Smoky Mountain News | May 4, 2022

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Western North Carolina’s Source for Weekly News, Entertainment, Arts, and Outdoor Information

May 4-10, 2022 Vol. 23 Iss. 49

Chaotic meeting leads to comment policy Page 12 Regional conference addresses tourism concerns Page 30

CONTENTS On the Cover: Clean energy has become a top priority in North Carolina with the state resolving to become carbon neutral by 2050. But the question remains, which forms of clean energy are the cleanest, and which work best in the mountains of Western North Carolina? (Pages 6-8)

News Macon commissioner candidates discuss education, broadband ........................4 Legislators, governor usher in new age of clean energy..........................................7 Waynesville hopes to spark residential solar generation..........................................8 Mold halts construction at Cherokee schools ............................................................9 Waynesville takes a look at board meeting procedures ........................................10 Jackson faces safety funding requests........................................................................12 The race is on Macon clerk of court ............................................................................16 Waynesville approves housing development ............................................................17

Opinion Plastics — what’s the big deal?......................................................................................20 Your primary vote is important........................................................................................21

A&E Sylva restaurant specializes in authentic Thai cuisine ..........................................20 Take time to read the ‘Book of Nature’........................................................................29

Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

May 4-10, 2022

Outdoor Economy Conference tackles tough questions......................................30 Haywood highlights single-use plastic problem ......................................................34

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Macon commissioner candidates discuss education, broadband

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR everal problems and opportunities await Macon County’s next board of commissioners.

From the backlog of essential capital projects to a push for increased access to broadband internet, whoever is elected will have to prioritize between the county’s many needs.

Here’s a look at the candidates running in the Republican primaries.

S

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May 4-10, 2022

DISTRICT I Because no Democrats are running for District I, which includes Ellijay, Highlands, Sugarfork and Flats, whoever wins the Republican primary between Don Willis and John Shearl won’t have to wait until November’s General Election to know their fate.

Shearl declined an Don Willis interview with The Smoky Mountain News unless questions were offered in written format.

Don Willis retired last year after a career with the Macon County Sheriff ’s Office.

When he left the office, he was the Lieutenant over the Criminal Investigations Division.

Some might question why Willis would run for commissioner instead of sheriff, especially considering Robert Holland, the man who’s served in the position the last two decades, is retiring.

“I loved my job, and I loved serving and protecting, but it just wasn’t my calling,” Willis said. “I think I can do more for the citizens of Macon County as commissioner.”

However, Willis pointed out that he feels he learned skills during his time running a team of detectives that would be invaluable if he were elected.

DISTRICT II District II, which includes Frankin, has two incumbents running, Republican Gary Shields and Democrat Ronnie Beale. There won’t be a Democratic primary, but because there are five Republicans running including Shields, there will be a Republican primary.

The top two vote getters from that race will advance to November’s General Election.

Whoever the top two vote getters are in the Republican primary for district II will face off in a four-way race for two seats against

Democrats Ronnie Beale, an incumbent, and Betty Cloer Wallace GARY SHIELDS At 75, incumbent Gary Shields is the oldest Republican candidate running for commissioner. While he acknowledges he’s done a lot in his eight years on the commission, prior to which he served four years on the school board, he wants people to know that he has unfinished business.

Specifically, Shields, formerly Franklin High School’s principal from 1989-2010, wants to see the schools get their due. First, he discussed the state of the high school.

“Having been there 21 years, you become very much aware of the quality of the buildings and infrastructure,” Shields said.

Shields said the conversation to upgrade the high school has been ongoing but added that he feels like the county Gary Shields has “never been this far” into the evaluation process.

In addition, Shields said he wanted to see the renovations at Macon Middle School through, a project that should be completed next year, as well as a middle school athletic building, which is currently in the planning stages. Beyond schools, he also said he hopes to see the project to improve the Nantahala Community Center and Library to the end.

While many have talked about the challenges in bringing broadband to remote areas of Western North Carolina, Shields has been in it for the last six years. He believes that the shutdowns related to the Coronavirus Pandemic brought that issue front and center for many families.

“We’re entering into an area after the pandemic we all realized we’re going to miss trying to get the educational Zoom component into the homes,” he said.

RICHARD LIGHTNER Richard Lightner is now retired but previously served as Macon County’s tax administrator for 35 years. Although he’s never held an elected office, he noted that tax administrator is a political job that requires an appointment every four years.

“I was the longest serving public administrator in the county’s history,” he said.

In that role, Lightner had a host of duties, including collection of taxes and property assessments. In all those roles, he worked closely with numerous county managers.

“I was hired by Democrats, but I worked for five Republicans, and the board switched off and on,” he said. “I worked with Democrats and Republicans.”

Lightner said his Richard Lightner philosophy on the importance of working with everyone regardless of political affiliation to achieve a common goal.

“Once you’re elected, it’s not about Democrat or Republican or independent, it’s abouts serving people of the county,” he said.

The office went from paper filing to being entirely digital under Lightner.

“We were the first in the state with digital photographs,” he said. “And we were one of the first to do computer appraisals in the field. I also set up our GIS web system.”

When asked what issues are facing Macon County, Lightner was quick to highlight the state of the county jail, something he used to explain the need for several capital improvement projects. It all goes back to poor planning for future growth, he said.

“We are reacting to circumstances,” he said. “For example, our high school is 75 years old and out of

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“It gives you leadership skills necessary to move forward and communication skills to be able to talk to folks and work with your fellow commissioners in moving forward,” he said.

Willis said his main goal is to ensure the safety of students and teachers, which requires the construction of a new high school, something that’s been a hot-button issue in the county for quite some time.

“We need to provide them with safe facilities and places to learn,” he said.

Willis said he also wants to focus on economic development, which for him includes not only expanding broadband access, but also bringing certain industries back to the county that would offer high-paying jobs to residents with certain technical skills. And with that, he’d like to see a place where folks can learn those skills and get relevant licenses.

Willis said that since he’s retired, he believes he can give his duties as commissioner his full attention and noted that hopes to continue some of the strong work folks in the county have been doing for years now. The goal: to keep moving forward.

“I have the experience and leadership to take our county forward,” he said. “I have the skills to work with fellow commissioners to negotiate with them and provide the best services we can provide to the citizens of Macon County.”

Shields said he hopes he’s already earned voters’ trust and that he thinks his reputation can get him across the finish line to a third term.

“When you’re in this arena … there’s nothing you’ve been able to hide or anything like that,” he said. “I feel like I’m a person who’s thought about these things and I believe in mutual respect. When you address people if you address them with respect it comes to you the same way.” Do you

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Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath WHY WEIGHT LOSS IS MORE THAN A QUICK FIX This time of year we’re often bombarded with weight loss diets and supplements that promise that we can be “beach ready” in just a matter of a few weeks. Perhaps you just want to lose weight to feel better, reduce blood sugar or blood pressure or improve your mobilith – here are a few things to remember: 1. Many of these weight loss ads show you doctored before and after photos or are based on testimonials – not on facts or real life.

2. It takes time to lose weigh – just as it took time to gain weight.

3. Take stock of your current eating and beverage habits FIRST and then see where you can make small changes that will add up to decrease your daily calories. (Using a tool like the MyFitness Pal app may be helpful.)

– Are you drinking more calories than you realize in sweetened beverages like soda, kombucha, juices or sweet tea and coffee beverages?

– Can you decrease your portion sizes and still enjoy the foods that you like?

– Are you eating until you are “stuffed” OR eating until you are “satisfied”?

– Are you eating unconsciously while you watch TV or at your desk?

4. A restrictive diet is one that may mean you’re constantly “hangry” and is hard to maintain. SeeMyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture for recommended calorie amounts, portions and recipes.

5. Are you able to exercise and be active at least 30 minutes each day?

This may help with weight loss maintenance.

Talk to your physician about weight loss as they may have some additional advice and options.

Source: https://www.myplate.gov

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GREGG JONES Although he hasn’t run for office in over two decades, Gregg Jones said the time is right to take another shot at getting elected to the Macon County Board of Commissioners.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s Jones ran for commissioner and a seat on the school board but was defeated.

“I’ve been sitting back long enough, and it’s time to give the voice back to the people, and the commissioners’ office needs to be more transparent and let the taxpayers know where their money goes,” he said.

Jones now does grading work and some odd jobs but also has five rental properties.

He mentioned the need to rural broadband in the county, but also talked about other things that can be done to bring services to Gregg Jones those areas.

“We need a grant writer to be able to get these rural area grants,” he said.

“People don’t realize how much money is just lying there. … and it’d help build schools and do good things for Macon County,” he added.

Jones noted that the county needs some restructuring “across the board” to be able to meet the demands of a changing world while still ensuring folks who call Macon County can enjoy living in one of the most beautiful places in the state.

“I just love Macon County, and I want to see it on the right road and give it what it needs to build for the future,” he added.

“Technology is coming, and we’re not there yet.”

Finally, Jones highlighted his Christian values, noting that his decisions are constantly guided by his faith. To him, that goes hand in hand with being a constitutional conservative who values transparency in government.

“I want to make sure our first responders and law enforcement are took care of,” he said. “Make sure our kids and older people are took care of. Make sure that we can take our county to the next level and build for the future and make at least a five-year plan so we can know where we’re going.”

District II candidate Danny Antoine did not respond to multiple SMN interview requests.

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DANNY REITMEIER Danny Reitmeier said he has never run for office but that it’s something he’s thought about. Recently, more and more people have encouraged him to run for a seat on the commission.

“I’ve been around it and I’d like to say I’m pretty well known here,” he said. “I’ve been involved in lots of things. The running joke with my wife and kids is if we go anywhere, they know just go on and do the shopping or just get to the table if it’s supper because I’ll always stop and talk to somebody.”

Reitmeier, an Air Force veteran, is currently the landscape maintenance operations Danny Reitmeier manager for Clark and Company Landscape Services, where he works with owner Richard Clark, whom he said is “more like a brother.”

Like Lightner, Reitmeier said he thinks some of the problems facing the county now, including the state of the high school and jail, are the inevitable result of kicking the can down the road too many years.

Reitmeier also discussed the county’s drug problem — a problem that mirrors the rest of the region — noting that the county needs to give young people things to do in hopes that they won’t be as likely to turn to narcotics.

“There’s a big drug problem in Macon County, and I know all the sheriff ’s candidates are talking about it,” he said. “We as the commissioners deal with the budget. We’ve got to do something to keep our kids from turning down that road.”

Reitmeier also hoped to see industries that offer high-paying jobs return to the county. While he acknowledged there are plenty of places with “now hiring” signs, many are jobs that don’t give families a chance to make ends meet.

“I’m a big chick fil a fan but we’ve got to do something besides fast food to give people a place to work,” he said.

One option could be giving people a chance to work from home if they can; however, that would require enhanced broadband access.

Reitmeier said he’ll be a man of action and someone folks can come to and discuss problems they may see in the county.

“I don’t think any of them can outwork me; I don’t think any of them can have more passion,” he said of the other candidates. “I know who I am and how I approach things, and I’m going to listen to our citizens and give them every means to get in contact with me and let them know there’s a true strong voice in that position.”

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compliance with everything. We did not plan far enough ahead.”

Lightner said a hallmark of his seat on the commission would be transparency and availability to the public.

“That’s why I ran my tax office that way,” he said. “We have to inform the public; we have to educate the public, and we have to listen to the public. From day one, there’s no one who can go into seat of county commission and sit down and understand budget and history … I know how to start from day one so there’s no learning curve and problems.”

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

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

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Put into service in 1925, Ela Dam — shown here while still under construction — is typical of the small dams built to supply municipal energy needs in that era. Hunter Library/WCU photo

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The Oconee Nuclear Station produces enough energy to power 1.9 million homes. Duke Energy photo

Bridge to clean energy Leaders mull WNC’s energy future

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER hen the first transmission lines began popping up in the mountains 100 years ago, only one type of power provided the energy traveling through them — hydroelectric.

“What made Western North Carolina so attractive for developing hydro assets is that if we were to lop off the Pacific Northwest, here in Western North Carolina we receive some of the highest rainfall totals in the continental United States,” said Lisa Leatherman, local government and community relations manager for Duke Energy.

Abundant rainfall combined with the mountains’ topography made hydro a reliable source of renewable energy. After building a dam to block the river’s flow, water is released at a controlled rate to turn the turbines, which in turn power electrical generators. As long as there’s water in the lake, the plant can keep generating energy.

The region’s first dams were mostly small structures that generated just enough to supply the minimal needs of tiny towns like Andrews and Bryson City during the 1920s and 1930s. But then World War II started, and power generation became a matter of national defense. Thorpe Dam, which holds back Lake Glenville, began operating in 1941, and even today it has the largest head — the height difference between where the water enters and where it leaves — of any dam east of the Rockies. Head translates to generation capacity: during the war, Thorpe produced enough power for Alcoa to make aluminum for two B-25 bombers each day.

Until the mid-1970s, hydroelectric facilities in Western North Carolina produced enough power to satisfy the region’s entire 6 electrical demand, Leatherman said — but

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May 4-10, 2022

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that’s no longer the case. Due partly to higher per capita and overall energy requirements and partly to limits on how far Duke can draw down the reservoir levels, hydroelectricity now makes up only a small percentage of the region’s total energy supply.

DEFINING ‘CLEAN’ With coal-polluted skies still a recent memory and the warming climate a present crisis, everyone from government officials to power companies to individual community members is scrambling to answer a pivotal question — what is the best way to power WNC into the future?

“Sustainability is on a continuum, and in some ways there’s no absolute sustainability,” said Sam Ruark, executive director of Green Built Alliance.

The term “clean energy” means different things to different people. Hydroelectric generation, for instance, is renewable and carbon-free — but most environmental agencies and organizations don’t count it as clean.

Generating hydroelectric energy requires constructing a dam to block up a free-flowing stream, which completely changes the nature of the upstream aquatic community and divides the river into two unconnected segments. Evaporation and micro-organism growth in the upstream reservoir can also contribute to climate change. These days, dam demolition is more common in the United States than dam construction.

Wood is another renewable resource that Western North Carolina has in abundance.

Blair Bishop, a professional forester in Waynesville who sits on the executive committee of the N.C. Forestry Association, thinks it should be counted as clean. It’s local and renewable, and timberlands tend to be easier on the eyes than fields full of solar panels or wind turbines.

“Our forests here naturally regenerate (in general), so at a large scale you have a product that quickly after harvest is already establish-

ing a new stand of vigorously growing trees that take in a lot of carbon in their initial stages of growth,” he said.

Not everyone shares that view, however.

While new trees growing in place of harvested ones do rapidly sequester carbon, when burned wood energy releases carbon at a rate on par with coal. The N.C. Clean Energy Plan points out that wood pellets produced in North Carolina are exported rather than consumed locally, mostly to Europe.

“There are currently no known plans for the industry to become a contributor to N.C.’s energy sector in the coming years,” the plan reads. “If this trend reverses, N.C. should not support activities that would increase emissions from its electricity generation sector.”

Half of the power Duke Energy’s North Carolina customers use comes from another renewable, carbon-free source many people don’t think of as “clean” — nuclear energy.

Located on Lake Keowee in South Carolina, Oconee Nuclear Station, Duke’s closest nuclear plant, has produced more than 500 megawatt hours of electricity since opening in 1973 and is one of the country’s largest nuclear plants, generating enough electricity to power 1.9 million homes.

Nuclear facilities produce a small amount of hazardous waste and require strict security measures to operate safely. But the power produced is reliable and emission-free, said Duke’s communication officer Bill Norton, adding that the company’s nuclear plants have been “operating safely and reliably for decades.” Nuclear energy will loom large in the proposed plan to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 that Duke plans to release May 16, Norton said.

In addition to continuing operations at its Lake Keowee plant, Duke might also take advantage of a new technology — small modular nuclear reactors that have lesser footprints and construction costs than traditional nuclear facilities and can be built in locations not suitable for larger plants.

“It’s the backbone of our system in the Carolinas,” Norton said of nuclear power.

“It’s dependable and it’s carbon-free. That backbone is what is going to enable us to grow other resources.”

GROWING SOLAR Those “other resources” include two of the most discussed renewable energy sources — wind and solar. Duke’s forthcoming plan will feature “exponential growth” in these areas, Norton said.

However, it’s doubtful that much of that generation will occur in Western North Carolina. Wind energy is likely to come mainly from coastal and offshore wind farms, because any productive wind turbine installed in the western part of the state would have to go on a ridgetop. From aesthetic viewshed issues to the logistical and environmental challenges that would go along with cutting roads to deliver gargantuan turbine components to remote ridges — a typical model weighs 164 tons — and digging holes in rocky ground sufficient to anchor them, there are many reasons why large-scale wind energy production is unlikely to happen in Western North Carolina.

Solar panels are a much more common sight, and indeed North Carolina is consistently ranked as one of the country’s top solar-producing states. However, the lion’s share of that production occurs further east.

“Any flat land in the mountains generally has a higher value for businesses, homes, what industry may be interested in coming here,” Leatherman said. “I think our geography that makes it very interesting and accommodating for hydro makes it less accommodating for other potential energy sources.”

Ruark allows that utility-scale solar isn’t likely to overtake Western North Carolina, but through Greenbuilt Alliance and the Blue Horizons Project, he’s working to help individual homes and businesses install rooftop solar arrays that will produce renewable energy for their own power needs and reduce their reliance on the grid.

“There’s still many roofs to cover, both residents and commercial businesses, and the price of solar keeps getting better and better,” he said, “although there are some supply issues at this point.”

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with a plan to change its fleet of vehicles over to electric.

Following the announcement of Cooper’s order, the Raleigh News & Observer reported that it focused on “environmental justice,” requiring state agencies to create “public participation plans” that guide their actions by the end of June.

“This is an important day for our state,” Cooper said. “I am excited to see the new green energy jobs and the efforts that we are making to get students from many of these communities to get trained for the jobs that will improve their lives, their family’s lives and the life of the planet, as well.”

