Smoky Mountain News | July 22, 2020

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

July 22-28, 2020 Vol. 22 Iss. 08

EBCI amends complaint contesting Catawba casino Page 12 Canary Coalition dissolves after 20 years Page 28

Law enforcement discusses reform

CONTENTS

STAFF

On the Cover: The Smoky Mountain News digs deeper into the nationwide debate about police brutality and criminal justice reform as we examine the training, pay and funding for local law enforcement agencies in Western North Carolina.

(Page 6) Photo by Cory Vaillancourt

News A tale of two rallies ..............................................................................................................4 Jackson shelves task force, discuss statue’s fate ..................................................10 EBCI amends complaint contesting Catawba casino ..........................................12 Indoor pool question will appear on Jackson ballot ..............................................15 Coronavirus cluster found at casino ..........................................................................16 Haywood redirects economic development funding ............................................17 Candidates file for Haywood school board ..............................................................17 Nonprofit to offer support dogs to first responders ..............................................18 Business News ..................................................................................................................21

Opinion Let’s try to avoid two pitfalls when school reopens ..............................................22

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Scott McLeod. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . info@smokymountainnews.com Greg Boothroyd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . greg@smokymountainnews.com Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . micah@smokymountainnews.com Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . travis@smokymountainnews.com Jessica Murray . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessica.m@smokymountainnews.com Susanna Shetley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . susanna.b@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jc-ads@smokymountainnews.com Hylah Birenbaum. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hylah@smokymountainnews.com Sophia Burleigh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . sophia.b@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jessi Stone. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . jessi@smokymountainnews.com Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . holly@smokymountainnews.com Hannah McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . hannah@smokymountainnews.com Cory Vaillancourt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . cory@smokymountainnews.com Garret K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . garret@smokymountainnews.com Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . smnbooks@smokymountainnews.com Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . classads@smokymountainnews.com Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Susanna Shetley (writing) Boyd Allsbrook (writing), Andrew Dundas (writing)

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A&E Eleanor Underhill to release new album ....................................................................24

Outdoors Canary Coalition dissolves after 20 years ................................................................28

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A tale of two rallies Americans on all sides want change, but don’t want to change

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER lack lives matter. All lives matter.

Defund the police. Back the badge.

Take it down. Leave it up. Heritage.

Hate. Reopen. Stay closed. Biden. Trump.

For the eighth straight week, protests, rallies and demonstrations continued in Western North Carolina, with no signs of stopping any time soon. Regardless of the cause behind them, these events have at least one thing in common — Americans are angry, and they’re taking to the streets.

Despite the commonality, two separate rallies held on the same day last weekend showcase the widening gulf between competing ideologies that both want change, but both point accusing fingers at the other when asked who’s to do the changing.

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efore the Saturday, July 18, Black Lives Matter march in Maggie Valley began, several local business owners made known through signage that while protestors were welcome, their cause wasn’t.

“If this group wants to come to Maggie Valley and walk down our sidewalks and hold their signs, I absolutely welcome them, if they do it peacefully because our Constitution protects that right of protest,” said Robert Edwards, owner of A Holiday Motel on Soco Road. “I haven’t individually talked to anybody representing that group, but the group that they call Black Lives Matter at large, there are probably a lot of people that are marching with that group that have good reasons, but the group in my opinion is not exactly having the best intentions across our nation.”

The sign outside Edwards’ motel said, “BLM incites racism & violence. All lives matter. One love — all humanity.”

Dylan Davis, who helped organize the BLM march — he’s also been out in front of similar events in Waynesville and Canton — wouldn’t quite admit that the sometimes-

Smoky Mountain News

July 22-28, 2020

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violent actions of BLM protestors nationwide give business owners like Edwards ample cause for concern, but did say his group has proven through previous marches that they’re not out to riot, loot or damage local businesses.

“We’re just here trying to be peaceful.

We’re all here for the same cause, but we don’t follow some of the same principles [as other BLM groups], said Davis. “People can have their own opinions, but we’re here for a good cause and we’re here to do it peacefully.”

As a torrential downpour took shape, Davis and about 30 others began their march from Town Hall up the sidewalk on Soco Road, with Maggie Valley Police Department officers in tow.

