 Quito’s land 97 Autograph: Abbr.

98 Suffix with child 99 Easter eats 100 “- tu” (Verdi aria) 101 Oktoberfest dances 103 Maestro Toscanini 106 City of Light 107 Lexus rival 109 “To be - ...”

110 Rat-a- 111 Dull 112 Justice Kagan 117 Figuring-out shouts 118 “Little House on the Prairie” shopkeeper 119 - Stanley Gardner 121 Otoscope-wielding doc 123 That, to Tito 124 ACLU issues: Abbr.

125 Oz musical, with “The” 126 Suffix with propyl

answers on page 28

SCHOOLS/ INSTRUCTION AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Aviation Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA

SERVICES MY COMPUTER WORKS: Computer problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based technicians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1.888.582.8147 SAPA

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGE In Kinston offers an auctioneering class on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 2. Cost is $180. To register call 252.527.6223, ext. 714

REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! Get a whole-home Satellite system installed at NO COST and programming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR Upgrade to new callers, SO CALL NOW 1.866.983.7935

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES! Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed.

Careertechnical.edu/nc.

1.888.512.7122

DISH TV RETAILER. Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 1.800.351.0850 SAPA

SERVICES DIRECTV $0 START COSTS! 150+ Channels $7.50/week! FREE HBO/Cinemax/Showtime/Starz!

FREE Whole Home HD/DVR! FREE Installation! Local Installers!

Hurry Ends Soon Call Now 1.800.983.2690. SAPA DISH TV RETAILER Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) & High Speed Internet starting at $14.95/month (where available.) SAVE! Ask About SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 1.800.405.5081

FROG POND DOWNSIZING Helping Hands In Hard Times.

Downsizing - Estate Sales - Clean Out Services. Company Transfer Divorce - We are known for Honesty & Integrity! Jack & Yvonne Wadham, Insured & Bonded.

18 Commerce Street, Waynvesville, NC. 828.734.3874 MEDICAL GUARDIAN Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.615.3868

SERVICES DDI BUMPERS ETC. Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot 858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs!

Waterproofing, Finishing, Structural Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control. FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217 HEMLOCK HEALERS, INC. Dedicated to Saving Our Hemlocks. Owner/Operator Frank Varvoutis, NC Pesticide Applicator’s License #22864. 48 Spruce St. Maggie Valley, NC 828.734.7819 828.926.7883, Email: hemlockhealers@yahoo.com REACH READERS ACROSS North Carolina for only $330. Run your 25-word classified line ad in 99 newspapers with one call to this newspaper or call NCPS 919.789.2083.

YARD SALES 2 NEW LIVING ESTATES Fri. & Sat. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Lots of Good Furniture, Home Decor, Art, Tons of Great Antiques, Everything Under the Sun! We are Frog Pond Downsizing Located at 255 Depot St., Waynesville. Look for the Frog on the Brick Building and You’ve Found Treasures & Bargains from the Origianl Estate Sale Company!

WEEKLY SUDOKU Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each small 9-box square contains all of the numbers from one to nine.

Answers on Page 28

The naturalist’s corner

BY DON H ENDERSHOT

Rules rule and rulers rue it I mentioned the fact a couple of weeks ago that N.C. House Bill 74— the Regulatory Reform Act of 2013 — was set to begin the process of reviewing, readopting and/or repealing all state rules and that the first rules under the dissection scope would be those related to surface water quality and wetland regulations.

Well, the state’s beefed up Rules Review Commission (RRC) is set to begin. In keeping with North Carolina’s new political leadership’s ideology of openness, the commission has scheduled a public meeting so the average working stiff can attend and listen or comment. The meeting is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 16) at the Office of Administrative Hearings on New Hope Church Road in Raleigh.

Now the Rules Review Commission is not a new entity. It has been around since 1986.

It was created with the intent and purpose of determining if proposed new rules were authorized by law and if they were clear and necessary. But now, thanks to the Regulatory Reform Act, the new “beefed up” RRC is also

the final arbiter, determining if a rule is needed or if it should be abolished.

I should point out here that by “rules,” I’m not talking about “no running in the halls,” or “keep right except to pass.” No, according to Kirk Ross in Coastal Review Online (Jan. 10) “… in the parlance of government the word [rules] describes exactly how something mandated by law is accomplished. Rules lay down the definitions, requirements and procedures both for government agencies and anyone who wants or needs to interact with them.”

So in today’s North Carolina, any business, government agency, government official, environmental organization and/or private citizen that proposed or undertook any endeavor that would impact surface water and or wetlands would be bound by the rules that are currently in place. What happens if those rules were repealed or abolished?

It’s pretty easy to see that members of a rules commission like the RRC — the ultimate arbiters with regards to the state’s drinking water, stormwater runoff, river and/or stream classification and buffer requirements, among other things — should be publicly vetted and selected based on

their expertise, knowledge and abilities.

North Carolina achieves this by having its RRC appointed by the legislature.

It’s probably a good thing that the RRC is going to work right away. According to Ross’ piece, “The N.C. Division of Water Resources on Wednesday presented the state Environmental Management Commission, or EMC, which devises environmental rules, with a list of 375 surface water and wetland rules that it says will need to go back

through the re-adoption process.”

Ross also quotes Grady McCallie, policy director at the North Carolina Conservation Network, as stating that, “The EMC has roughly 2,000 rules to consider. Hundreds more are under the purview of other DENRrelated entities such as the Coastal Management and Mining and Energy commissions.”

Also, according to Ross, NC DENR offi-

cials estimate that the review of these rules will take until 2018. And what happens if any of these rules don’t make it through the review process? They automatically expire.

I suggest you check out Ross’ piece at www.nccoast.org/article.aspx?k=92d3e7425cac-4768-b010-83d367bfa4b2.

And also an earlier posting at the SmithEnvironment blog www.smithenvironment.com/environmental-policy-in-n-c-looking-back-at-2013-and-forward-to-2014.

During this RRC process Stormwater runoff in Grove there will be Park Cove. River Link photo opportunities for public comment, and Ross’ piece helps explain how this should play out. But remember, these rules — many in place for years — can be reversed or abolished simply by fiat of the General Assembly, and the most binding public comment in that regard is your vote.

Mid-terms are coming up, and if you don’t like the direction things are going, go to your polling place and make a public comment — just remember to bring your driver’s license and be prepared to stand in line.

(Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He can be reached a ddihen1@bellsouth.net.)

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