“I do recognize that Sen. Kevin Corbin there is a lot more to do,” Cooper added.

“But I believe that this order can help establish a framework for all of us to succeed.”

Environmentally focused groups praised the order.

“I am pleased that it will increase the likeliRep. Mike Clampitt hood that all North Carolinians are able to live in vibrant communities and pursue employment in workplaces free of environmental risks,” James Johnson, chair of the Department of Environmental Quality’s Environmental Justice and Equity Board, said in a news release.

Cooper’s order also mandated the formation of a council made up of people from each cabinet agency, as well as his office, to come up with strategies to diversify industries that negatively impact climate change.

The council is also tasked with expanding programs to get younger people up to speed to work in the “clean energy economy” with a focus on schools in underrepresented communities.

“For too long, conversations regarding equity and climate have been siloed, when in reality these issues deeply intersect as historically marginalized communities bear the disproportionate burden of pollution and are on the frontlines of increasingly damaging climate impacts,” David Kelly, North Carolina State Director for the Environmental Defense Fund, said in the News and Observer story. “[The order] sets the stage to consider these issues in tandem, which is essential to making meaningful progress towards a more equitable, climatesafe future.”

Now that Cooper has signed his executive order, activists are wanting more action to

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“Today, North Carolina moves strongly into a reliable and affordable clean energy future,” Cooper said in an Oct. 13 statement.

“This new bipartisan law requires the North Carolina Utilities Commission to take steps needed to get North Carolina a 70% reduction in carbon emission by the year 2030 and to carbon neutrality by 2050. Making transformative change is often controversial and never easy, especially when there are different points of view on big, complex issues.

But coming to the table to find common ground is how government should work.”

While the bill passed with bipartisan support, not all Democrats voted for it, and some groups didn’t Rep. Mark Pless think it went far enough.

“It is our position that while every piece of legislation is an opportunity for action, no bill exists in a vacuum,” a newsletter from MountainTrue read.

“HB 951 has its shortcomings: it’s a good cliRep. Karl Gillespie mate bill but seriously lacking as a piece of climate justice legislation.”

HB 951 passed the House by a margin of 90-20, with 12 Democrats and eight Republicans voting against it. Of Western North Carolina’s representatives, only Rep. Mark Pless, R-Haywood, voted against the bill.

“The biggest reason I did it is because we are mandating that these Duke Energy plants go from coal to natural gas, and we’re not paying for it,” Pless said. “Businesses and residents will have to pay for it through rate increases.”

Rep. Karl Gillespie discussed his support for the bill.

“I think the bill is a step in the right direction. We need to not only be looking at the big picture, the U.S. needs to do what we can reasonably do to become energy self-sufficient,” he said. “So when we start talking about some of things in 951, those are a step in the right direction.”

The update to the Greenhouse Gas Inventory noted that the transportation sector accounts for 36% of the state’s gross greenhouse gas emissions and is projected to decrease emissions at a low rate compared to the projected decrease in electricity generation.

In January, Cooper issued an executive order that partially addressed that issue. The order states that the NCDOT must come up

May 4-10, 2022

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR s more states have pledged their commitment to reducing carbon emissions over the last decade, North Carolina has begun to follow suit.

Gov. Roy Cooper has pushed the issue since he was elected in 2016, and in 2018, he signed an executive order that laid the groundwork for future legislation and orders, including one signed earlier this year that took the most extreme action yet. And the General Assembly has shown its interest in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, albeit to a lesser degree, passing a bill last year that established quantifiable goals.

Gov. Roy Cooper Cooper’s 2018 order pledged to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 2005’s levels by 2025, but it didn’t stop there.

“Cabinet agencies shall evaluate the impacts of climate change on their programs and operations and integrate climate change mitigation and adaptation practices into their programs and operations,” the order reads.

Cooper’s order also required that a “greenhouse gas inventory” be released by the department of environmental quality, which was done early the following year. The inventory accounts for greenhouse gases from human activity in key source categories from 1990 to 2017 while also projecting emissions through 2030.

The Greenhouse gas inventory was updated earlier this year. The key takeaways were that net greenhouse gas emissions between 2005-18 were reduced by 23% while the population and real gross state product grew by 19% and 24%, respectively. In addition, net greenhouse gas emissions are expected to decrease by 39% relative to the 2005 baseline.

“The updated inventory shows that North Carolina is making progress and our efforts to cut greenhouse emissions are paying off,” said Department of Environmental Quality Secretary Elizabeth S. Biser. “It also highlights the need for continued focus on the transportation sector to meet our climate goals.”

In October of last year, the General Assembly passed HB 951, which Cooper signed into law within a week of its Senate vote. In addition to calling for 70% reduction in emissions by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050, it also mandated that Duke Energy change its coal plants over to natural gas, which happened at Buncombe County’s Lake Julian Power Plant in 2019.

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Legislators, governor usher in new age of clean energy

be taken, and municipalities have shown their own commitment to green energy [see Waynesville clean energy pg. 8]. WNC General Assembly members have mixed opinions on the future of clean energy in the region.

In interviews with WNC legislators, Pless was the least ready to accept alternative forms of clean energy because he believes there’s a downside to things such as solar and wind power, at least in their current forms.

“The problem with wind and solar are the mechanisms it takes to generate power are hazardous materials in the first place,” he said, referring to oil needed for lubricating windmills and the batteries needed in solar power plants.

Pless also had concerns about putting windmills on the picturesque ridgelines of the Smoky Mountains.

“I suspect if that was something that was constructed out here, people would have issues with the size and what it would do to the area as far as our mountains,” he said. “It destroys the view. If we had any of those here and people knew what they were, they would object to them.”

Rep. Karl Gillespie, R-Macon, shared Pless’s sentiment, to a degree, recalling a recent visit he and his wife paid to a hydroelectric power plant in the mountains. He talked about the pristine view from atop the dam.

“You look around, and you don’t see one house as far as you can see,” he said. “That’s what makes that area so unique; you have a lake and those beautiful mountains, and there’s nothing on them. We can’t clutter those up with windmills. I’m not against windmills, but I’m against windmills when they’re not in the right place.”

“I’m also very sensitive to anything that will impact agriculture and agricultural lands,” he added. “I think there’s a balance there that we can achieve without using up all our farmland for energy production.”

Gillespie also called for a “balanced approach” — one that could perhaps even include small modular nuclear reactors, which are portable while still generating a tremendous amount of power.

Rep. Mike Clampitt, R-Swain, also expressed enthusiasm for nuclear power.

“You get the most bang for your buck, and second to nuclear, I go for hydroelectric because we have lots of water and ability to have those here,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think solar or wind power are efficient enough yet to justify their widespread use.

Each legislator said they didn’t know of any executive orders or legislation that may come our way in the near future but that clean energy will continue to be a topic of discussion. Sen. Kevin Corbin, who voted in favor of HB 951, said he welcomes such a discussion.

“I have no problem exploring all of those sources of power,” he said. “As we move forward, obviously things like coal are eventually going to run out, and eventually I think we’re going to be using more alternative forms of energy. There was a time when coal was probably an alternative form of energy.”

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Waynesville hopes to spark residential solar generation

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR nlike most North Carolina municipalities, the Town of Waynesville operates its own electric service, giving it greater local control over billing, rates and policies that monopolies like Duke Energy don’t offer.

Last week, aldermen exercised that control by approving a policy that makes the town much more friendly to customers who want to generate solar power for their own use and for the grid as a whole, while also fighting climate change.

“We are up against the wall,” said Alderman Jon Feichter, who’s taken the lead on pushing Waynesville into a more solarfriendly posture. “Our lives are fundamentally going to change for the worse if we don’t do something ASAP. What I want this to do is to help spur solar power development in the town of Waynesville for our customers.”

U

n April 26, after months of discussion, aldermen formalized what had been an ad-hoc solar electricity rate schedule that will now give customers solid data on the cost-benefits of incorporating solar energy into their household budgets.

“What that rate schedule does is, if I have a solar array on my house, that rate schedule specifies not only what I pay for electricity I use from the grid, but it specifies what the town will pay for electricity that goes onto the grid,” Feichter said.

Homeowners would need to purchase and install a solar array, and would also need a new bi-directional meter that can handle energy traveling both in and out, as opposed to standard metering technology that only measures energy coming into the home.

Per the policy, some residential generators would also have to pay for a transformer with greater capacity, about $1,200. Solar advocates are adamantly opposed to this, however, it’s possible that cost could eventually change.

“I think we’ve had lots of input, and I don’t think everyone got exactly what they wanted,” said Alderman Anthony Sutton. “So it’s actually a good thing that we’re getting compromise from the town side, from the installer side and from the customer side.”

Although the entire policy is yet to be fully fleshed out, the most important part of it — the rate — was settled.

Right now, the town buys electricity from South Carolina-based energy company Santee Cooper at about 4 cents per kilowatt hour. The town then turns around and sells it to customers at around 11 cents retail.

The rate established by the town is pegged to that retail price, meaning the town will pay solar generators 1.25 cents less than whatever customers pay the town for electricity.

That setup allows the town a small profit to ensure it doesn’t end up bankrupting the electric fund. Profits from the town’s electricity sales go toward maintaining its power infrastructure, everything from lines to poles to paying the people who work on them. If the town’s electric operation isn’t run effi-

Source: N.C. Clean Energy Plan

Smoky Mountain News

May 4-10, 2022

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Waynesville will apply for EV charger grants On April 26, Waynesville aldermen gave town staff the green light to apply for a grant to purchase six electric vehicle chargers. Funding for the grants comes from a settlement with German automaker Volkswagen. Between 2009 and 2016, Volkswagen violated the Clean Air Act by selling almost 600,000 vehicles equipped with computer technology designed to thwart emissions tests. As a result, grant funding is now available through the state of North Carolina for both slow and fast chargers. If the grant application is successful, Waynesville will install one fast charger and four slow chargers at little or no cost to the town. ciently, the electric fund would need periodic cash infusions from the general fund — something nobody wants to have to do.

Under such a reimbursement regimen, no actual cash would change hands.

“For example, in the summer when there’s plenty of sunshine you pulled $50 worth of electricity off the grid, but your solar array generated $100 of electricity,” Feichter said of his preferred method of billing. “So what the town would do is give you a credit for $50 on your bill, and that would carry forward until you use those credits. And then we get to November.

Your panels aren’t generating near as much electricity, you pulled $100 off the grid and your panels only generated $50. We would essentially debit your credit bank for the $50.”

Those credits, however, aren’t unlimited.

The town’s intent is not to subsidize large-scale moneymaking solar generation schemes, so on March 31 of every year, all remaining unused credits would be zeroed-out.

Even with protections built into the rate schedule, the town will likely see a decrease in electric fund revenue as more solar generators come online because it is passing up the chance to buy some of Santee Cooper’s kilowatt hours at 4 cents by instead purchasing residential solar energy from its customers at around 10 cents.

A study by Utility Technology EngineersConsultants (UTEC) warns that this could cost the town upwards of $100,000 a year in lost revenue across residential, commercial and municipal rate classes. Feichter doesn’t

think that’s going to happen, but some decrease in electric fund revenue is a certainty as homeowners adopt more solar technology.

“We need to think about this not in terms of lost revenue,” Feichter said. “The tidal wave of electric vehicles is coming.”

Almost all major automakers have committed to some form of carbon-neutrality or the phasing out of combustion engines in new vehicle platforms, some in the immediate future.

Ford has just introduced an electric version of its popular F-150 series, Mercedes won’t offer combustion platforms after 2025, VW after 2026, GM after 2035 and Honda after 2040.

“Let’s say you drive about 1,183 miles per month, which is an average of 14,200 miles per year. For an electric vehicle, that means you would use 394 kilowatt hours during that month. That would come out to the cost of about $55 per month to charge your car,” Feichter said. “Now, if I put an electric vehicle charger in my house, that’s $55 of revenue that the town will realize that it would not have realized before.”

Alderman Chuck Dickson thinks the EV portion of the town’s efforts may be more important than the electric rate policy.

“A solar electric policy is going to attract people to town, and certainly it’s going to be good for our reputation,” said Alderman Chuck Dickson. “I think what would draw more people to town would be some really good EV charging stations.”

The town itself has also committed to installing solar technology on its own buildings but balked at spending $275,000 for solar and the rec center, which has lots of roof space unobstructed by trees or other structures.

The installation would have been able to provide up to 28% of the facility’s substantial power needs annually, but with a tightening budget (see WAYNESVILLE, p. 19) the line item didn’t make the cut despite Feichter’s pleas.

At a retreat last month, aldermen agreed to design solar generating capacity into the town’s forthcoming new fire station. The town will also pursue grants for EV chargers.

“I think we’re doing the right thing by jumping out in front of this and trying to promote everyone to save our planet,” said Mayor Gary Caldwell. “That’s what it’s all about.”

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Since the 2002 passage of North Carolina’s Clean Smokestacks Act, the state has been on an upward trajectory toward cleaner air and cleaner energy — a trajectory accelerated by a bipartisan bill enacted in October 2021 that commits the state to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 (see Energy Legislation, page 7).

In 2005, coal supplied about half of North Carolina’s power — now Duke is targeting it to provide less than 5% of total generation by 2030 and 0% by 2035, Norton said. According to the North Carolina Clean Energy Plan, monthly nationwide electric generation from renewable sources exceeded coal-fired generation for the first time in April 2019, with renewables supplying 23% of the total that month compared to coal’s 20%. Today, most new generating capacity is renewable-driven.

Every energy source has an impact, and every generation technique comes with constraints. But the situation is not static, morphing each day as attitudes shift, laws change and inventors work to overcome today’s constraints.

“We’re in this movement, building the bridge to the future we envision,” said Ruark, “and we’re still in that bridge, and we still haven’t come to the other side.”

Maggie. Between the Blue Ridge

May 4-10, 2022

Unlike North Carolinians of 100 years ago, today’s residents don’t rely solely on power produced in their own backyard.

Duke Energy operates a massive grid that its customers can draw on collectively, and Duke’s grid is tied into those of other power companies so that, should its capacity come up short for some reason, it could buy electricity from another company to prevent customers from sitting in the dark. Duke customers in North Carolina rely on an energy supply composed of about 50% nuclear, 25% natural gas, 16% coal, 6% solar and 3% hydro.

But for Western North Carolina specifically, there’s an upper limit to how much power the region could generate for itself through favored renewables like solar. Ruark estimates that if every building in the region with quality sun exposure installed rooftop solar panels, the region would still be able to meet only about one-fifth of its total energy demand.

“People get really excited about renewable energy,” said Lauren Bishop, chief sustainability officer at Western Carolina University.

“It’s cool. The technology is cool. But they tend to forget about energy efficiency.”

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, in 2020, 20% of carbon dioxide emissions came from residential buildings — less than the 36% that came from transportation or 29% that came from industry, but still significant.

“When someone comes to me and asks me, ‘Hey, I want to put solar panels on my house. How do I go about doing that?’ I always tell them that the first thing you need to do is get an energy audit and make sure your house is as energy efficient as possible,” Bishop said.

Not only will a more efficient house cost its owner less in monthly utility bills, but it will also more accurately signal to the utility provider how much power the community

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Energy storage is also a challenge when it comes to solar. Peak solar production occurs during the afternoon of a sunny summer day, and that doesn’t coincide with peak energy demand, requiring a method of storing energy until customers need it. The lithium battery is the most common method of solar energy storage, but it has its own issues. The batteries have a limited lifespan, are challenging to recycle and require mining of rare earth metals to construct.

In its forthcoming energy plan, Duke will outline a plan to use its dam at Bad Creek in South Carolina as a de facto battery to expand solar utilities, Norton said.

“When you have that excess solar power or we have excess nuclear power, we use it to pump the water in Bad Creek uphill,” he said.

“When the power is needed, it flows through turbines downhill, generating electricity.”

The dam can currently store up to 1,400 megawatts, and an ongoing feasibility study is evaluating a plan to expand that capacity by adding a second powerhouse.

“We’re going to grow solar significantly, and it will start storing more of that surplus energy,” Norton said.

needs — important information when that company is making decisions about how much energy it must produce to meet customer demand. In Bishop’s view, energy conservation is the “the best bang for your buck” when it comes to supporting the clean energy transition.

Efficiency upgrades are especially important in the mountain region, which is rife with old, inefficient houses, Ruark said.

“Taking the existing housing stock that’s old, and retrofitting the home with energy efficiency, you actually get a lot more savings than you do if you’re trying to retrofit a newer home, because the older home was so much more inefficient,” he said.

Contact Caitlin Bledsoe at 828-926-4831 for information.

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Allen street repairs will likely begin this summer HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER unding for Allen Street repairs in Sylva has seen several boosts over the last several months. These funding opportunities have allowed the town to expand the scope of the project to include repairs to Bryson Park, and to begin construction on the road this summer.

The designs for two portions of the road with slide damage are underway right now.

According to Town Manager Paige Dowling, those will go out to contract in late May or early June. Construction on the first portion of the road should begin in July and the second is likely to begin in August.

The town received more than $3 million in funding through the State Capital Infrastructure Fund, direct appropriations in the state budget. According to Town Manager Paige Dowling, Mayor Linda Sossamon worked closely with state representatives to secure this money. The line item in the state budget was titled “Town of Sylva Playground Equipment.” At the March 10 meeting of the Sylva Commissioners, the board unanimously approved the expansion of the project to include Bryson Park repairs in addition to Allen Street repairs.

In February, the town announced an additional $750,000 in funding from the North Carolina Department of Transportation. This money came with the stipulation that the town match the funding with money from its own budget, which the town has approved.

At the April 21 board meeting the town voted unanimously to amend the Allen Street Project Ordinance to spend $750,000 from the fund balance to cover funds until they are received from the DOT. “We have the agreement, we just have to spend the money first,” said Dowling. “We

Smoky Mountain News

May 4-10, 2022

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spend our match and their money, which we are making our fund balance, and then we request the reimbursement and receive it.”