Inexplicably, their route took them right past the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds, where perhaps a hundred counterdemonstrators had lined up, waiting for them, within arm’s reach.

Waving Confederate flags, Trump banners and “all lives matter” signs, counterdemonstrators shouted, screamed and spat on marchers. Several heated exchanges were observed and racial slurs were uttered.

“I’m not sure who he was, but he ended up saying ‘nigger’ a couple times, and the officers heard him and didn’t say anything.

I was scared,” said marcher Karley Simmons, of Canton. “Being a Black woman, I knew that things could get physical fast, but there would not be a lot we could do about it.”

The march continued east on Soco Road for a few more blocks until crossing the street and heading back from whence it came, again inexplicably right past that same seething gauntlet of counterdemonstrators, who had already crossed the street and were waiting for them.

This time, there was a lot more engagement between the two groups, as bullhorns blared and thunder rumbled and rubberneckers in traffic stopped to watch. As the BLM group marched on, beneath the dark grey skies, several counter demonstrators attempted to follow the group.

One man took to harassing media covering the event, chal-

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More than 200 people turned out to an Armed Patriots/pro-Trump/Second Amendment rally in Bryson City on July 18. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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A counter demonstrator who gave his name as Todd Barone addresses BLM protestors in Maggie Valley on July 18. Cory Vaillancourt photo

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BLM demonstrators dialogue with counterdemonstrators in Maggie Valley on July 18. Demonstrators return to Maggie Valley Town Hall (below) upon completing their march. Cory Vaillancourt photos

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our hours later and 30 miles away, another rally was shaping up in sunny Bryson City — this one labeled by its organizers as an “Armed Patriots/proTrump/Second Amendment” event.

More than 200 people showed up, many of them armed, including a contingent of 3 percent militia members in full battle rattle.

Across the street, a small group of counterdemonstrators waved signs.

“I just wanted to show the other side of the coin, and to make people that live here and visitors realize that there is another side,” said Kathy Petersen, of Bryson City.

With her was Rick Wirth, also of Bryson City.

“I feel that Trump is a real danger for this country, and Biden represents stability and progress,” said Wirth, who was holding a pro-Biden sign. “We can’t afford four more years of Trump. We need to bring in a new man to set things right.”

Unlike the counter demonstrators in Maggie Valley, Petersen, Wirth and the other half-dozen standing alongside them

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didn’t engage with the rally, which featured speakers including Swain commission candidates Robert Lowe and Graham Allen, as well as former Rep. Mike Clampitt, who’s once again seeking his District 119 House seat.

Also unlike Maggie Valley, absent were the face-to-face confrontations that resulted in many an ugly incident.

Swain County resident Patrick Smith, who helped organize the event and also spoke, told SMN that this rally, too, was about change, but given the rally’s focus, it’s certainly not the change the BLM folks were pushing.

“I’m tired of people complaining and nothing getting done. I’m tired of looking around and seeing things changing that I don’t like, and I’m tired of people complaining about changes that they don’t like but not doing nothing about it, so my goal is to push people to do something,” Smith said. “We can’t be silent anymore. Things are going to change with or without you and if you want to change it, get out there and do it.”

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lenging Mountaineer reporter Kyle Perotti to “join the military.” Perotti, a Navy veteran, told the man he had. The man told Perotti “you’re violating your goddamn oath” and called him a “scumbag.” The man then turned his attention to this reporter, offering vulgarities and lunging toward the camera in a feeble attempt at physical intimidation.

“I think for a lot of our protestors, some of them being young women, some of them being Black, I can’t imagine how they felt,” said Josh Merrell, who is white and lives in Waynesville. “The intimidation could have affected us negatively, but I think it gave us all a jolt of spirit.”

And they’d need that jolt; as the march concluded, many were stunned to see the Town Hall parking lot where it had started full of counterdemonstrators, waving Confederate flags.

What would have been a series of speeches by BLM marchers quickly turned into an o hours-long series of shouting matches between demonstrators and counterdemonstrators, who were separated by a contingent of more than a dozen law enforcement officers that had grown to include personnel from the Haywood County Sherriff ’s Office and the Waynesville Police Department.