In March, Rep. Madison Cawthorn presented a check for $200,000 to the Sylva Town Board for Allen Street Repairs. The money came from an appropriations bill Cawthorn had voted against. However, in speaking with board members, the congressman said he had worked to get the money for Sylva’s Allen Street repairs into the bill.

At the April 21 board meeting the town held a public hearing for input on improvements to Bryson Park. The chair of the Jackson

County NAACP political action committee, Chris Stabers, presented a list of updates that residents would like at Bryson Park.

“The area residents really want us to create a modern, accessible and multi-generational park,” said Stabers.

Some of the suggestions included extending the roof over the benches and family gathering area, overlaying the basketball court with pickleball lines so it could be used for both, creating benches beside the basketball court, installing exercise stations around the park, replacing all the equipment with brand new equipment, removing the thorny briars

on the north side of the park, improving safety on the path down from Allen Street, ensuring adequate lighting, installing a pedestrian path and railing at the Chipper Curve entrance, allowing dogs and providing bag stations at either end of the park, landscaping with native plants and restoring the roses at the park.

Another resident noted that additional seating would be appreciated at the park because oftentimes there is not enough room to have family gatherings in the park.

The town will hold a budget work session Thursday, May 5, and a regular meeting Thursday, May 12.

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Smoky Mountain News

In addition to the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad request, earlier this year the county commission approved pay increases for EMS at Harris Regional Hospital.

The costs for pay increases, in addition to the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad building request, financed at 4.5% over 20 years, minus money previously allocated for safety items, comes to an additional annual request of $723,275. According to Adams, this would cost taxpayers about 0.6212 cents, or less than one penny on the tax rate.

If the county were to fully fund the requests from the Sylva Fire Department, Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad and the approved pay increases for EMS at Harris, in general fund taxes it would cost 1.3724 cents of the tax rate or $1,597,830.

“It’s over a penny worth of requests that’s come before this board,” said Adams. “Now that is assuming this board wants to look at general fund taxation.”

Another possibility would be to levy a fire tax on the Sylva district to fund that fire department’s request. If the county decided to go this route, it would mean an 8.7-cent tax for the Sylva district. If the town were to stop funding its current portion of the Sylva Fire Department budget and the county funded its budget entirely through a service tax, that tax would increase to a 10.35-cent tax.

“There are other ways to talk about funding this, there are multiple ways in regards to funding, I’m just giving you the initial thought about a general fund tax, and also a service district tax specific to the fire department,” said Adams. “There are other ways we can discuss service taxes and things of that nature, but I would need some direction from the board and discussion with the board.”

“This is one part of a bigger picture, so we’re going to have to sharpen our pencils and figure out, can we afford it? Is it something that is needed, can we afford it, and if we want to do it, can we make it happen this year?” said commission chairman Brian McMahan.

The consensus among board members is that they would like to fund the requests from the Sylva Fire Department as well as Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad. The board decided that it would like to work towards incorporating the Sylva Fire Department request into the general fund, instead of levying a fire tax for the Sylva district. Commissioners are pursuing this avenue for funding in part because the Sylva Fire Department services people beyond its own district.

The board will continue its discussion for funding safety requests at its May 3 commissioner meeting.

May 4-10, 2022

HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER he Jackson County Commission is faced with several requests to fund safety operations throughout the county, totaling over $1.5 million. For taxpayers, this could mean over a penny on the tax rate.

“What I’d like to present in front of this board is what it would take if the board chose to follow through with these requests, in regard to taxes,” said County Manager Don Adams at the April 19 meeting of the county commission.

In March, the Sylva Fire Department requested funding from the county for paid personnel to bolster the roster of 33 volunteers and two fire coordinators already paid for by the county.

“The thing about volunteers right now, there’s a lot of people that do it, but their employers pretty much got out of the mode of letting anybody leave to go to fires,” said Sylva fire chief Mike Beck at a March commissioners meeting. “Used to be, 20, 30 years ago it wasn’t a problem, now it is. y That’s why a lot of people don’t volunteer at fire departments, they can’t. They’re not allowed to. We used to have a waiting list to get into the department, that’s not the case anymore. You have to go out and hunt people, and then you’re lucky if you get anybody.” l The total amount of funding requested k from the county for the Sylva Fire Department is $1,171,728. That is $874,555 more than the county is currently funding.

This would fund 12 new paid positions for g the fire department.

According to Adams, the total additional request equates to 0.7512, or a little over three quarters of a penny, under general fund taxation.

“Basically, if the board chose to raise general fund taxes to fund this, it would be three quarters of a penny,” said Adams.

Another request came before the board in March from the Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad for funding to construct a substation on U.S. 64 East in Cashiers to meet the increased demand for services from the community. The request notes that a recent study by the ULI Advisory Service found that the recent growth in the area, as well as increased tourism, are likely to continue.

The estimated cost of the building is $4.5 million. An additional request of about $350,000 would reimburse the department for costs already expended for the project.

The Glenville-Cashiers Rescue Squad also requested $289,000 in funding for staff raises. Jackson County contracts with GlenvilleCashiers Rescue Squad to provide EMS services to the southern end of the county.

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Jackson faces safety funding requests

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Waynesville takes a look at board meeting procedures

The Town of Waynesville’s budget process is nearly complete. Cory Vaillancourt photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR overning a small municipality is work enough, but add in unprecedented amounts of federal recovery funds that need to be appropriated and a strong undercurrent of residential development and the workload for Waynesville’s aldermen and planning board only gets bigger and bigger.

That’s resulted in longer and longer meetings that frustrate the public, waste scads of staff time and delay the disposition of timesensitive agenda items with hours of sometimes repetitive, redundant and irrelevant comments from the public.

Although it’s a guaranteed right of citizens to be heard by their representatives, it’s not an unlimited right, and the town is now contemplating a number of formal changes and additions to policies designed to bolster the professionalism and efficiency of its municipal governing boards while also maintaining those rights.

The proposal, however, contains no formal enforcement regimen.

Smoky Mountain News

May 4-10, 2022

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THE PROS

On Tuesday, April 26, at the end of another three-plus hour meeting of the Town of Waynesville Board of Aldermen, Town Attorney Martha Bradley presented to the board a lengthy list of meeting procedures for aldermen to contemplate.

Given the hour (meetings begin at 6 p.m.)

Bradley’s presentation was tabled, in essence proving its own point.

“No one actually said, ‘Can you put together a comprehensive set of procedures?’

It was not that formal. It was offhand remarks after particularly contentious public com12 ment sessions over the course of months,”

Bradley said. “I think all of [the aldermen] have made some sort of offhand comments.”

Bradley’s 46-page proposal doesn’t exactly create new policies so much as codifies customary practices of Waynesville’s governing board.

One proposal would establish an official procedure by which members of the public can request permission to give an informational presentation to the board.

Another outlines a process for members of the public to submit action items to the town board for consideration during a meeting.

Yet another asks the board to determine if it should carry on its usual practice of holding a public hearing before passing an ordinance.

Very few ordinances, like budget ordinances or zoning ordinances, actually require a public hearing.

Most of the provisions contained in the proposal are sourced from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government and Robert’s Rules of Order. If adopted, the proposal would give the public and the board — in fact, all of the town’s various boards and commissions — some formal boundaries.

“It concerned me that members of the public aren’t aware of how the town bureaucracy operates,” said Bradley. “I think that particularly in the political climate we have right now being more transparent about how to work with us is important. I think it also protects town staff because if they don’t have a set of guidelines to follow, they’re more likely to make arbitrary decisions unintentionally.”

The most significant codifications address the growing trend of lengthy public comment sessions that can delay the discussion of actual town business for an hour or more.

The proposal for public comment sessions limits the sessions to 30 minutes, although the board can always hold a vote to extend the session. Then-Mayor Gavin Brown

did exactly that during public comment sessions on NCDOT plans to obliterate historic Walnut Street back in 2017.

The proposal also requires speakers during public comment to fill out a card with their name and residential address — not just a PO box — as well as the general topic of their comment.

For public comment sessions that come during a public hearing, there’s an even stricter limit that as of late has not been observed.

The total time for a public hearing would be limited to one hour, with a 10-minute limit for applicants or petitioners, 10 minutes for licensed professionals who’ve been retained by a group to speak on their behalf, five minutes for speakers who have standing in the matter, and three minutes for everyone else.

“Case law is quite clear that the board can place reasonable time and place limits on public comment at meetings for the sake of safety and efficiency,” Bradley said.

However, that doesn’t stop people from reaching out to individual members of the board outside of meetings and either expressing their concerns in writing, with a phone call, or a visit to town administrative offices.

“I know that [Town Manager] Rob Hites will take just about anyone’s call. People wander in and out of Assistant Town Manager Jesse Fowler’s office all the time,” said Bradley. “This is not meant to limit people’s access to their elected representatives, it’s merely an attempt to try to be respectful of the board’s time during business meetings.”

THE CONS Given the protected right of citizens to appear before their municipal governing boards, there are some nuanced lines that can’t be crossed for fear of appearing to stifle public comment.

Nevertheless, there are some additional lines that can’t be crossed during public comment, like personal attacks or refusal to provide a name or address. But in the end, what the proposal actually lacks is any means of meaningful ways of enforcing of the rules.

“There is usually a uniformed officer in the room and they are certainly the best equipped and trained to deal with individuals who completely refuse to respond to polite but firm suggestions and or instructions,” Bradley said. “The board has a number of procedural options such as calling for a motion for a recess, and then we could all just leave and then let law enforcement talk to this person who was on being uncooperative. The mayor is very charismatic and has an ability to speak to people in that frame of mind, so I think that the best solutions are soft solutions.”

Additionally, the proposal doesn’t lay out any process to address violations of order during public meetings.

Near the end of a nearly five-hour Waynesville Planning Board meeting on March 21 — rife with procedural problems, time-consuming redundant public comment and shouts back and forth from the crowd — Mountaineer reporter Becky Johnson took it upon herself to participate in the discussion without being asked and against the wishes of chair Ginger Hain.

“You can either be a professional whose job it is to be objective and provide neutral third-party insight and advice, or you can be a participant, but you cannot be both,” said Bradley. “That’s the reason why attorneys have to do conflicts of interest checks. That’s the reason why doctors have ethical prohibitions against treating certain people like their family members. What concerned me about that episode was the blurring of the professional and the private.”

Bradley said she wouldn’t have written a rule to address Johnson’s conduct because Bradley feels it’s something that would be “more appropriately handled by the publisher.”

In follow-up interviews, three aldermen — Chuck Dickson, Jon Feichter and Anthony Sutton — and Mayor Gary Caldwell all expressed dismay that Johnson had spoken up during the meeting without being recognized.

“Oh, it was definitely wrong. She broke every ethic you can think of. I wasn’t happy about it,” Caldwell said.

“The reporter was there to report on the issue and interjected themselves into the meeting,” Sutton said. “And it was not at a point after the meeting, when everything had been recessed that the reporter asked questions, it was actually during the actual meeting time. Generally, the reporter’s responsibility is to be impartial, and they interjected themselves into the story.”

Alderman Jon Feichter expressed similar dismay.

“There should be boundaries in terms of what is permitted by anybody that’s in that chamber,” said Alderman Jon Feichter.

“Obviously for a member of the press to pipe up in a meeting and engage in discussion I think is out of bounds.”

Alderman Chuck Dickson, formerly Maggie Valley’s town attorney and also the longtime town attorney for Clyde, echoed Sutton and Feichter.

“I think that reporters should report and if they have contributions they’d like to make, maybe they can wait until after the public part of the meeting and speak individually to members of the different boards,” Dickson said. “We’re of course glad to get any sort of feedback we can get, but it seems to me that it compromises the impartiality that a reporter should show.”

Included with a public records request made by The Smoky Mountain News was an undated recording of Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague, who took issue with the Smoky Mountain News’ characterization of the March 21 planning board meeting as a “chaotic.”

“In fact, I thought the meeting went exactly as it was supposed to go,” Teague said, ignoring Johnson’s intrusion, a testy exchange between a member of the crowd and Planning Board Attorney Ron Sneed, multiple questions shouted from the crowd without recognition from the chair over nearly five hours, near-constant chatter amongst members of the crowd and the repudiation of Johnson by planning board member Tommy Thomas.

Aldermen will review Bradley’s proposal at an upcoming meeting and may vote to adopt, suggest changes or disregard the proposal altogether.

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Haywood budget shows staffing needs, rising costs

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quent years.

Inflation, however, means those pay increases still aren’t enough to give county employees as much purchasing power as they used to have. Morehead said that in March the consumer price index rose by 9.2 percent, far outpacing the 5% pay increases proposed for county employees.

Then there’s health care. Double-digit percentage increases have been the norm of late, and Morehead told commissioners that health insurance has now risen $1,000 to $18,500 per full-time employee per year.

Overall, Morehead projects a 5.7% increase in health insurance costs for retired employees and a 9.4% increase for active employees, good for about $956,000 in the next budget.

That increase brings the county’s total yearly health insurance bill to nearly $11.6 million, a staggering but steady increase from 2014 when the total bill was less than $4.25 million.

But it’s not that the county hasn’t tried to keep that tab as low as possible.

The bulk of county health insurance spending is on mostly preventable conditions like hypertension, diabetes and hyperlipidemia, so the county embarked on a managed care program designed to address all conditions before they become more expensive problems.

However, only 49 employees have

enrolled in the managed care program. On average, those employees saved about $1,200 in health care costs. Conversely, the 119 eligible employees who have not enrolled in the

Haywood’s animal services department will trade six part-time employees for three full-time employees. File photo

managed care program have on average seen health care costs increase by $6,300.

If all eligible employees participated, Morehead said, the county would save $382,000 a year.

“We really want to spend FY 23 getting some folks into managed care,” he said.

Ahead of the final budget presentation later this month, commissioners did get a jump on the staffing issue, at least for the

county’s animal services department.

During the same May 2 meeting, Animal Services Director Howard Martin asked commissioners to replace his six temporary part-time shelter technicians with three full-time permanent technicians.

Commissioners approved the request unanimously; the positions will be paid for from lapsed salaries and will have a total budget impact this year of $9,000, according to the agenda item.

Martin thinks hiring full-time, motivated employees would help alleviate turnover.

“The employment market is extremely competitive,” said Commissioner Jennifer Best. “You can pretty well name your price and your position now.”

Individual budget meetings between Morehead and commissioners will continue through the rest of this week. The recommended budget will be presented on May 16, with a public hearing on May 31, aiming for a possible June 6 adoption vote.

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Smoky Mountain News

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May 4-10, 2022

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR s the completion of Haywood County’s 2022-23 budget draws near, it’s becoming apparent that inflation, the tight labor market and ever-increasing health care costs are conspiring against the county to the point of potentially impacting staffing, especially in public safety.

“All of our departments actually need folks,” said Bryant Morehead, county manager, at a May 2 commission meeting. “As the budget sits right now, I don’t have any of the requested positions in the budget.”

Back in February, county department heads requested 28 new positions, including four for both the sheriff ’s office and EMS, as well as three each for animal services, the tax assessor’s office, the health department and social services.

All told, funding the positions would incur a recurring cost of $1.77 million if approved, but that number will almost certainly grow each year as raises, cost of living increases and health insurance costs grow.

Merit pay increases and COLA adjustments help the county attract and retain talent in a labor market that favors workers right now.

Coupled with the $175,000 cost of annual Christmas bonuses, those incentives would add another $1.73 million to the budget this year and likely more in subse-

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The North Carolina State Extension announced that the Vacationer Supported Agriculture (VSA) initiative has, for the fifth year in a row, opened new markets, extended its season and diversified its product offerings.

In 2022 deliveries in VSA markets will commence the first weekend in May and continue to the last weekend in September. This represents the addition of 8 more weeks to the regular 12-week summer season during which vacationers may purchase fresh fruit and vegetables, eggs and in some markets, a variety of meat bundles and fresh floral bouquets from farmers operating within a 50-mile radius of the vacation destinations.

The concept for VSA was developed by a team of specialists from NC State Extension and Tourism Extension as part of a three-year USDA Farmers Market Promotion Program grant. Through its online partner, People First Provisions, VSA coordinates the sale of weekly produce bags to vacationers over the summer tourism season and now the monthlong shoulder season before and after the high season. NC State’s project team and county Extension partners coordinate groups of local farmers in the growing, packaging, and delivery of bags of local food to pick-up locations convenient to vacationers. This coordination is introduced to vacationers through local realty companies who partner in the VSA program.

Eight regional rental agencies and communities are partnering with the The Jackson County Tourism Development Authority and Haywood County Tourism Development Authority to support local and regional agriculture.

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The race is on for Macon clerk of court across the board.

“I don’t plan on coming in there and cleaning house,” he said. “I know all the ladies in that office and respect all of them.”

SHAWNA THUN LAMB

Justin Stamey

Shawna Thun Lamb

BY KYLE PERROTTI N EWS E DITOR he clerk of court is a humble albeit crucial office, an elected position filled by someone willing to ensure the county courthouse runs smoothly and without logistical issues. This year, Macon County Clerk Victor Perry will retire, meaning a new person will be tasked with bringing the office into a new age of technology.

The candidate who wins the May 17 GOP primary will square off against Democrat Dinah Roper Mashburn in November’s General Election. The Republicans running for Clerk are Justin Stamey, Shawna Thun Lamb and Mike Trammel. While Trammel didn’t respond to requests for an interview, The Smoky Mountain News spoke with Stamey and Lamb. Here’s what they had to say.

hopes that ambition can serve as an example for others.

“Our youth definitely needs to step up,” he said.

Stamey noted that his main objective as clerk of court would be “provide the citizens with a more effective and efficient judiciary.”

Stamey said he feels ready to do that and discussed his college education, as well as certifications earned in his professional life, seven of which he said apply to the clerk of superior court.

“I’m in a unique position to be ready on day one,” he said.

Whoever steps into the role will have to do away with the paper filing system and establish the digital Odyssey Case Management System. Stamey believes he’s been proactive in staying up to date with new technologies.

“This will be a benefit to all citizens once we familiarize ourselves with it,” he said.

“Bringing the office into the 21st century is something I want to be a part of.”

Often, when someone is elected to take charge of an office for the first time, they’ll shuffle personnel to get a staff they think they can work best with. However, Stamey said if the employees of that office want to stay onboard, they can.

In addition, he said he’d like to make “cross-training” opportunities available

T

JUSTIN STAMEY Stamey has served as a magistrate for almost a decade. In fact, when he was sworn in at 23 years old right after graduating from UNC Charlotte, he was the youngest magistrate in the state.

Stamey said that as a magistrate, he’s heard and adjudicated hundreds of civil small claims cases, which requires analyzing arguments and applying the law. He added that he feels ready to step up to a new role, and he

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Lamb brings to the table a different set of experience and skills than Stamey. For the last 21 years, she’s worked in the clerk’s office and currently is an assistant clerk with a variety of duties, from handling criminal matters to divorces to domestic violence cases.

In addition, Lamb said she’s been able to take online classes to get up to speed on things she may be less familiar with, and that Perry has let her sit in on things like guardianship hearings she wants to learn more about.

“I don’t think anybody’s going to be 100% starting, but I have the knowledge and skills and can work the computer systems,” she said. “And I know all the attorneys and can work with everyone.”

Lamb also pointed out that she has good relationships with her fellow assistant and deputy clerks.

“They’re like family,” she said. “I spend more time than them than I do with my family sometimes.”

When asked what immediate issues might be facing the next clerk of court, Lamb pointed out that they are just about out of storage and that getting the systems ready for e-filing will be a tall, yet necessary, task.

In addition, Lamb said she wants to see a fresh emphasis placed on positive interactions with customers and other members of the public.

“I think we should open our doors back up and focus more on customer service,” she said. “Maybe get another computer system in the office for if someone can’t get that stuff at home, so they can come into our office and get it.”

Lamb wanted people to know that she is genuine and committed to the duties that come with being a clerk of superior court.

“I love my job, and I love Macon County,” she said. “I’ve been dedicated to my job over 21 years serving public, and I would appreciate their vote. I’m ready to take the office into the era.”

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units instead of 59.

Developers also could have proposed three-story units, but opted for two stories instead.

Per town standards, a minimum of .39 acres would need to be set aside as civic space; developers carved out more than 2.1 acres, or 27% of the total land area.

As stated in the staff report addressing the project, the intent of the developer was to maximize open space in the development by creating lot sizes, widths and setbacks that are less than allowed by the town’s land development standards.

Additionally, the development’s road network is designed to minimize the total area of impervious surface (i.e. concrete and asphalt), which helps alleviate problems with stormwater runoff. No alleys, driveways or garages were proposed for the project.

In granting project approval, aldermen said that the development was consistent with the goals of the town’s new 2035 Comprehensive Land Use Plan, namely that it promotes smart growth principles by creating walkable neighborhoods from infill, mixed-use and context-sensitive development.

The comprehensive plan also encourages the development of diverse new housing stock within town limits and extraterritorial jurisdiction. Developers haven’t yet announced plans regarding the sale or rental of the units.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR 59-unit townhome development on 7.7 acres just off East Street in Waynesville has been approved over opposition from neighbors, several planning board members and a town alderman.

“I can’t recall an instance where the planning board was so divided,” said Waynesville Alderman Jon Feichter. “Based on the documentation in the agenda packet, there were four planning board members that voted to approve and three that voted in opposition.”

Feichter was the only alderman to vote against the project, noting that all of the comments at a March 21 planning board meeting were against the proposal.

Concerns centered around traffic impact and the general impact to the neighborhood, according to Development Services Director Elizabeth Teague, who was present at the meeting.

Opposition came despite developers Quartz Properties LLC taking several steps to exceed existing zoning guidelines, particularly in unit density.

The development consists of four adjoining parcels that happen to lie in two separate zoning districts. In one, the maximum base density is 10 units per acre. In the other, it’s 16 units per acre. The development, as approved, comes in at just 7.7 units per acre, although developers could have theoretically asked for 77 or 123 total

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GET BACK TO A BETTER B PLACE

Bear sanctuary hunting rule now up to legislators

Taxes, fees may go up in new Waynesville budget

increasing property values that came about as a result of the most recent countywide revaluation.

Residential sanitation rates have been steady at $8 a month for the last eight years, but may see a $1 increase this coming year.

Utility revenues in the town’s enterprise funds are also down, due to less consumption and lower collections. The town hasn’t resumed cutting off utilities since imposing a moratorium during the pandemic, and has hundreds of thousands of dollars in uncollected utility bills.

As a result, town staff proposed a 3% increase for water, 10% for sewer and a 5% hike in electric rates.

Employee compensation is something the town has paid particular attention to of late.

“We are having a hard time recruiting at the low end [of] streets and sanitation and meter readers,” Hites said.

That problem isn’t new. A recent pay study suggested the town was paying below market rate for many of its employees. Aldermen funded 40% of the pay increases needed to bring employees up to market rate, and will implement the other 60% beginning on Jan. 1, 2023 if approved. They’ll also receive a 2% COLA increase.

More than $11.4 million in capital requests were made by the various department heads, but less than $1.6 million were funded.

Alderman Anthony Sutton was successful in arguing for a $15,000 app called Police1, which not only serves as a direct-to-citizen communications platform but also as a data and tracking utility that reports crime stats. Sutton’s been enthusiastic about police transparency in light of citizen complaints about crime.

Alderman Jon Feichter wasn’t so lucky — his request for $275,000 for solar panels at the town’s recreation center won’t advance.

“I’d also like to make an investment in solar,

but I’d also like to investigate grant funding,” said Alderman Chuck Dickson.

Dickson and Feichter said they wanted to work harder to find a way to eliminate the property tax increase.

A number of other capital requests were likewise left unfunded, including the completion of a site-specific recreation master plan ($2.4 million), a bridge replacement on Oakdale Road ($420,000) and a street sweeper truck ($300,000).

Feichter raised the point that by funding only $1.6 million in capital projects, the town will never catch up with all its needs. Last year, the town appropriated $1.58 million of its first installment of American Rescue Plan funding from the Biden White House, and has another $1.6 million coming later this summer.

Those funds will be appropriated toward all sorts of one-time costs, like new lifts at the garage, and Hagood projects a $486,000 balance of ARP funds at the end of the next fiscal year.

Feichter then brought up the idea of issuing a general obligation bond to knock out the long list of improvements needed. The bond would require roughly $70,000 in debt service per million borrowed.

Although the town has a healthy fund balance — almost 67% of yearly expenditures, compared to a same-size city average of 42% — there’s already $900,000 planned for use in next year’s budget, making fund balance asks precarious. Additionally, lowering fund balance too much could impact future borrowing conditions, costing thousands more in interest over the lifetime of the bond.

The recommended budget is expected to be presented to the town during the May 10 regular Board of Aldermen meeting.

Alderman Julia Boyd Freeman wasn’t present at the May 2 budget discussion.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS E DITOR Declining revenues and a growing list of capital improvements are both putting the squeeze on Waynesville’s finances, but a proposed 2-cent increase in property taxes might not be enough to address them all.

“I’m as surprised as you are,” said Mayor Gary Caldwell of town staff’s proposal for raising ad valorem taxes to .4592 cents per $100 assessed value.

The figure was presented by Town Manager Rob Hites and Finance Director Misty Hagood during a May 3 special meeting intended to acquaint aldermen with the status of the budget ahead of formal presentation.

Along with the proposed tax increase Hites and Hagood presented a number of revenue streams that have decreased over the past year.

Chief among them is the $275,000 hit the town’s recreation department took during the Coronavirus Pandemic, when many facilities were closed and programs canceled. Director Rhett Langston said the department is just now beginning to recover.

A $174,000 shortfall resulted from the cessation of commercial dumpster service, and a $99,000 decrease in the utility franchise tax was also apparent.

About the only good news was that most experts believe that the sustained surge in sales tax collections isn’t going away. The town in projecting a 5% increase through the next fiscal year.

However, an increase in fire taxes for districts outside the town will likely occur, due to

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER herokee Central School was in the home stretch of a $22 million construction and renovation project on the 13-year-old campus when contractors found an unwelcome surprise — dampness on the walls of the old central office building, and inside them, mold.

“Right now, our project is on hold, and it’s probably going to put us behind several months, just to get the completion of the project,” said Yona Wade, community affairs director for the school system.

The school had taken advantage of the empty campus during the earlier stages of the pandemic to complete some significant construction work, including three new buildings. The project, done by Vannoy Construction, included building a new administration and multipurpose space, demolition of the round Gathering Place building and construction of a replacement structure, and building a two-story facility to house additional preschool classrooms and elementary Cherokee language classes.

Vannoy also completed interior renovations at the middle school.

All that is done — the last stage of the project was a renovation of the nowvacant administration building so it could be repurposed for high school classroom and office space. It was during that renovation that contractors discovered the mold.

“It was clear there was a water intrusion issue,” said Wade.

The school system hired Terracon to evaluate the extent and cause of the problem and to recommend mitigation measures. Terracon will also assess the other buildings on campus to ensure the same issue isn’t occurring elsewhere.

Wade isn’t certain when Terracon’s report will be complete but hopes it will come out sometime in the next month or so. Until then, construction at Cherokee Central School is at a standstill.

“Right now, we are just trying to finalize the report, so our Vannoy Construction project is currently on hold,” said Wade. “We have completed everything else that we can complete on campus except for the renovations.”

The first students arrived at Cherokee Central School in August 2009 following completion of the $140 million K-12 campus. Located on what is known as the Ravensford Tract, the property had previously been part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It came into tribal ownership in 2003, when the National Park Service agreed to swap 218 acres of rugged land near Waterrock Knob for the flat piece of property adjoining the Qualla Boundary.

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Smoky Mountain News

cant portion of the packet RRC members received. The letter also pointed out that the rule change stemmed from a 2018 request from the U.S. Forest Service pertaining to Panthertown only — not Pisgah and Standing Indian, which would also be included in the rule change — made in an effort to curb human-bear interactions in the popular backcountry area. However, the letter said, that issue had been resolved in 2020 by installing bear-proof food lockers, with no bear conflict complaints in the past two years and plans to install additional lockers. The letter also took issue with the rule’s ambiguity as to how many permits would be issued and stated that regulating the bear population through hunting is not necessary because bears regulate their own population by adjusting reproductive rates to the resources available.

Additionally, the letter claimed that the rule would hurt the state’s economy because bear season coincides with tourism season, and visitors will feel less comfortable with embarking on backcountry adventures when packs of hunting dogs are running loose.

The bear sanctuary rule was one of 29 changes proposed in this year’s rule-making process. The Wildlife Commission approved all of them. The bear sanctuary regulation was the only rule the Rules Review Commission denied.

May 4-10, 2022

mous vote Feb. 24. Under the rule, the state’s 22 designated bear sanctuaries would be renamed “designated bear management units” and permit hunts would be allowed in three of them — Panthertown, Pisgah and Standing Indian. Permit hunts are already allowed in the Mt. Mitchell and Daniel Boone sanctuaries.

The Wildlife Commission said the rule was necessary to slow the growth rate of the mountain bear population and cut down on negative interactions between bears and backcountry users.

However, the public overwhelmingly disapproved of the proposal, with 2,744 people weighing in during the public comment portion of the rule-making process — a level of participation that dwarfed the 379 people who commented on the second most-discussed proposal. Eighty-six percent of respondents opposed the rule.

A Help Asheville Bears video of a stakeholder meeting held April 5 in Murphy shows a roomful of hunters in attendance to discuss the issue with Sen. Kevin Corbin, Rep. Karl Gillespie and Wildlife Commission staff. At one point, Gillespie asked for a show of hands from those in support of the rule — and not a single hand went up.

That interaction was one of several key points in a form letter that made up a signifi-

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BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR ollowing an April 21 vote from the N.C. Rules Review Commission, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission might not be allowed to implement a new rule allowing bear hunting in three Western North Carolina sanctuary areas that are currently off-limits to the practice.

The Rules Review Commission received a barrage of letters requesting legislative review of the rule, with the packet collating those letters totaling 439 pages. State law requires legislative review for rules that receive 10 or more letters requesting it.

Rules sent for legislative review have delayed implementation dates and could be struck down completely. According to state statute, the clock will start ticking when the N.C. General Assembly convenes for its short session on May 4. Legislators will have 31 days from the session’s start to file a bill specifically disapproving the rule. If such a bill is filed in that timeframe, then the rule cannot become effective until the General Assembly either takes an “unfavorable final action” or adjourns without ratifying it.

If a bill disapproving the rule is passed and enacted, then the rule cannot go into effect.

The N.C. Wildlife Commission approved the bear sanctuary hunting rule by unani-

Mold halts construction at Cherokee schools

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Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

The story of one family among thousands

BY KATHY WIGGINS G UEST COLUMNIST In response to the news of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP) proposing fees for parking, now is an opportunity to flip the script. While other groups are finally being recognized after too long being ignored, marginalized and even intimidated, the GSMNP has an opportunity to bring to light those who lost their livelihoods, homes and communities to make way for the Park. I would like to propose that not only should the Park recognize all the families who were displaced with a public display of names and the community from which they hailed, but also waive any fees (including the proposed parking) for accessing those lands to allow free visitation. The park should also be fee free for residents of the five counties where the GSMNP resides.

There has long been a bit of sadness from the displaced families and their descendants, yet these same folks came to appreciate the Park in later years, enjoying its restorative blessings. Many took pride in leading their children and grandchildren to the spot where they and their forebears once called home, which indeed is how and where I learned my family’s story from my grandmother Maisie. From around 1910 into the 1930s, life was all abuzz in the little community of Smokemont. Now known as a campground in the GSMNP, the little area was a thriving community of self-sufficient families, some of which also worked for the local logging company. At present, when you cross the bridge to enter

Elections must remain open and honest To the Editor: Martin Luther King Jr. always believed “the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.” Half a century later, would he be as convinced? I’m not so sure.

America’s tolerance of dishonesty, lying and unethical behavior over several decades has been exceeded only by our willingness to plunge ever deeper into the abyss of stomachchurning abhorrent practices.

It’s no longer deniable the United States has squandered its long-held reputation as the world’s foremost constitutional government to become (unmistakably) an anocracy.

Anocracies are governments neither entirely democratic or autocratic; they’re something in between. Referred to sometimes as “partial democracies” or “Illiberal democracies,” it’s in anocracies that most civil wars occur.

Barbara Walter (professor of political science, University of California, San Diego) states: “The January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol was a window into what has been brewing beneath the surface of the United States for years.”

Over a year ago, former President Donald Trump called Georgia Secretary of State, Brad Raffensperger, and brazenly asked him to “find 11,780 votes” and give him Georgia’s electoral votes. That phone conversation became public knowledge, we all heard it with our own ears.

Also, over a year has passed and the for-

Smokemont, if you look up you will see the Smokemont (Lufty) Church on the hill, resting on the land that was given by my great-great-grandfather Wilson “Wilse” Ensley Queen (1861-1928) in 1906 “in consideration of the love and affection he has for the Lufty Baptist Church.” This church, which is on the National Register of Historical Places, is still used for homecomings, occasional services and weddings. It was the heart of the community.

As you turn left and enter the campground, driving all the way to the back gate, you are crossing the land where my family worked and lived. Wilse was given (by his father) this land at Smokemont (tract 11 with 1 exception); married Amanda Catherine Queen (1865-1900) and set up house there. Both are buried at the Beck Cemetery within the Park.

My great-grandfather Charles “Bascombe” Queen (18921971) married Mary Alice Fisher (1899-1977) and built a house on Queen Mountain where my grandmother Maisie Fisher Queen (Young) (1917-2007) was born. Moving to Pumpkintown — just across Bradley Fork — Maisie went to school at Smokemont, was later bused to Swain High, graduated in 1934 and attended nursing school in Knoxville. After she returned, she married I.J. Spear (1916-1996), who was in the area working with the CCC. My mother, Agnes O’dess Spear (Wiggins), was born at the J.H. Beck house (tract 46) in 1938 before the family had to move.

This is what my grandmother wrote about this time: “The Smoky Mountain National Park became a reality to

LETTERS mer president hasn’t been held accountable for his improprieties. In a strong, healthy democracy, a government is transparent, is also well-conditioned to be accountable to its citizens and has the ability to manage a change in administrations without experiencing civil unrest.

The reason the U.S. is on the verge of becoming a full-blown dictatorship is because we have lost the will to abide by our own Constitution, to follow fundamental rules of law and the basic tenets which define democracies; commitment to the people’s welfare, to govern by consensus and to maintain a high regard for solidarity among our citizens.

Instead, we indulged a president who led an insurrection against his own government, incited a deadly attack on our Congress and our Capitol with the clear intent to overturn an election and, all the while, seeking help from a foreign government (an adversary), and with the blessing of the Grand Old Party, attempted to block the legitimate constitutional transfer of power.

We may well be the world’s most powerful nation, but with men like Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Kevin McCarthy and numerous other Republicans willing to feed off Trump’s “Big Lie,” we are burdened with an inept, dysfunctional Congress which makes us look, to the world, like a banana republic.

We are living in dangerous times.

Countries least expected to experience a civil war — such as the United States and the United Kingdom — are showing unambigu-

the Queens when the Law of Eminent Domain was used, condemning between five to six hundred acres of their land for public use at an average price of $25.00 per acre. Their days in Court to retain the land were unsuccessful.”

“After payment from the Park, all the Banks closed and we were in the Great Depression. Even though we continued to live on the land by paying a yearly lease, the money was unavailable to buy another home. This was the hardest part of losing my family’s land.”