“When we were organizing this, we had multiple business owners tell us they don’t support it, that [racism] is not a problem in Haywood County, that we need to go where it actually is a problem, in the bigger cities,” said Simmons. “That just goes to show that they don’t want change. There is a problem.”

A post on the Communities for Change Facebook page vowed that the BLM marchers would be back in Maggie Valley, on Aug. 1, “due to the events that had unfolded on Saturday.”

140,000

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BACKING THE BADGE

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER he death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers less than two months ago has added new fuel to the long-simmering debate over criminal justice reform.

In addition to now-common discussions over pretrial incarceration, mental health resources and substance abuse treatment, advocates of reform are perhaps for the first time taking a serious look at policing itself, and they’re demanding radical systemic change.

Whether those demands are practical or beneficial for Western North Carolina communities will be argued for the foreseeable future, but it all comes down to one simple question.

What does it mean to “back the badge?”

Over the past few weeks, writers at The Smoky Mountain News delved into that very question, utilizing

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extensive public records requests and interviews with the region’s top law enforcement officials.

Beginning this week, we’ll bring readers a series of stories focusing on the context of police reform and the realities behind it.

For example — becoming a police officer isn’t easy, even after extensive basic training is completed, but does that training give cadets the tools they really need to be effective police officers?

Some bemoan a lack of police funding and entry-level salaries described as “disgraceful,” but what do law enforcement officers really make, and what’s the impact of that on the average taxpayer?

Others call for “defunding the police” in favor of social workers or crisis intervention teams, but what would that look like from a public safety standpoint, and does it make financial sense?

The overwhelming majority of law enforcement offi-

cials acknowledge the presence of the same “bad apples” that exist in every profession, so why are current public records laws constructed so as to impede accountability?

Our investigation — conducted in conjunction with law enforcement agencies in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties as well as the towns of Bryson City, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Maggie Valley, Sylva and Waynesville — will add facts to a conversation that’s traditionally been long on opinion and emotion.

From all of that, one fact has become exceedingly clear — backing the badge means addressing the systemic shortcomings in policing that sometimes result in deaths like that of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, but it also means addressing funding strategies that can result in poorly trained, underpaid, ill-equipped, inexperienced officers being thrust into situations and places most people fear to tread.

Law enforcement training — a constant job interview

Smoky Mountain News

July 22-28, 2020

BY BOYD ALLSBROOK CONTRIBUTING WRITER n light of the recent national uproar over police brutality, law enforcement training has rocketed to the forefront of public discussion. It’s a complicated topic; not merely for the politically charged rhetoric it now commonly evokes, but also because approaches to training new officers vary widely from state to state, county to county and agency to agency. It’s a convoluted process and made more difficult to grasp still when you factor in how agencies emphasize different aspects of training on even a personal basis.

In Western North Carolina, the first step to becoming a law enforcement officer is usually to seek out sponsorship from an agency — generally a local police station or sheriff ’s office. While not strictly necessary, sponsorship acts as a tuition waiver for basic law enforcement training, and also gets a potential LEO’s foot in the door.

However, sponsorship is not a guarantee of employment, said Haywood County’s Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes.

“We sponsor someone and send them to Basic Law Enforcement Training — that does not mean we’re going to hire them,” he said.

It’s worth noting that to even gain sponsorship, a candidate must submit to a partial background check.

The most widely known step in the hiring process is Basic Law Enforcement Training, or BLET. This training can be delivered by many state-certified community colleges — including Haywood Community College and 6 Southwestern Community College — though

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there are separate academies purely for police training. BLET curriculum — as set by the North Carolina Sheriffs’ Education and Training Standards Commission and the Criminal Justice Education & Training Standards Commission — covers 36 areas of law enforcement work, including law enforcement driver training, motor vehicle laws, search and seizure, arrest procedure and constitutional law. Haynes emphasized the focus many instructors place on judgment and ethics.

“It’s about your ability to follow direction, your ability to comply with general statutes, your ability to understand the constitutionality of what you’re doing, to understand the magnitude and importance of what’s being bestowed upon you once you do complete this training,” he said.

Over the course of those four to five months, trainees are perpetually evaluated by their instructors and also by prospective employers.