Moving to a little farm nearby, Agnes (my mother) later moved to Bryson City when Maisie remarried to Frank Young (1924-2005). My grandparents were very active users of the park, often returning to camp at Smokemont on the very land where Maisie grew up. Frank was an avid fisherman up Deep Creek and Maisie was an active genealogist helping to preserve the past in the Swain County Heritage book (quoted above) with the Swain Heritage Society. She participated in Pioneer Days at Oconaluftee, and they both took up the cause of the North Shore Promise, not living to see the final outcome. They taught me the importance of and the beauty within our Park.

Swain County is still a very rural area where the Park is constantly enjoyed locally and charging a flat annual fee will prohibit some from taking part or hamper the spontaneous, “let’s go walk up Deep Creek today.” It is an innate part of our day-to-day culture. This is just one story of thousands. Do you have one?

(Kathy Wiggins lives in Bryson City. kmwiggins@gmail.com.)

ous signs of unrest.

To regain the trust of the American people in government and institutions, policies enacted in state capitols and Washington, D.C., have to ensure all Americans are allowed to vote and that all votes count. Americans also need the assurance that our government serves and represents all of us, not just the rich, the powerful and the famous.

David L. Snell Franklin

No one is above the law To the Editor: The late great singer Kenny Rogers recorded many songs written by other artists. Yet, he

wrote one very powerful song. The title: “Sweet Music Man.” This was before the Donald Trump era, but, it evokes emotions about the man and the fraud he has foisted on America.

Here’s the chorus (sung by many who now see the real Trump rather than the image): “Sing a song, sweet music man ‘cause I won’t be there to hold your hand like I used to. I’m through with you. You’re a hell of a singer and a powerful man but you surround yourself with people who demand so little of you.”

The January 6 Capitol riot forced many erstwhile Trump supporters to see the light.

They are now providing truthful information to the Select Committee. Some are doing so to protect democracy; some merely to protect their rear ends.

Now, we are beginning to see some evidence that the Department of Justice is actively looking at that dark day in our history. It does not take a rocket scientist to foresee the outcome.

These questions loom, though: will the Department of Justice follow the law and hold Donald Trump accountable for his illegal actions surrounding that fateful day? Or, will they allow Donald Trump to ride above the law?

Dave Waldrop Webster

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Smoky Mountain News

McConnell did vote on Jan. 6, at least, to reject Trump’s challenges to Biden electors from Pennsylvania and Arizona. But McCarthy threw in with the subversive conspiracy, as did Cawthorn and most other House Republicans. That made every one of them an accomplice in the plot to subvert the government. They were faithless to the Constitution and to their oaths to protect it.

None belongs in Congress any longer, but if the Republicans take back the House, McCarthy — or someone even worse — will be Speaker.

From my vantage point as an occasional election worker in North Carolina, it is impossible to rig an American election in the ways that Trump’s false claims insist.

There are now too many safeguards, too many crosschecks against ballots being lost, discarded or miscounted.

There are cases — but far too few to make a difference — of people voting twice or where they’re ineligible. However, every instance has a paper trail that leads straight to a potential criminal charge. Mark Meadows now knows something about that.

It is karma writ large that Meadows, the former District 11 congressman and Trump henchman who’s been a shrill voice about election fraud, seems to have committed election fraud himself.

The continuing Republican attempts to disparage the election are perpetuating the subversion by nonviolent means.

Democratic government depends on the trust of the public. Already a majority of Republicans disbelieve that Biden’s presidency is legitimate, a canard that doubtlessly and unfairly contributes to his poor popularity polling.

Disclosures from the Jan. 6 committee, filed in court to try to compel testimony from Meadows, who was Trump’s gatekeeper, now reveal that he was credibly warned that the Jan. 6 “Stop the Steal” rally would turn violent and that there was no legal or factual basis for rejecting Biden electors instead of counting them. The New York Times has reported how some others who plotted to do that changed their minds as it became clear there was no valid proof of material election fraud.

“If we substitute the will of states through electors with a vote by Congress every 4 years, we have destroyed the electoral college,” Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, wrote to Meadows.

Most of the North Carolina Republicans voted to do just that, including Cawthorn and Rep. Ted Budd, who has Trump’s endorsement in the Republican Senate primary. But Sens. Thom Tillis and Richard Burr broke with the pack. So did Rep. Pat McHenry. They voted to let democracy live another day.

Whether it will outlive the ensuing elections is up to us.

(Martin A. Dyckman is a former journalist now residing in Western North Carolina. dyckmanm@bellsouth.net.)

May 4-10, 2022

ou don’t need an invading army to destroy a democracy, as Russia is attempting to do to Ukraine.

It can be pulled off with internal subversion, as Donald Trump and his congressional accomplices tried to do on Jan. 6, 2021.

And they will surely try again, if we let them.

The symmetry is illustrated beautifully by the announcement of the five winners, more than usual, of the 2022 John F. Kennedy “Profile in Courage” Award.

Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky, is one of them. It’s a choice that should thrill everyone who isn’t named Vladimir Putin, Tucker Carlson or Madison Cawthorn.

The other winners are American: Guest Columnist Rep. Liz Cheney, RWyo; Michigan Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson; Russell “Rusty” Bowers, Speaker of the Arizona House of Representatives; and Wandrea “Shaye” Moss, an election worker in Fulton County, Georgia.

“These honorees have placed their careers and lives on the line to protect democratic principles and free and fair elections,” explained the announcement from the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.

Benson and Moss are election officials who have suffered relentless personal attacks, including death threats that forced Moss into hiding, for defending the integrity of the election. Bowers, a Republican, refused despite heavy pressure to go along with the Arizona Senate’s farcical “audit” of Maricopa County returns and has resisted continuing schemes to revoke the state’s certification of Biden electors.

Cheney’s merits, as a leading member of the House’s Jan. 6 committee, are striking in how they illuminate by contrast the pusillanimity of most other Republicans including minority leaders Mitch McConnell in the Senate and Kevin McCarthy in the House.

As it has now come out, at first those two furiously — and correctly — blamed Trump for the attack on the Capitol, which was intended to thwart the electoral vote count and keep a tyrant in the White House. They even talked about telling him to resign in the face of impeachment, as Sen. Barry Goldwater said to Richard Nixon in 1974.

But their courage morphed quickly into cringing and kowtowing. They would be hands-down winners of a Profile in Cowardice award, if there were such a thing. Both made sure there would be no joint commission to investigate the subversion. When the House set up its own committee, McCarthy did everything he could to neuter it.

ThePriintHauss.c . co om m

Democracy in danger

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Smoky Mountain News

Chef Kanlaya Supachana (right) of Dalaya, a popular northern Thai restaurant in Sylva. (photos: Garret K. Woodward)

Want to go?

Dalaya Thai Cuisine is located at 1084 West Main St. in Sylva. Lunch is takeout only, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. You can place your order online at dalaya.square.site. Dining hours are 5 to 9:30 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, 5 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 5 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

For more information, call 828.477.4945 or email dalaya.sylva@gmail.com.

Home is where the meal is Sylva restaurant specializes in authentic Thai cuisine

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & E NTERTAINMENT E DITOR lthough the 5 o’clock dinner rush is still a few hours away, Chef Kanlaya Supachana is zipping around the kitchen of Dalaya, preparing several signature northern Thai dishes with such meticulous and precise care — no small detail overlooked, whether for presentation or palate.

Sitting in the small, cozy dining area of the Sylva establishment (on the far end of West Main Street) is a hungry and curious journalist from The Smoky Mountain News. And even though yours truly only wanted to try a couple offerings and not overstay my welcome, Supachana won’t let me leave until she brings out dish after dish (after dish) to sample.

“You can’t write about this place without trying a little bit of everything,” Supachana modestly stated. “I want this room to feel like my home, where everyone is welcome, where we look forward to introducing you to the real cooking of my native Thailand.”

A

Though many folks may think Thai food is all about “heat and spice,” the style of authentic northern Thai, according to Supachana, is more of an emphasis on flavor, as well as color and beauty (the food is almost too aesthetically pleasing to consume, with Supachana a true artisan of her craft).

Fresh fruit (Thai pineapple salad), vegetables and sauces (krabong) come into play, often complemented by sweet and sour glazes (spicy fish sauce wings). There’s also a keen knack for mouthwatering curry soups (khao soi, gaeng masaman), meat that falls off the bone (khao muu daeng) and seafood (plaa muk yang, khoong yang), not to mention homemade Thai tea ice cream for dessert.

Originally from the Chiang Mai region of northern Thailand, Supachana learned to cook from her late father, a beloved figure of culinary talent and delights in her hometown.

He bestowed upon his daughter the ancient cooking instincts of feel and taste, instead of “going by the book” of exact recipes and regi-

mented instruction.

But, initially, Supachana didn’t see herself in the food world. She was more interested in computers, something that parlayed itself into Supachana immigrating to the United States to pursue a degree in the field. Ultimately, she found herself working in Thai restaurants in New York City to pay the bills.

“I started by just answering phones and putting together the takeout orders,” Supachana reminisced. “And, on our days off, myself and my coworkers — who were also from northern Thailand — would cook the actual food we ate back home, not the usual things you see in [American] Thai restaurants.”

Supachana’s cooking became in high demand from friends and acquaintances, ultimately placing her in the kitchen of a handful of Thai spots in Brooklyn. Soon, she and a partner opened the pop-up restaurant Kao Soy. Located in Red Hook, the business was a smashing success — lauded by The New York Times, with lines out the door daily.

And it was in Brooklyn where Supachana met David Weeks, a self-proclaimed foodie who frequented Kao Soy (which has since closed). Weeks, who has family roots in Sylva, found himself with an opportunity to bring Supachana and her fine dining expertise to Jackson County.

The two became partners, and Dalaya (a combination of their first names) opened just about two and a half years ago, with most of its existence spent in the midst of the restaurant industry shutdown during the early stages of the pandemic.

But, the business survived, mainly due to a stream of loyal customers who ordered takeout on a regular basis. And now, with the dining room reopened, Dalaya is serving both lunch (takeout only) and dinner (sitdown/takeout), where a packed house is the norm these days.

“The support has been so great,” Supachana said. “If it wasn’t for that, when we had to shut down, I don’t know if we’d be here

“I want this room to feel like my home, where everyone is welcome, where we look forward to introducing you to the real cooking of my native Thailand.”

— Chef Kanlaya Supachana

today — but, we are, and the people are still coming in to eat and enjoy themselves.”

So, what would her late father think of Dalaya, of Supachana and her renowned talents in the kitchen, of finding footing and friendship in the mountains of Western North Carolina?

“He’d be very proud, but he’d also be laughing a little, too, because when I was young, I didn’t want to become a cook,” Supachana marveled with a chuckle. “He loved cooking and I keep his memory alive with this food — it’s pretty special.”

HOT PICKS

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

The first “Art After Dark” of the year will be held from 6 to 9 p.m.

Friday, May 6, in downtown Waynesville.

1 2 3

The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Jon Cox & Bridget Gossett (Americana/folk) at 9 p.m.

Friday, May 6.

Onstage at SweetWater 420 in downtown Atlanta. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

The Ubuntu Choir of the Great Smoky Mountains will perform a program of uplifting music from around the world at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at the First Presbyterian Chapel in Franklin.

Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host “Improv Night” by the Smoky Mountain Community Theater at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 10.

Can I sing for my supper and play for my rent? I know it sounds funny but it’s how my time’s spent

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Americana/blues singer-songwriter Woolybooger will perform at 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 5, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.

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Smoky Mountain News

ness. This is exactly why I’ve been mining the depths of my thoughts lately for an answer, perhaps a solution, to the melodic madness that always seems to seduce me down that lost highway to destinations unknown.

Where I stand today is a long, long way from scrapping by and writing articles for peanuts (or for free, just out of desperation to get my work published), from sleeping in the back of my truck at rest areas and gas stations, from eating cold Spaghetti-Os out of the can and drinking lukewarm Milwaukee’s Best (both out a lack of funds for better, adequate food and drink).

To that, throughout these (almost) 16 years, I’ve been able to pretty much interview any and all musicians on my “wish list” and write for publications that I highly respect and admire, with the biggest being Rolling Stone (which has been my dream to write for them since I was in middle school).

So, yes, the work continues and the journey moves forward. To that point, again I find myself lost in thought this weekend with the question “Where to from here?” echoing throughout my head. I feel that the real work is only beginning, and there’s so much more to see, experience, interview and write about.

Things are shifting in my life, personally and professionally, and I’m trying to hold steady amid the ever-changing landscape. I feel some big changes are just around the corner, and I welcome those changes — whatever they may be and whoever they may involve.

I find this sincere urge to start to let go of the “What if?” and the worrying and insecurities of things that — in essence — are out of my control. Remember, the only thing you can control is how you react to a situation.

Thus, I remain filled with gratitude, and also with a childlike wonder of curiosity and discovery still intact for whatever lies ahead.

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

MON-SAT 10-6

May 4-10, 2022

tanding on the massive main stage at the SweetWater 420 music festival in downtown Atlanta last Saturday afternoon, I hoisted the cold pale ale tallboy high into the air and saluted the moment at hand.

Being stage left, I was just a few feet away from rock juggernaut act Umphrey’s McGee, who purposely stopped mid-set to allow the SweetWater Brewing founders to come onstage and take the microphone, to cheers in unison at exactly 4:20 p.m. with the crowd (hovering over 23,000 strong).

And it was shortly thereafter when “Blondie,” the iconic longtime stripper at the Clermont Lounge, grabbed the mic and an empty tallboy, and proceeded to crush the can between her breasts to, well, also salute the moment. The raucous audience roared in solidarity of any and all within reach, each of us together once again in the name of all that is irresponsible enlightenment.

Lots of thoughts swirling this past weekend while standing within the whirlwind that is the SweetWater 420. Aside from the sheer gratitude to be part of this incredible event and so on, I find myself wandering around in deep, meditative thought.

It’s funny, you know? Where as you move f along the journey of life how these new doors open and you have to decide whether to walk in or keep walking by. I’ve been a professional journalist for almost 16 years.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do with my life, and remains so.

I’ve never once questioned this path, and I consider myself extremely lucky to know very early on what I wanted to do with my — time on this planet. And I think back on those early years as a journalist, knocking on

every single door to let me into their festival.

Tracking down any lead to get an interview with a musician.

There was a lot of rejection and a lot responses that began with the word “no” or “thank you for reaching out, but...” And yet, I was too damn stubborn and determined to ever give up. Screw it, if I can’t get in the front door, I’ll see if there’s an open side window or back door, maybe an unlocked door of the basement of my intent.

To that, my 22-year-old journalist self would be blown away by where I stand today, being asked by festivals to come and see what they’re all about, and having my pick of the litter of what musicians I’d like to interview — no name too big to not sit down and chat.

And I’ve never taken any of that previous sentence for granted, not once. I take this job very seriously and I’m very humbled by the hospitality of these fine organizations and production companies. With that, I’ve sacrificed most other things in my existence in pursuit of the written word — relationships, lovers, missed birthdays and weddings, camping trips, dinner engagements, and sometimes even my own sanity in the process.

Though I keep saying I need to slow down, not overcommit myself, and actually find some semblance of balance, it’s tough to do so when the weather is nice, the sun is shining, and there’s some live music just over the horizon — “You’re on the guest list” is my weakness, as a journalist and a lifelong music freak.

That, and the music industry can be an unforgiving son-of-a-bitch at times, where artists, promoters, managers, publicists and journalists always feel this fear of being left behind if they don’t remain strapped in to the rollercoaster — “you’re either on the bus or off the bus,” as they say.

But, I tell myself to not forget the lessons learned during the early months of the shutdown — to pump the brakes, to seek that balance with clarity, and to make time for other important things that bring you happi-

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Smoky Mountain News May 4-10, 2022

arts & entertainment

On the beat 38 Special

arts & entertainment

Marty Stuart returns to Franklin

Harrah’s welcomes .38 Special Southern rock legends 38 Special will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, May 6, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

After more than four decades, 38 Special continues to bring their signature blast of Southern rock to over 100 cities a year. With

sales in excess of 20 million, most associate the band with their smashes “Hold On Loosely,” “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Caught Up in You,” and many more.

Tickets start at $49.50 per person. For tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

Americana rolls into The Scotsman Presented by Adamas Entertainment, Americana/folk duo Jon Cox & Bridget Gossett will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, May 6, at The Scotsman in Waynesville.

Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives. (photo: Alysse Gafkjen)

World music in Franklin

and is a member of the Natural Voice Network in the United Kingdom.

Admission is by donation, $5 is suggested. The chapel, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is on the corner of Church Street and Harrison Avenue.

Wheelchair access is from the First Presbyterian Church parking lot.

This event is produced by the Arts Council of Macon County. For more information, call 828.524.ARTS or email arts4all@dnet.net.

The Ubuntu Choir of the Great Smoky Mountains will perform a program of uplifting music from around the world at 3 p.m.

Sunday, May 8, at the First Presbyterian Chapel in Franklin.

Founded in 2009, the Ubuntu Choir joyfully sings a cappella music from diverse traditions and cultures. Sunday’s program will feature songs from many foreign countries, plus ample opportunities for audience members to sing along.

Ubuntu is a worldwide movement open to all people who share a passion for harmony singing. The local Ubuntu group is a member of the Worldwide Ubuntu Choir Network and is composed of members from Macon and Jackson Counties. Director Tom Tyre received Ubuntu training in British Columbia

Interested in learning the dulcimer?

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

The group welcomes all beginners and

Bryson City community jam A community jam will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, May 5, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

Anyone with a guitar, banjo, mandolin, fiddle, dulcimer, anything unplugged, is invited to join.The jam is facilitated by Larry Barnett of the Sawmill Creek Porch Band.

The music jams are offered to the public

experienced dulcimer players, including mountain (lap) dulcimer and hammered dulcimer players. Songs played include traditional mountain tunes, hymns, and more modern music. The group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturday of every month in the basement of St. John’s.

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

The mountain dulcimer, also known as a fretted dulcimer or a lap dulcimer, is a uniquely American instrument. It evolved from the German scheitholz sometime in the early 1800s in Appalachia and was largely known only in this region until popularized more broadly in the 1950s.

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

each first and third Thursday of the month — spring, summer, fall.

This program received support from the North Carolina Arts Council, an agency funded by the State of North Carolina and the National Endowment of the Arts.

828.488.3030.

BLUES, ROOTS AT INNOVATION Americana/blues singer-songwriter Woolybooger will perform at 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 5, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva. innovation-brewing.com.

Smoky Mountain News

Stuart told The Smoky Mountain News in 2016. “And with country music, too, my wife (country legend Connie Smith) calls it the ‘cry of the heart.’ And I think true bluegrass, I’m talking the real way back there stuff, that’s what I listen to more than anything else, even today — it still speaks to me.”

Tickets start at $29 per person. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 866.273.4615 or click on smokymountainarts.com.

May 4-10, 2022

Country and bluegrass musical icon Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 13, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

“Well, to me, [bluegrass music] is home. As a musician, it’s just as complicated as classical music in a lot of terms. The dexterity required is incredible, but to combine dexterity with heart and soul, and make it something that touches somebody, that’s something special,”

Bridget Gossett and Jon Cox.

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arts & entertainment

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

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

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

• Boojum Brewing (Waynesville) will host karaoke at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, trivia at 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9 p.m. unless otherwise noted.

828.246.0350 or boojumbrewing.com.

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Nathan Hefner (piano/vocals) May 7 and Bob Zullo (guitars/vocals) May 14. All shows begin at 7 p.m. Limited seating.

Reservations are highly recommended.

828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

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

May 4-10, 2022

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Blue Jazz 7 p.m. May 7. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company (Maggie Valley) will host an Open Mic Night 7 to 9 p.m. on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.734.1084 or elevatedmountain.com.

• First Presbyterian Chapel (Franklin) will host The Ubuntu Choir (world music) at 3 p.m. May 8. Free and open to the public.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.454.5664 or froglevelbrewing.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort

A stocked catch out pond with Rainbow, Brook, Brown & Golden trout.

KID FRIENDLY! WE HAVE FISHING RODS & BAIT 26

On the street (Cherokee) will host .38 Special (southern rock) 9 p.m. May 6. For tickets, caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.

weekends. Shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. rathskellerfranklin.com.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Woolybooger (Americana/blues) May 5 and Paul Edelman (singer-songwriter) May 12.

Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

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

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” w/Hibiscus Sunshine at 7 p.m. every Wednesday and semi-regular live music on the weekends.

All events are free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

ALSO:

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Karaoke Night” 7 p.m. May 13 and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host Trivia Night at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday, Old Time Jam 6:30 p.m. every Thursday, “Karaoke in the Smokies” May 6 and semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public.

828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” with Ivor Sparks May 4, Twelfth Fret (Americana) May 6, Somebody’s Child (Americana) May 7, Scott James Stambaugh (singer-songwriter) May 13 and George Ausman (singer-songwriter) May 14. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. 828.641.9797 or nantahalabrewing.com.

• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host semi-regular live music on the

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Jon Cox & Bridget Gossett (Americana/folk) May 6. All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives (Americana/rock) 7:30 p.m. May 13. Tickets start at $17. smokymountainarts.com.

• Southern Porch (Canton) will host semiregular live music on the weekends.

828.492.8009 or southern-porch.com.

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

828.743.3000 or theuglydogpub.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host “Karaoke in the Smokies” May 5, High Strangeness May 6, Curtis & Kim Jones May 7, Random Act of Music May 12, Tricia Ann Band May 1 and Rock Holler May 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host Randy Flack (singer-songwriter) 6 p.m. May 5, Early Worm Band 3 p.m. May 8, Brian Walsh 6 p.m. May 12 and Mile High 3 p.m.

May 15. Free and open to the public.

828.926.7440 or valley-tavern.com.

• Water’n Hole Bar & Grill (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 9:30 p.m.

828.456.4750 or facebook.com/waternhole.bar.

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

828.743.6000 or whitesidebrewing.com.

Rickman Store. (photo: Elena Carlson)

Spring at the Rickman Store The arrival of spring marks a new season of weekly festive gatherings at the Rickman Store in Macon County.

Mainspring Conservation Trust and the Friends of the Rickman Store (FORS) invite the community and visitors to the region to visit this historic building every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. starting May 7.

Recently, the Rickman Store proudly joined eight other sites in Macon County that have been selected for inclusion in the Blue Ridge Craft Trails, an initiative of the Blue Ridge National Heritage Area that promotes the must-see destinations for traditional and contemporary art.

Many friends and donors have made valuable additions to the collection of antiques and artifacts that allow visitors to step back in time to enjoy the experience of the traditional general store that Tom Rickman ran for 69 years since 1925.

The Rickman Store is located seven miles north of Franklin by N.C. 28, in the heart of the Cowee-West Mill Historic District, next to the Old Cowee School on 259 Cowee Creek Road.

For more information, call 828.369.5595 or visit “Friends of the Rickman Store” on Facebook.

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On the stage arts & entertainment

HART gets ‘All Shook Up’

The cast of ‘All Shook Up.’

Ballet Magnificat twirls into WNC

• A stage production of the beloved tale “Alice in Wonderland” will be held on select dates throughout this spring at the Mountainside Theatre in Cherokee. The production is an original work by Havoc Movement Company that will be joining the Cherokee Historical Association for the spring season. cherokeehistorical.org/alice-in-wonderland.

ALSO:

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host “Improv Night” by the Smoky Mountain

two sisters, Corrie and Betsie ten Boom, as they search for possibilities to help their lifelong Jewish neighbors and friends obtain security, found in a small hiding place built in the wall of their home, only to be discovered and transported to the concentration camp of Ravensbrück to face struggles far exceeding their wildest imagination.

Tickets for the performance start at $15. As well, there will be a student workshop at 8:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, go to smokymountainarts.com.

Community Theater at 7 p.m. May 10 and 24. Ages 21 and up. There will be a $5 cover, which will go directly to the theater. The pub will also donate 25% of the night’s drink receipts to the theater to assist in the restoration efforts. As well, the theater is always happy to accept additional donations. 828.538.2488.

• The Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville is currently offering a wide variety of classes in the theater arts. harttheatre.org.

Smoky Mountain News

A stage production of “The Hiding Place” by Ballet Magnificat will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Placed in the war zone of Dutch Haarlem in 1944, the story is a portrayal of divinely inspired forgiveness amid desperate and unimaginable circumstances.

Ballet Magnificat taps into the struggle of

young mechanic, dreams of love and adventure, all while she yearns for true love to take her away, not realizing that her best friend Dennis has a secret crush on her.

As she and the town sing the blues in the local honky-tonk bar, they’re interrupted by the roar of a motorcycle: it’s Chad. He needs a mechanic and Natalie, instantly smitten, promises to fix his broken-down bike.

Tangled webs are woven as Chad incites rebelliousness in a town with a “Decency Act” outlawing loud music, public necking and tight pants.

Tickets start at $14 per person. To make reservations, call the HART Box Office at 828.456.6322 or go to harttheatre.org to make reservations online.

May 4-10, 2022

From the Elvis Presley songbook, a production of “All Shook Up” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. May 13-14, 20-21, 27-28, June 24 and at 2 p.m. May 15, 22, 29 and June 5 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theater in Waynesville.

“All Shook Up” is an American jukebox musical that premiered on Broadway in 2005. It was written by Joe DiPietro, who gave you recent HART hits like “The Last Romance,” “Over the River and through the Woods” and the Tony Award winning musical “Memphis.”

It’s 1955 and Chad, a hip-swiveling, guitar-playing roustabout, is being released from prison somewhere out in the Midwest.

In a nearby dreary little town, Natalie, a

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arts & entertainment

On the wall • “Smoky Spring Festival & Art Show” will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Bryson City Wine Market. The event will host Charles Heath Studios and Hinnant Family Vineyards to benefit the Rotary Club of Bryson City High School Scholarship Fund.

Enjoy local art, barbecue and wine, with live music by Wineaux Jones. There will also be a silent auction.

For more information, call 828.538.0420.

ALSO:

• WNC Paint Events brings you “Paint & Sip.” This is a two-hour event, and you leave with your painting. Anyone 21 and up are welcome. Events will be held at the following locations once a month: 828 Market on Main (Waynesville), Balsam Falls Brewing (Sylva), BearWaters Brewing (Canton), Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) and the Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin). For more information, click on wncpaint.events.

• Mountain Makers Craft Market will be held from noon to 4 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at 308 North Haywood St. in downtown Waynesville. Over two dozen

artisans selling handmade and vintage goods. Special events will be held when scheduled. Mountainmakersmarket.com.

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

Each month, on the second and fourth Friday, two movies from around the globe will be shown. This program is in the Community Room and is free of charge.

Masks are required in all Jackson County buildings. To find out what movie will be shown and/or for more information, please call the library at 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library. The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library. fontanalib.org.

Waynesville art walk, live music The first “Art After Dark” of the year will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, May 6, in downtown Waynesville.

Each first Friday of the month (MayDecember), Main Street transforms into an evening of art, music, finger foods, beverages and shopping as artisan studios and galleries keep their doors open later for local residents and visitors.

Participants include Burr Studio, Cedar Hill Studios, Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery & Gifts, The Jeweler’s Workbench, Moose Crossing Burl Wood Gallery, T. Pennington Art Gallery, Twigs & Leaves Gallery, The Village Framer, and more.

Twigs & Leaves Gallery will also have live piano music by Forrest Ransburg along with savory hors-d’oeuvres.

It is free to attend Art After Dark.

Other dates include June 3, July 1, Aug. 5, Sept. 2, Oct. 7, Nov. 4 and Dec. 2. facebook.com/galleriesof haywoodcounty.

Macon County art scholarship May 4-10, 2022

The Arts Council of Macon County will accept applications through Sunday, May 15, for its annual $1,000 Arts Scholarship. Guidelines and application forms are available from any Macon County high school guidance office, online at artscouncilofmacon.org, and from the Arts Council office.

Macon County residents of all ages wishing to pursue a college degree in the performing, literary, visual/graphic arts, or arts education may apply. Applicants must submit to an in-person interview

the afternoon of Thursday, May 26.

The recipient is chosen on the basis of talent, commitment, career aspirations, and financial need. The scholarship was established in 1988 to help talented and deserving Macon County residents prepare for a career in the arts.

For more information contact any high school guidance office or the Arts Council, 828.524.ARTS or arts4all@dnet.net.

‘Creating Community Workshop’ The monthly “Creating Community Workshop” will continue with a two-part macrame class at 10 a.m. May 7 and 14 in the Atrium of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

Participants will learn the basic macrame knots (square knot, half knot, half hitch, larks head, gathering knot) needed to create a project. Things to consider when creating a macrame project will also be discussed. All supplies will be provided.

The second class is more advanced.

Participants will create a 30-32 inch, four-strand plant hanger using cotton cord and beads. The class will briefly cover the basic knots and things to consider starting a design. All supplies will be provided, the only prerequisite is to have some basic knowledge of macrame or completion of the basics class taught a week before.

The class is limited to 10 participants.

To register, call the library at 828.586.2016. This event is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

The Jackson County Public Library is a member of Fontana Regional Library (fontanalib.org).

On the table Smoky Mountain News

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a special “Derby Day” celebration of food and libations to honor the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7. Don’t forget to wear your special hat. Free and open to the public.

828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

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ALSO:

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

@SMOKYMOUNTAINNEWS

• A free wine tasting will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. every Thursday and 2 to 5 p.m. every

Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines.

Educational classes and other events are also available. For more information, call 828.538.0420.

• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first-class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. For more information, call 800.872.4681 or click on gsmr.com.

On the shelf

Thomas Crowe

D

myself and ultimately to the Nameless Magnificence some call God. The experience of the journey has been the deepening of my relationship with existence. I go outside to go inside.” She goes on later in the Introduction to expand by saying, “My explorations into the ‘book of nature’ include wading mountain streams, laying on sun-warmed rocks, hovering with humpback whales, frolicking with sea lions, and being part of a dolphin pod. And while every encounter or experience rests beautifully in my memory, my experience with two manatees still brings me to tears.”

So ... away we go with Simone Lipscomb to Dun Aengus, Inish Mor, Ireland; the Sea of Cortez, Mexico; Netherlands Antilles; the Dominican Republic; Keswick, England; Connemara, Ireland; Bimini, Bahamas; not

Walk in harmony.

Breathing in, feel the many life forms around you.

Breathing out, open your heart in gratitude Breathing in, feel the wonder of Nature.

Breathing out, open your heart to all life.

Breathing in, allow beauty to touch you.

Alongside a photo of boulders in a calm Appalachian stream, she writes: “Sit down and rest. The process of change requires pauses. / Allow the mind to still. / Listen.

Listen. Listen / and release that which weighs you down.” And from the voice coming from a photograph of the face of a male elk, she writes: “Trust the reality of other dimensions / and wisdom that can travel / through space and time./ We are the Ancestors / calling you home.” Or along with an amazing photo of two Humpback whales, we get this message: “We can create a new world together” Or from the imagined voices of two Spotted Dolphins: “The burden of every problem you wish to resolve / can be lightened with play” Or staring into the eyes of a female manatee in the fresh springs on the west coast of Florida, we hear “We can change the world / one moment at a time.”

Or from a beautiful raging red sunset along the Alabama coast in a piece Lipscomb titles “Awaken”: “Rise up to know unlimited beauty / awaits with every awakening. / Wake up! / Wake up! / Wake up!” Or in one of my favorite photos and narratives from the Castlerigg Stone Circle in Keswick, England — where I have been — this confirmational message from the circle of standing stones: You already know the Mystery; / it is within you, / encoded into every cell.”

I wish I could include some of the photos from “Book of Nature” in this review for you to see. But I hope from what I’ve have included, you get the idea from this wonderful book and what Simone Lipscomb is hoping to share with you. Or, in her own words again: Perhaps the only requirement to reading this book is to be open. As we journey outdoors with the intention to be open, teachers manifest. Whales, creeks, birds, dolphns, flowers, oceans, clouds, trees — all that is wild — show up as guides to a deeper relationship and understanding of the Sacred Mystery.” And then she humbly and gracefully concludes: May the photographs and words that have come through me find a home in your heart and draw you ever deeper into the Great Mystery.”

(Thomas Crowe is a regular contributer to The Smoky Mountain News and author of the multi-award-winning non-fiction nature memoir “Zoro’s Field: My Life in the Appalachian Woods.” Simone Lipscomb’s “Book of Nature” can be purchased through City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, at the website simonelipscomb.com and art galleries across the South.)

New monthly book club The Jackson County Public Library in Sylva is starting a new monthly program.

Each month, a library staff member will be discussing some of the new book titles that the library has received. Particular attention will be paid to “under the radar” titles and authors, new releases, and other books that the staff is excited about.

All are welcome and no registration is required. For more information on when the club will meet, please call the library at 828.586.2016.

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Smoky Mountain News

to mention the freshwater Ginnie Springs of Florida, the Alabama coast, and our own Great Smoky Mountains here in North Carolina. In all of these places we see them and read about them from Lipscomb’s perspective in earthy, enjoyable, enlightened, elegant, enthusiastic, ecstatic, ebullient, ecofriendly, educational, effectual, empathetic, empowering, engrossing and enjoyable prose-poems that are written from the perspectives of the images that she captures in each of her photographs in these various locations. For a photograph taken on Clingman’s Dome of a nature path among golden-orange fall leaves, she writes, meditatively:

Breathing out, open your heart and share yourself with the world.

This is Oneness in action.

May 4-10, 2022

uring the pandemic, regional authors have been busy. I’ve been made aware of several books being released this year by writers in our own back yard who have published books in several genres.

Since I write for a regional paper, I want to focus as much as possible on some of these authors and their recent books as I have done in the past and especially those books which deal with subjects and issues which affect us all.

Most recently, I received a review copy in the mail of a book by Jackson Writer County author and photographer Simone Lipscomb.

Simone is the author of several books going back as far as 1998 with such titles as “Cosmic Whales: Mystical Stories From the Sea,” “Deepening With Nature; Manatee Mindfulness and Other Wildlife Wisdom,” and “The Gulf Oil Spill Story.”

Her photographic and narrative work related to nature, the environment and the world’s oceans is fascinating, if not downright beautifully poetic.

In recent years, she has focused on the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains, which she now calls home and has documented the animal and plant diversity through her lens and with her words.

Much of what Lipscomb writes borders on the spiritual and leans in a slightly Zen posture. It is not religious, but rather simply compassionate and insightful. Reading her most recent offering, “Book of Nature” (2022), Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching comes immediately to mind; such is the quality and depth of Lipscomb’s introspection and insight. In a book that is as wise as it is beautiful, “Book of Nature” is a journey, both visual and mental, taking us to deeper parts of ourselves where there are mirrors for our own consciousness and humane perceptions. Or, in her own words from the book’s Introduction: “My own explorations into the ‘book of nature’ have led me not only deeper into the natural world, but deeper into

arts & entertainment

Take time to read the ‘Book of Nature’

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

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Outdoors

Smoky Mountain News

run by visitors I actually avoid going there.”

Breedlove, who has been leading the TDA since 2016, outlined several strategies his office is using to build a tourism industry in Jackson County that will provide maximum benefit to business owners and minimal impact to residents and resources.

Back in 2018, the TDA started advertising a “secret season” from January through March in a bid to stop increasing pressure on highdemand months like July and October and help small businesses boost profits during traditionally slow months. The organization recently spent $2,000 on Leave No Trace signs for popular areas to remind visitors how to enjoy them responsibly, and the TDA also spends about $60,000 annually on research showing when and where visitors spend their time and money. Those results help inform messaging decisions.