“I always tell new BLET students,” said Haynes, “from this day forward, you are in a constant job interview. Because all of the instructors are also deputy sheriffs and police officers and highway patrolmen that work day to day with the command staff of different agencies.”

Those who successfully complete BLET are eligible to complete the certification process, which involves an extensive written test, physical exam and psychological screening. Only after certification can a candidate enter the hiring process.

There’s a viral claim online that law enforcement training requires fewer hours than other skilled professions, including cos-

“When somebody comes into contact with law enforcement, the reason for it is typically because that person is at their lowest, and we don’t want to add to that. We want to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.”

— Haywood County Chief Deputy Jeff Haynes

metology. This is only partly true: while N.C. BLET mandates 640 hours to Cosmetology’s 1,200 hours, a graduate is in no way finished with their training. BLET is meant to give a comprehensive introduction to police work, but nearly all agencies have a field training program set for their new hires.

“Basic Law Enforcement Training and the Detention Officer Course are just that, basic in nature,” said Sheriff Robert Holland of Macon County. “They were set up to provide training to the new officer/recruit in order to

prepare them to enter the field of law enforcement/corrections. An agency must have a structured Field Training Program (F.T.O.) in place to properly train an officer after their hire in.”

Haynes described field training as something like an apprenticeship. A newly hired, certified officer — after being subjected to a full background check — shadows a more senior officer or deputy and continues to learn while on the job. Field training is of similar length to BLET,

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The conversation to defund the police

though intensity and duration are contingent on a given agency’s location, the new hire’s experience level and available resources. Only after field training is complete can an officer patrol alone.

The entire training period — from first application for sponsorship to the completion of field training — is designed to be as rigorous and stressful as possible. It’s seen as an arena for prospective cops to react under pressure.

Haynes says while most applicants to the force are well-meaning and morally sound, it takes a special kind of person to do the job consistently and well.

“I very rarely, in my 30-plus years doing this, have seen any moral issues in that time.

I’ve seen a lot of judgment issues, just like you could in journalism or medicine or law,” Haynes said. “Everyone’s not meant to be a journalist. Everyone’s not meant to be a surgeon or a teacher. We’re all blessed with certain gifts. We just have to find those gifts and

refine those gifts so that we can produce what we should.”

Entry-level police work is difficult, lowpaying and often thankless. Sheriff Holland described the starting pay in western counties as “disgraceful.” Under years of continual strain, those not truly cut out for law enforcement tend to crack. It’s vital for instructors, screeners and command staff to sort out the wheat from proverbial chaff during the training period — before the job’s strain begins to take a toll.

Both Haynes and Holland feel that the cases of police brutality across the country should be first viewed at an individual level.

After all, the most recent data shows that roughly 53 million people a year have contact with law enforcement (Bureau of Justice Statistics); in 2019, only 28 were fatally shot.

That’s nowhere close to statistically representative in terms of systemic police brutality. To put that ratio in perspective; lightning strikes the U.S. 25 million times a year and kills an

average of 49 people (National Weather Service). An unarmed American has a far better chance of being killed in a thunderstorm than they do by a cop.

“Each case is different,” Holland said. “I don’t think that all incidents can be isolated to one exact cause. Is the officer experiencing depression? Burnout? How is department morale? Was it in fact police brutality? Was the use of force used by the officer justified but portrayed differently by the media? Each case needs to be investigated and examined on a case-by-case basis.”

“Yes, there are bad law enforcement officers,” added Haynes. “It’s just the human element. I think it is very irresponsible to categorize an entire profession in a sweeping broad statement that everybody is that way. You could say that about any profession. Or any ethnic group. Or any religious organization.”

However, both believe that law enforcement can collectively improve. While fatal shootings are the most devastating form of

“Defunding the police does not mean an immediate end to policing, but instead investing in social policies that prevent people from experiencing violence and harm in the first place.”

— Dr. Adam Elliot Cooper

police violence, they aren’t the only measure of flaws in the system. It’s worth examining racial statistics to this end. A widely published Harvard study found that while there is no evidence to suggest that police kill Black people at a greater rate than white people, African Americans are 53% more likely to be subjected to nonlethal force.

This seems damning, though is muddied somewhat by the usual issues of response bias that confound all such research. Data on police violence are as of yet scant, and much more is needed before final conclusions can be made.