“A lot of us in this industry are about promotion,” Breedlove said. “Sometimes in this industry, we need to be about de-promotion — not promoting specific sites in our community.”

The fourth annual Outdoor Economy Conference brought together 600 people from 24 states to discuss issues facing the outdoors industry. Steven Reinhold photo

THE CONSTANT CONVERSATION

Stewarding opportunity Outdoor Economy Conference tackles tough questions

BY HOLLY KAYS OUTDOORS E DITOR ith more than 600 people and 70 speakers from 24 states gathering for a four-day event, the 2022 Outdoor Economy Conference held April 4-7 in Cherokee is difficult to sum up in a sentence, a paragraph or even a conversation.

But after taking a few weeks to mull it over, organizer Noah Wilson, who serves as sector development director for Mountain BizWorks, was willing to try.

“For me, those big themes are that there’s a role that we have to play in our environment as changemakers, and that is that we have to find ways to really be in balance with our places,” he said. “Because some of our places are getting loved to death.”

W

‘THREADING THE NEEDLE’ The outdoors is big for North Carolina, where the industry contributes $28 billion annually in consumer spending — much of that in the world-renowned mountains of the western region. From gear shops, manufacturers and guide services that offer a gateway to exploration to the bars, hotels and restaurants that welcome visitors at the end of each adventurous day, Western North Carolina’s natural beauty supports livelihoods and

whole communities.

But even as it generates dollars, increasing demand for mountain getaways causes problems. From a garbage-strewn Max Patch and mile-long rows of cars spilling from trailheads like Alum Cave and Chimney Tops to rising housing costs and pressure on public services, the impact is impossible to ignore.

The 2022 conference theme, “Stewards of Opportunity,” was chosen to take aim at that issue, and turn the attention of the diverse group of industry professionals who traveled to Cherokee last month toward the question of how to foster a thriving outdoor industry while also being good stewards of the people and places hosting it.

“It’s that question of how do we all work together to take care of our places and build our economies and ensure that conservation and recreation really are tied closely together?” Wilson said. “There were a lot of sessions that spoke to that.”

One such session, a panel on visitor use management data, tools and techniques, was held the morning of Wednesday, April 7.

“We know that more and more people are coming. We’re not turning a blind eye to it,” said Jackson County Tourism Development Authority Executive Director Nick Breedlove, a speaker on the panel. “We want to manage the experience. We want to make sure that those that come have a great experience, but we also want to make sure that our residents are comfortable with visitors.”

It’s like “threading a needle” he said — small businesses rely on the money visitors spend, but too many tourists coupled with

Mentorship program launching The fifth annual Outdoor Economy Conference is over a year away — scheduled for Sept. 18-21, 2023 — but in the meantime Mountain BizWorks’ Growing Outdoors Partnership Growth Initiative is busy with a variety of outdoor industry efforts, including the launch of Building Outdoor Communities, a waypoint accelerator program for communities involved with the outdoor industry.

The program is modeled on the Waypoint Accelerator program for outdoor businesses, which Sector Development Director Noah Wilson said has allowed participants to double their sales year-over-year. The new program would place communities from across Western North Carolina together in a cohort, where they would build connections and receive mentorship to figure out where they want their local outdoor industries to go, and what they need to get there. The application process will start this summer, with the kickoff event planned for Sept. 19-20 in Boone.

“That stuff works, and so we’re applying that same mindset to our communities,” said Wilson.

For more information about Mountain BizWorks’ outdoor economy efforts, visit mountainbizworks.org/growing-outdoors-partnership.

poorly managed visitation can ruin the experience. Not just for future visitors, but for locals as well.

“There’s destinations I used to love to go visit,” Breedlove said. “Now they are so over-

During the same month the conference unfolded, Friends of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail celebrated the trail idea’s 45th year, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park announced a ground-shaking proposal for a parkwide parking fee, and the much-anticipated Chestnut Mountain Nature Park opened in Canton.

The same conversation — the importance of the outdoor economy, increasing demand for outdoor spaces, and the ever-present question of how to welcome visitors without harming local resources and communities — ran through each event.

“The thing that’s got us to this point is a certain style of management that hasn’t evolved,” Blue Ridge Parkway Superintendent Tracy Swartout said during an April 8 panel discussion hosted by Friends of the MST. “We know the parks, we know how to manage them, we know how to bring in lots of people and give them a great experience and protect the resources. But the order of magnitude of the visitation that we have, the interests and the uses of the land that people want to do, has changed in a way that we have to change with them.”

The Parkway recorded 15.9 million visits last year, a number that returned it to its often-occupied spot as the country’s most visited National Park Service unit. Though individual places on the Parkway have seen significant increases in use during recent years, the overall visitation number isn’t out of line with the historical tally.

In the Smokies, it’s a different story. The park received 14.1 million visits last year, with a 57% increase over the last decade. That statistic, combined with flat federal funding, led the park to put forth a controversial proposal that, if enacted, would require paid parking tags to park a car in the historically free-to-use

Bigfoot fest coming to Marion

Public comment open for CWD rules A public hearing on proposed rules to curb spread of chronic wasting disease, a fatal ailment afflicting cervids like deer and elk, will be held 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, May 12, in Raleigh, with a virtual Zoom option available as well.

Public comment will be accepted through May 20 online, via email to regulations@ncwildlife.org or via mail to Rule-Making Coordinator, N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, 1701 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699-1700. Comments must include name, phone number and mailing address.

Visit ncwildlife.org/proposed-regulations for more information about the proposal, hearing registration or the online comment portal.

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Smoky Mountain News

reinventing the wheel.

“I have a mentor in the conference world who taught me that the most important work at a conference happens in the hallways,” Wilson said, and it’s a concept he took to heart when designing the conference.

Those small interactions, exchanges between people from far-apart places who might never otherwise meet, combine to create new ideas, new colIn addition to thoughtful laboration, sessions, the conference new partnerprioritized opportunities for ships that will connection, like open later affect our lunches and breakfasts and collective a craft beer tasting. future.

“There’s Steven Reinhold photo ripple effects that I know will happen for years to come as a result of this conference,” Wilson said.

Wilson said he’s seen a surge of willJackson County Tourism ingness to Development Authority Executive engage in that Director Nick Breedlove was one kind of creative of the conference’s 70 speakers. collaboration, Steven Reinhold photo and he believes it bodes well for the future of the outdoor economy.

Case in point: Chestnut Mountain. The 450-acre nature park opened in Canton April 22 and is the result of intense collaboration between nonprofits, governments, lawmakers and private individuals.

“That was a project that really was built to ensure that recreation drives conservapling with these issues — from scannable tion and economic development while there QR codes that make it easier to donate being habitat for the wildlife and rare money to free park passes available for species,” Wilson said. “That kind of balcheckout through the local library, creative anced, holistic approach is really a best ideas are out there. The conference allows practice, and it’s something that I’m super those ideas to be swapped and shared, so excited we have here in our region.” that communities don’t have to waste time park.

Wilson said he understands the problem — the park needs more money. But he also thinks there’s a “lot of room for creativity” in determining a solution that will address the need without hurting the local community.

And that, he said, is the value of the Outdoor Economy Conference. Western North Carolina isn’t the only region grap-

For the second year running, ginseng populations in the Nantahala and Pisgah National forests are too small to allow for permitted harvesting, the U.S. Forest Service says.

“Ginseng harvest has been part of Appalachian culture for generations, and we want to see that continue into the next generation,” said Gary Kauffman, botanist for the National Forests in North Carolina.

“Suspending ginseng harvest helps ensure wild ginseng on our national forests can rebuild its population. If we keep harvesting, the danger is that they’ll completely disappear from this area.”

Until 2013, anybody could harvest ginseng on national forests lands Sept. 1-30, so long as they obtained a permit. At that time, permits were $40 per wet pound of ginseng harvested, with a maximum allowable collection of 3 pounds. But in 2013 the Forest Service announced that due to declining populations

it would cut the number of permits issued by 75% to 136, with recipients to be determined through a lottery system, and halve the harvest season to cover only two weeks in September.

In 2021, the agency said there were too few plants to issue any permits at all. It may take “several years” to increase local populations enough for sustainable harvest, said a press release sent out last week.

Ginseng plants can live for 60-80 years and reproduce through seeds, with plants 10 years or older producing the most seeds.

However, older plants are increasingly rare due to overharvesting.

Kauffman has worked with other organizations to reintroduce ginseng into the national forests where the plant has been overharvested using seeds from local production beds.

Monitoring will continue, looking at population levels, plant sizes and seed production.

Anyone removing wild ginseng plants or parts on national forest lands without a permit may be fined up to $5,000 or receive a 6month sentence in federal prison, or both.

outdoors

“Come a skeptic, leave a believer” is the tagline of the WNC Bigfoot Festival planned for May 1415 in Marion.

The Southeast’s premier Bigfoot event will feature education panels, a Bigfoot calling contest and other family-friendly activities. For more information, visit marionbigfootfestival.com.

Pause on ginseng harvest to continue

Tyler & Ashley, Clyde

31

bear’s welfare and location, staff set traps the following day to try to humanely capture it.

Traps are often better than anesthesia darts in populated settings, because using a dart can cause the animal to run away or climb a A mother bear stuck in a lid is now fully tree, possibly resulting in a welfare issue for recovered following two days and nights of the bear. work from N.C. Wildlife Commission Staff.

Following two days and nights of roundOn Thursday, April 21, the agency received the-clock monitoring After anesthetizing the bear, and unsuccessful trapstaff were able to remove ping, a biologist spotthe lid. NWRC photo ted the bear calm and near unoccupied houses, with no people or other animals around.

Staff determined it was the best opportunity available to safely anesthetize the bear and remove the lid.

Once the bear was fully anesthetized, it took less than two minutes to remove the lid, confirm no other signs of injury and wake the bear up. She fully recovered, and staff left the an N.C. Wildlife Helpline tip about a disscene once bear and cubs were reunited. tressed bear in Asheville. After evaluating the

outdoors

Mother bear rescued from lid

Go birding Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with a walk at 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 10, at Welch Farm in Marble.

Birding expert Mark Graham will lead this Mainspring Conservation Trust event, discussing his work maintaining bluebird nest boxes on the property. Tickets are $10. Register at mainspringconserves.org/events.

May 4-10, 2022

DONATE

SHOP VOLUNTEER

Lindenwood Lake is home to a multitude of species. Donated photo

Wade into the role of water Explore the ways in which water drives the region’s biodiversity and connection to the greater Southeast at 10:30 a.m.

Saturday, May 14, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands.

The Highlands Biological Foundation’s spring educational event “Rain Check: Water on the Highlands Plateau” will start with a lecture from former HBF director and current co-owner of Canty Worley & Company Sonya Carpenter. Afterward, guests will enjoy lunch and depart on field

Volunteers needed for creek cleanup Help clean up Richland Creek 9 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 7, at the Waynesville Recreation Park.

The group will meet at the Vance Street pavilion and move along the walking trail, stream bank and Howell Mill Road. Gloves, trash bags and trash grabbers will be provided. Volunteers should wear close-toed shoes and long pants and bring a towel to dry off.

RSVP by May 6 to Christine O’Brien, christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11.

Hike the trifecta

WE ARE OPEN Tues.-Sat. • 10-4 Smoky Mountain News

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WALNUT VILLAGE SHOPPING CENTER 331 Walnut Street Waynesville

828.246.9135 haywoodhabitat.org

trips around the campus to see water in action. From exploring the banks of Lindenwood Lake or creating your own rain barrel to searching for wildlife along the Chattooga Loop Trail or learning about Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, there’s something for everyone.

Tickets are $50 per person and include lecture, lunch and one field trip/ workshop. Learn more and purchase tickets at highlandsbiological.org, or call 828.526.2221.

Choose your own adventure with a “trifecta” hike Wednesday, May 11.

Guides Phyllis Woollen and Steve Szczepanski will start the hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail at the Pisgah Inn area and hike 2.2 miles to the Buck Spring Tunnel parking. The next section will bring hikers 4.4 miles through the Pisgah Campground. From there, willing hikers can walk 1.5 miles roundtrip to Frying Pan Tower. All sections are considered easy with

little elevation change and great views.

The hike is one of a continuing series from the Haywood County Recreation Department. Other hikes this month are 9.8 miles from Polls Gap to Hemphill Bald May 14, 6.7 miles on the Cataloochee Divide Trail May 18, 6.1 miles on the MST from Grassy Ridge Mine Overlook to Standing Rock Overlook and 3.6 miles to Cove Creek Falls and Toms Springs Falls May 28.

Registration is $10 per hike. Call 828.452.6789 to sign up.

Want to fly fish?

Learn the ABCs of fly fishing or brush up on your skills with two-day courses offered through the Haywood County Recreation Department.

Experienced fly fisher and rod builder Tommy Thomas will lead the courses at the park below the Lake Junaluska Dam, with each session held on Friday and lasting from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. with a onehour lunch break. The beginner course will be offered May 13 and 20, then again July 15 and 22. The intermediate course will be held June 10 and 17, then again Aug. 12 and 19.

It’s only $10 to enroll, with no fishing license required and loaner rods available. Call 828.456.6789 to sign up.

loss for us.”

The Ocoee Whitewater Center in Polk Nobody is allowed onsite until the invesCounty, Tennessee, built for the 1996 tigation is complete. The off-limits area Olympics in Atlanta, is permanently closed includes associated trails: Rhododendron following an early morning fire April 26.

Trail, Bear Paw Loop Trail, Old Copper Road Polk County firefighters responded to Trail, 64 Connector Path and Chestnut the scene and got the blaze under control, and though nobody was injured the building is a complete loss, according to a press release from the U.S. Forest Service.

The cause is not yet known, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation is currently looking into it.

“First, we are just so grateful that The Ocoee Whitewater Center was no one was injured deemed a complete loss following a during the fire and fire April 26. USFS photo thankful to our partners for their Mountain Loop/Bear Paw Connector Trail. assistance in getting the fire under control Located about half an hour from and investigating the cause,” said Mike Murphy, the Ocoee Whitewater Center was Wright, Acting Forest Supervisor for the a key recreation site in the Cherokee Cherokee National Forest. “The Ocoee National Forest, hosting about 300,000 visiWhitewater Center was a unique site not tors each year. During the 1996 Olympics, it just here on the Cherokee National Forest, hosted the Canoe and Kayak Slalom events. but across the Forest Service. It is a difficult

The public comment period deadline for proposed fee changes in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has been extended from May 7 to May 11 due to a network outage that made the comment portal unavailable April 29 through May 1.

The park is proposing a new fee for parking — $5 daily, $15 weekly or $40 yearly — along with increases to camping and other amenity fees. For more about the proposal, visit bit.ly/gsmnpfee.

To comment online, visit parkplanning.nps.gov/GRSMfeeproposal2023 and select “Open for Comment” on the left menu bar and then “Proposed Smokies Fee Program Changes for 2023.”

Hard copy comments can be mailed to Superintendent Cassius Cash, Attn: 2023 Smokies Fee Program Changes Proposal, 107 Park Headquarters Road, Gatlinburg, TN 37738. The park will make a decision no later than Sept. 30.

A forest fire that broke out April 27 on the Pisgah National Forest near the Pisgah Inn has been contained, estimated to cover 370 acres of rough terrain.

The fire grew from 200 to 370 acres between April 29 and 30 due mainly to burnout operations, with firefighters removing fuels between containment lines and the fire’s edge to better control the fire’s intensity and secure containment lines.

Several roads, including part of the Blue Ridge Parkway, were closed over the weekend but are now reopen. Some trails closures remain.

The cause of the fire remains under

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outdoors

Fire destroys Ocoee Whitewater Center

A firefighter conducts burnout operations to contain the blaze. USFS photo investigation. About 30 U.S. Forest Service firefighters were assigned to the response.

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WE ARE BACK!

Volunteers give out reusable bags at Food Lion in Clyde on Friday, April 22. Pictured (from left) are Joan Doyle, Bill Hollowell, Penny Tracy and Pat Robbins. Donated photo

May 4-10, 2022

BYOBag Haywood highlights single-use plastic problem

After a multi-year absence, the 8th edition of the

Waynesville Main Street Mile will take place on

Saturday, June 11

and will benefit REACH of Haywood County

Fifty volunteers distributed more than 1,400 reusable bags in Haywood County on Earth Day and the following Saturday, April 22-23, to draw attention to the large number of single-use plastic bags consumed in the county and their impact on health and environment.

“We had hundreds of wonderful conversations on Earth Day,” said Betsy Wall, chair of the WNC Climate Action Coalition.

“So many people are worried about these plastics polluting our creeks, our forests, about these small bits of plastic entering our bodies, and were happy to receive the reusable bags.”

Volunteers sewed about 600 of the bags in the months preceding the event using donated cloth as well as feed and seed bags.

Food Lion Canton, Ingles Markets and Staples provided additional bags.

Volunteers then distributed them in 12

locations in Waynesville, Canton and Clyde.

Called BYOBag Haywood, the effort was a joint project of Outdoor Mission Community and the WNC Climate Action Coalition. The mayors of both Canton and Waynesville signed proclamations in support of BYOBag Haywood, in honor of Earth Day calling for a reduction in singleuse plastic consumption.

Plastic bags like those supplied at grocery stores are used for an average of 12 minutes, with the typical family going through about 1,500 bags each year. Unlike organic materials like paper, plastic does not break down — instead it breaks up into tiny particles that find their way into water, food, air and even human tissue.

The BYOBag Haywood effort is continuing. For more information, visit outdoormissioncommunity.org, wnclimateaction.com or Bring Your Own Bag Haywood on Facebook.

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Smoky Mountain News

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34

Puzzles can be found on page 38 These are only the answers.

Gather with gardeners Bill Messina, garden manager at Ace Hardware in Franklin, will speak at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 13, at the Environmental Resource Center on Lakeshore Drive in Franklin.

The talk is offered as part of the Macon County Master Gardener Association’s regular monthly meeting, and all are welcome to attend.

Species conservation plans open for comment Public comment is open through May 5 for draft species conservation plans concerning the Atlantic pigtoe mussel and Henslow’s sparrow.

The plans will guide agency efforts to maintain and increase populations of the two species, which are declining in North Carolina. Each plan includes biological information, causes of decline, conservation goals and potential conservation actions. The Atlantic pigtoe lives in clean,

free-flowing water in the Piedmont and Coastal Plain, while Henslow’s sparrow depends on grassland habitat during its nesting season.

N.C. Wildlife Resource Commission staff will present the draft plans to commissioners for approval at their June business meeting. Once approved, the plans will serve as blueprints for species conservation.

To read the plans or provide input, visit ncwildlife.org/draftplan.

WNC Calendar COMMUNITY EVENTS & ANNOUNCEMENTS • The Jackson County Farmers Market meets every Saturday November through March 10 a.m.-1 p.m. and April through October 9 a.m.-noon at Bridge Park in Sylva, 110 Railroad St. Special events listed on Facebook and Instagram.

• The Jackson Arts Market takes place from 1-5 p.m. every Saturday at 533 West Main St. in Sylva with live music and an array of local artists. Wooly Booger will play music at the market May 7.

• Cowee School Farmer’s Market will be held from Wednesdays from 3-6 p.m., at 51 Cowee School Drive in Franklin. The market has produce, plant starts, eggs, baked goods, flowers, food trucks and music. For more information or for an application, visit www.coweeschool.org or call 828.369.4080.

• Starting this weekend, the Rickman Store, in the heart of the Cowee-West Mill Historic District, will be open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturdays. The Friends of the Rickman Store invite the community and visitors to gather again in this historic place. For more information visit Friends of the Rickman Store on Facebook or call 828.369.5595.

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS • Highlands Volunteer Fair will take place from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. May 19, at the Highlands Civic Center. The free event will bring together those willing to volunteer with the nonprofit organizations that them. For more information about the Volunteer Fair and other Highlands events, visit highlands chamber.org.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS • Swain County Caring Corner Free Clinic is open Thursday’s 4-9 p.m. at Restoration House (Bryson City United Methodist Church). Office hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 9 a.m.-noon. Call 828.341.1998 to see if you qualify to receive free medical care from volunteer providers.

AUTHORS AND BOOKS • Blue Ridge Books will host author Louise Morgan Runyon for a reading from her new book of poetry, “The Passion of Older Women,” at 2 p.m. Saturday, May 7.

Masks are mandatory for this event. For more information visit blueridgebooks.com or call 828.456.6000.

• Friends of the Haywood County Public Library will host an evening with local author Renea Winchester from 6-8 p.m. May 19 at the York Dining Commons on Lake Junaluska. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door. For more information contact folhaywoodcounty@gmail.com.

A&E

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

• Art After Dark will take place from 6-9 p.m. Friday, May 6, in downtown Waynesville. Nine galleries will be participating, there will be sidewalk musicians and art demonstrations within individual galleries.

• Boho Hippie Festival will take place from 11 a.m.-10

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com p.m. May 7, at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.

There will be live music, food trucks, performance artists, vendors, tie dye stations and more. For more information email hotheadevents@gmail.com.

• The Brasstown Ringers community handbell ensemble will hold a concert at 4 p.m. Saturday, May 14, at the First Presbyterian Church in Franklin. Contact Linda Sterrett at lkmsterrett@gmail.com or Brett McDonald at lancer442000@yahoo.com.

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

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

• The Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Nathan Hefner (piano/vocals) May 7 and Bob Zullo (guitars/vocals) May 14. All shows begin at 7 p.m.

Limited seating. Reservations are highly recommended.

828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Blue Jazz 7 p.m.

May 7. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 or curraheebrew.com.

• First Presbyterian Chapel (Franklin) will host The Ubuntu Choir (world music) at 3 p.m. May 8. Free and open to the public.

• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host Woolybooger (Americana/blues) May 5 and Paul Edelman (singersongwriter) May 12. Free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host “Music Bingo” w/Hibiscus Sunshine at 7 p.m. every Wednesday and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events are free and open to the public. innovation-brewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Karaoke Night” 7 p.m. May 13 and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 or lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Jon Cox & Bridget Gossett (Americana/folk) May 6. All shows begin at 9 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host “Karaoke in the Smokies” May 5, High Strangeness May 6, Curtis & Kim Jones May 7, Random Act of Music May 12, Tricia Ann Band May 1, and Rock Holler May 14. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.538.2488.

Smoky Mountain News

your special hat. Free and open to the public.

828.246.6292 or scotsmanpublic.com.

• “The Seeds We Bear: The Ties Between Food, Identity and Motherhood” will take place at 3 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, virtually. Four women from different indigenous nations across the United States will discuss the impact of traditional foods in their communities — and how pursuing stronger ties with traditional foods and preparation can strengthen our ties with ourselves.

Panelists will also discuss how food can influence childbirth and motherhood. Events are free, but space is limited. Find registration links at mci.org/learn/programming.

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

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

• Take a trip around the world with 4 different wines every Friday 11 a.m.-8 p.m. and Saturday 11a.m.-6 p.m. at the Bryson City Wine Market. Pick from artisan Charcuterie Foods to enjoy with wines. 828.538.0420.

• Cooking classes take place at the McKinley Edwards Inn from 6-8:30 p.m. on Thursday nights. To reserve your spot call 828.488.9626.

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT • Unplugged Pub (Bryson City) will host “Improv Night” by the Smoky Mountain Community Theater at 7 p.m.

Tuesday, May 10. Ages 21 and up. There will be a $5 cover, which will go directly to the theater. The pub will also donate 25% of the night’s drink receipts to the theater to assist in the restoration efforts. As well, the theater is always happy to accept additional donations.

828.538.2488.

ART SHOWINGS AND GALLERIES • “Thursday Painters” group will be held from 10 a.m.3 p.m. on Thursdays at The Uptown Gallery in Franklin.

Free and open to the public. All skill levels and mediums are welcome. Participants are responsible for their own project and a bag lunch. 828.349.4607 or pm14034@yahoo.com.

• Landscape photographer John Smith and jewelry artist Kristie MacGregor will be on display at Twigs and Leaves Gallery for Art After Dark, 6-9 p.m. May 6. twigsandleaves.com

FOOD AND DRINK • The Scotsman (Waynesville) will host a special “Derby Day” celebration of food and libations to honor the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, May 7. Don’t forget to wear

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

Complete listings of local music scene Regional festivals Art gallery events and openings Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers n Civic and social club gatherings Resource Center in Franklin. The sale is hosted by the Macon County Master Gardener Association at 1624 Lakeside Drive.

• Friends of the Greenway will hold its annual spring fundraising fair 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7, in Franklin. The day will feature arts and crafts, food and music, supporting the group stewarding the Little Tennessee River Greenway. The fair will be held at 573 E. Main St., at the town bridge.

• Haywood County Recreation will host a land navigation course from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. May 7. The course will be taught by Steve Kuni, location TBD. This course provides instruction on map and compass navigation and applies those fundamentals to modern cell phone apps. Cost is $10, class size is limited to 10. Register by calling the Haywood County Recreation Department at 828.452.6789.

• Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day with a walk at Welch Farm in Marble, 10 a.m. Tuesday, May 10. Birding expert Mark Graham will lead this Mainspring Conservation Trust event, discussing his work maintaining bluebird nest boxes on the property. Tickets are $10.

Register at mainspringconserves.org/events.

• Haywood County Recreation will lead a hike on the MST at the Pisgah Inn/ Campground area on May 11.

Phyllis Woollen and Steve Szczepanski will guide the hike. All sections are considered easy. All hikes are $10.

Contact the Recreation Department to register.

• The Highlands Biological Foundation’s spring education event “Rain Check: Water on the Highlands Plateau” will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, May 14, at the Highlands Nature Center in Highlands. Tickets are $50 per person and include the lecture, lunch and one field trip. Workshop. Learn more and purchase tickets at highlands biological.org or call 828.526.2221.

• Learn the ABCs of fly fishing or brush up on your skills with two-day courses offered through the Haywood County Recreation Department. Courses will be held at the park below Lake Junaluska Dam, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. on Fridays. Beginner courses offered May 13 and 20, again on July 15 and 22, intermediate courses offered June 10 and 17, again on Aug. 12 and 19. Cost is $10 to enroll, with no fishing license required and loaner rods available. Call 828.456.6789 to sign up.

FILM & SCREEN • The Bryson City Presbyterian Church will have a special screening of “Youth v. Gov” at 12:30 p.m. May 1, in the fellowship hall. A light lunch will be provided.

MOTHER’S DAY • Lake Junaluska will host a Mother’s Day Buffet from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday, May 8, at historic Lambuth Inn. Pricing for the buffet is $32 plus tax and gratuity for adults and youth age 13 and older, and $16 plus tax and gratuity for children ages 5-12 years old. Children 4 years old and younger dine for free. For more information or to make a reservation and pay, visit lakejunaluska.com/mothersday 800.222.4930.

35

Outdoors

• The annual Jackson County Bike Rodeo will return 2-4 p.m. Saturday, May 7, at the Cullowhee Recreation Center. Hosted by Jackson County Parks and Recreation, the event is supported by a diverse set of community partners and donors. It will be postponed in case of rain or bad weather. Contact Trevor Brown with questions at 828.293.3053.

• A plant and gardening sale will be held 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Saturday, May 7, at the Franklin Environmental

FARM AND GARDEN • Sylva Garden Club will hold its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday May 3, in the Fellowship Hall, First Presbyterian Church of Sylva. For more information go to sylvagardenclubnc.com.

• Bill Messina, garden manager at Ace Hardware in Franklin, will speak at 10:30 a.m. Friday, May 13, at the Environmental Resource Center on Lakeshore Drive in Franklin. The talk is offered as part of the Macon County Master Gardener Association’s regular monthly meeting, and all are welcome to attend.

• Sylva Garden Club Yard Sale will take place from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 21, at Bridge Park in Syvla.

The Sylva Garden Club works to maintain the planters along Main Street and the cradles on the bridges. The yard sale proceeds will help provide the flowers. The club also takes care of flower beds in Centennial Park.

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

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

Pets TRINKET FROM SARGE’S ANIMAL RESCUE Trinket is a pretty grey tabby about 11 years old. Trinket has been an indoor/outdoor cat and would be a wonderful addition to any family. She’s a sweet and friendly girl.

Trinket’s adoption fee is $30. You can meet Trinket at the Dog House in Waynesville. (828) 2469050 info@sarges.org

DANIELLE FROM SARGE’S ANIMAL RESCUE Danielle is a sweet and friendly KRXQG PL[HG JLUO ZKR LV DERXW PRQWKV old and weighs 25 pounds. Danielle’s tail is always wagging and while it doesn’t appear she has had much in the way of training in her young life, she is very eager to please and has taken to leash walking ever so quickly!

What she might lack in training, she sure makes up for with love and cuteness.

Danielle’s adoption fee is $125. Our dog adoption application FDQ EH IRXQG DW ZZZ sarges.org (828) 2469050 info@sarges.org

See Virtual Tours of listed homes at

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

• • • •

Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com Steve Mauldin - smauldin@sunburstrealty.com Randy Flanigan - 706-207-9436 Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com • The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com • Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com • Darrin Graves - dgraves@kw.com

Ron Breese Broker/Owner 71 North Main Street Waynesville, NC 28786 Cell: 828.400.9029 ron@ronbreese.com

Lakeshore Realty

www.ronbreese.com

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Each office independently owned & operated.

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

• Lyndia Massey- buyfromlyndia@yahoo.com

D

Mountain Creek Real Estate • Ron Rosendahl - 828-593-8700

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

DAVID WILLETT BROKER, REALTOR®, ABR®, SRS, E-PRO®, GREEN, SRES®, RENE, RSPS, C2EX CELL:

828-550-0220

71 NORTH MAIN STREET

WAYNESVILLE

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

(828) 712-5578

lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

www.LakeshoreRealtyNC.com Conveniently located in the Bethea Welcome Center

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com • The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com • Ron Breese - ronbreese.com • Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com • Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com • Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net • David Willet - davidwillet1@live.com • Sara Sherman - sarashermanncrealtor@gmail.com • David Rogers- davidr@remax-waynesville.com • Judy Meyers - jameyers@charter.net

Smoky Mountain Retreat Realty

OWNER/BROKER

91 N. Lakeshore Dr. Lake Junaluska 828.456.4070

• Rob Roland - robroland@beverly-hanks.com

Emerson Group - emersongroupus.com ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

EXECUTIVE

Phyllis Robinson The Only Name in Junaluska Real Estate

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

• George Escaravage - george@emersongroupus.com • Chuck Brown - chuck@emersongroupus.com

RE/MAX

SOL

• • • • • • • • • • • • • •

SARA SHERMAN BROKER, REMAX EXECUTIVE

828.558.1912CALL/TEXT SaraShermanNCRealtor@gmail.com

SaraShermanRE.com

TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE

828.452.4251 ads@smokymountainnews.com

SUPER

CROSSWORD

WHO TO WHO? ACROSS 1 Otis of elevator fame 7 One-named co-star of "Crime Without Passion" 12 "Striped" fish 16 Trick-or-treating mo.

19 Sine and cosine, say 20 Korean, e.g.

21 "I smell --!"

22 Golf standard 23 Road trip between apparitions?

26 LAX guess 27 Bobby on ice 28 Otis on "The Andy Griffith Show," e.g.

29 Darling 30 Above, in verse 31 Unrefined 32 Phone conversation between ministers?

37 Little Bighorn tribe 40 Summer mo.

41 Many millennia 42 "The Wire" channel 43 Organic compound 44 Choose as a member 47 -- -Locka, Florida 49 Get back together, as alumni 51 String of vehicles between gas station patrons?

56 Pointer 57 Market segment 58 A fifth of XV 59 Old fed. led by Nasser 60 Nuts are high in it 61 In the least 63 Maine city near Bangor 65 New York stage awards 67 Conga line between Arab leaders?

73 Pistons great Thomas 74 "The Chronic" rapper 75 Love a lot 77 Sahara viper 80 Soothing treatment, for short 81 One in a pod 82 Cher and Adele, voicewise 85 License plate 86 Rugs between casino high rollers?

91 Eminent 92 Publicize 93 "The -- falling!"

94 Went by taxi, e.g.

95 Eminent lead-in 96 French noble 98 Multipurpose truck, in brief 99 Perfected 100 Guy peddling between clodhoppers?

107 Hooter 108 Playwright Levin 109 Antagonist 110 Tara of "Sharknado" 111 Lick like a cat 114 Common co. name ender 115 Brief romances between Copenhagen residents?

120 School gp.

121 Ax part 122 Pop or bop 123 Fidgets 124 Cur's noise 125 Potting dirt 126 Exhausted 127 Attack like a cur DOWN 1 Hence 2 Lion player Bert 3 "Believe -- not!"

4 Gal in the family 5 Depilatory treatment 6 Moving about 7 Myopic cartoon "Mr." 8 Pale gray 9 With 72-Down, it flows to the Gulf of Mexico 10 Very fuel-inefficient wheels 11 In first place 12 Gin joint 13 Songlike 14 Buy for less 15 Draconian 16 Regular at the Met, maybe 17 Spanish region 18 Fish with a heavy net 24 Come- -- (lures) 25 Genetic stuff 32 Orange juice stuff 33 Siesta takers 34 Ballet garb 35 Back part 36 Julia Child or James Beard 37 Nasal partitions 38 Some Alaska natives 39 Repeating polka sound 44 Dernier -45 Non-Rx 46 "Pick me! I know this!"

47 Strong pain reliever 48 Architect I.M. 49 Little-seen instance 50 Outer: Prefix 52 In the military 53 Vitamin's relative 54 Heavy brass 55 Drought relief 62 Maui wreath 64 Worrywart's cry 65 Grammy-winning Beck album of 1996

66 Caesar of TV 68 Piper's skirt 69 Tortilla treat 70 Hershey chocolate bar with crisped rice 71 Vague idea 72 See 9-Down 76 Spurred (on) 77 Barley beard 78 Store proprietor 79 Cop's vehicle 81 Chi lead-in 83 Angle lead-in 84 Photo -87 Lewd look 88 Texas city 89 This, to Jorge 90 1982 Disney sci-fi film 96 El -- (city of legend) 97 African river 98 Exhausted 99 Reveled 100 Twanging spring sound 101 Ebb-and-flow phenomena 102 Frequently, in verse 103 Inn offerings 104 Raise 105 Deep blue 106 Makes mad 111 Talk like Daffy Duck 112 Vicinity 113 "Hey ... you" 116 Wiggling fish 117 Enzyme suffix 118 Diarist Anais 119 Actor Butterfield of "Ender's Game"

ANSWERS ON PAGE 34

Real Estate Announcements WHITE-GLOVE SERVICE From America’s Top Movers. Fully insured and bonded. Let us take the stress out of your out of state move. FREE 4827(6 &DOO 2782 PUBLISHER’S NOTICE 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 18 living with parents or legal guardians and pregnant women.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate in violation of this law. All dwellings advertised on equal opportunity basis.

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Legal, Financial and Tax

STOP WORRYING! SilverBills eliminates the stress and hassle of bill payments. All household bills guaranteed to be paid on time, as long as appropriate funds are available. SilverBills 1-866-530-1374

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Wanted to Buy

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, highend, totaled – it doesn’t matter! Get free towing and same day cash! Call 866-535-9689

SUDOKU Here’s How It Works: Sudoku puzzles are formatted as a 9x9 grid, broken down into nine 3x3 boxes. To solve a sudoku, the numbers 1 through 9 must fill each row, column and box. Each number can appear only once in each row, column and box. You can figure out the order in which the numbers will appear by using the numeric clues already provided in the boxes. The more numbers you name, Answers on 34 the easier it gets to solve the puzzle!

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May 4-10, 2022

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Smoky Mountain News May 4-10, 2022