“I certainly understand the national concern and the national spotlight that’s been put on law enforcement and I simply do feel that there is always room for improvement,” Haynes said. “I don’t think those complaints fall on deaf ears. I think law enforcement knows that we’re constantly under a micro-

Smoky Mountain News

issues — homelessness, drug addiction, domestic violence,” said Ailicia Garza, cofounder of Black Lives Matter. “What we do need is increased funding for housing, we need increased funding for education, we need increased funding for quality of life of communities who are over-policed and over-surveilled.”

In a recent investigative report, AVL Watchdog analyzed 911 calls and requests for assistance to Asheville Police and found that less than 1 percent involved a violent crime. A majority of the calls involved traffic accidents, domestic disputes, loud par-

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July 22-28, 2020

way to reallocate resources in a way that would allow officers to focus on violent crimes while turning over social issue cases to social workers better equipped to handle those situations.

“Campaigns to defund the police and prison system do not argue that every prison should close tomorrow, and every police officer be sacked the day after — they argue that social problems are better addressed through social responses,” said activist and writer Dr. Adam Elliot Cooper.

The conversation and effort to defund the police is intended to narrow the scope of responsibilities police have and reallocate funds to people better suited to certain scenarios.

The money spent on police budgets gives communities the ability to act reactively to crime and other problems. If some of that money were used for education, affordable housing, accessible health care, mental health and addiction resources, some of the problems creating crime could be addressed proactively.

“Defunding the police does not mean an immediate end to policing, but instead investing in social policies that prevent people from experiencing violence and harm in the first place,” said Cooper.

According to the ACLU, 1.7 million children in the U.S. attend a school with police present but without access to counselors.

This is a simple yet clear example of how funds could be directed toward a resource students can use for mental wellness and planning for their future.

Police are primarily funded locally, which means local funds could be moved from police budgets to address local issues. There would not have to be one blanket fix.

Changes in funding could be very individualized to address the particular needs of each community.

“So much of policing right now is generated and directed towards quality-of-life

news

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER nnocent people murdered in their own homes, police departments equipped with military-grade weapons, students with school resource officers but not a counselor to be found, district attorneys unwilling or unable to prosecute police who have broken the law — these stories heard across the nation have birthed the movement to “Defund the Police.”

The conversation became national when protests erupted after George Floyd was murdered by Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin. Protests morphed from justice for those murdered by the police into a broader discussion about what role the police should play in their communities.

Amna Akbar, professor of law and social movements at Ohio State University, said the idea of defunding the police challenges the prevailing logic of police reform, “the idea that police brutality is caused by individual bad apples acting without sufficient oversight and training …

Defunding suggests the problem is not isolated, nor is it a result of a few officers’ attitudes. It challenges the power, the resources and the enormous scope of the police. Whether they are responding to a mental health emergency or deployed to a protest, their training and tools are geared toward violence.”

The complex nature of police work is part of what has led to continually rising budgets. Police are expected to respond to incidents ranging from cats stuck in trees to hostage crises, from unregistered vehicles to homeless folks. A range of responsibilities creates the need for a range of tools, resources and lots of money.

In law enforcement’s defense, it is this broad nature of the work that is perhaps making it more and more challenging for LEOs to do the work they are called to do effectively. Defunding the police is more of a

ties and other non-violent crimes like shoplifting, trespassing and prostitution, according to the analysis of more than two years of 911 calls.

“The reality of policing is that the majority of their time is spent on things totally unrelated to crime,’’ Matthew Robinson, a professor of criminal justice at Appalachian State University in Boone, told AVL Watchdog. “We know that 75 to 80 percent of an officer’s time is spent providing social services and routine administrative tasks like filling out reports.”

Allowing for the reallocation of a portion of police funds could mean money and resources put into social and mental health. This would allow for greater decriminalization and de-stigmatization of people with mental health conditions and addiction problems.

“The demand for defunding calls into question the fundamental premise of policing: that it produces safety,” said Akbar.

According to research conducted by the Brookings Institute, approximately 38 percent of murders, 66 percent of rapes, 70 percent of robberies, and 47 percent of aggravated assaults go uncleared every year. In response to current and past protests, there is an argument to be made that police need more time and resources to do their job well. The defunding conversation is asking the country whether problems can be solved through reallocating some non-violent responsibilities from police to other, bettertrained people. Share their responsibilities instead of piling on more and more money, expecting law enforcement officers to get the job done.

“Altogether, it is clear that municipalities across the U.S. are making changes in line with the defund police movement. So, while the word ‘reallocate’ may be a more palatable, digestible word on the House floor or at a city council meeting, ‘defund’ surely gets more attention on a protest sign. And more importantly, it seems to be having an impact,” said Rashawn Ray of the Brookings Institute.

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July 22-28, 2020

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scope. And we’re constantly looking at one another and trying our best to police our own because it’s an honorable profession.

It always has been and we want to maintain that integrity, and we do that by policing our own. But there are occasions where that doesn’t occur. And those people are either disciplined, or they’re brought to justice and charged criminally, or de-certified, just like any other profession.”

Laura Brewer, communications director at the North Carolina Justice Academy, spoke on some concrete changes to BLET curriculum that are in progress.

“Right now, we are in the midst of a BLET revision based on recent job task analysis. That includes added content related to procedural justice, implicit bias and police legitimacy,” she said. “At the same time, Attorney General (Josh) Stein — who leads the Department of Justice — has been appointed a co-chair of Gov. Roy Cooper’s Task Force on Racial Equity and Police Accountability. We expect that they will review training and may have additional directives as their work continues.”

Sheriff Holland believes the way to improvement lies in strengthening law enforcement’s relationship with its community.

“I believe that the agency as a whole needs to build rapport with the community, involve the community in problem solving (Crime Watch groups, Citizen’s Academies, etc.), and build a relationship that goes beyond the report, file, and investigation of an incident,” he said.

Informed by a tragic incident last year in which one of his deputies killed a man in his own home, Sheriff Holland spoke further on the importance of an educated public.

“I think that educating the community is a must especially when it comes to the laws governing an officer’s use of force.

The law is very clear in that it authorizes an officer to use such force that is reasonably necessary to effect an arrest or protect themselves or a third party.”

Chief Deputy Haynes emphasized the importance of rapport with the local community as well.

“Sheriff (Greg) Christopher always said we have to know our communities before we have to know our communities, if that makes sense. And that’s what we strive to do, not because we’re statutorily bound to do that, but because it’s the right thing to do,” he said. “When somebody comes into contact with law enforcement, the reason for it is typically because that person is at their lowest, and we don’t want to add to that. We want to be part of the solution instead of part of the problem.”

He’s ultimately hopeful about the future of law enforcement in the country.

“I feel like it’s just another chapter of the narrative. It’s another way for us to continually examine ourselves, our training, our processes,” he said. “If we are going to be examined and scrutinized, it’s only gonna do one thing and that’s gonna 8 be to make us better.”

Defund the police or back the badge — either way, prepare to pay Members of the N.C. National Guard help conduct a training exercise in Canton in 2017.

Cory Vaillancourt photo

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER ompeting theories as to the nature of proposed police reform have emerged, with one being that law enforcement budgets should be cut drastically and the other being that they should be increased drastically.

Although both theories have the goal of bolstering public safety, the former proposes to achieve that goal through the reallocation of funding to diversionary programs and alternative policing strategies, while the latter proposes increased training, staffing and pay scales commensurate with the nature of the difficult, dangerous tasks law enforcement officers are called upon to perform.

As local governments, taxpayers and vot-

C

ers begin to look long and hard at which route to take, they’re also looking at the cost implications of the various options included in those theories.

In order to contribute to that discussion, The Smoky Mountain News set out to determine what the approximate cost (or savings) to an average taxpayer would be for the hiring or firing of a street-level law enforcement officer in each jurisdiction of our four-county region.

First, it’s important to note how local law enforcement agencies are funded. Each year, on or before July 1, each of North Carolina’s 100 counties and 532 municipalities must pass an annual budget.

That budget is an expression of the priorities that elected officials deem most impor-

tant to their communities. In almost every single one of them, public safety is the largest single expense.

As those budget costs are added up, some of the money used to fund the budgets comes from property taxes. In North Carolina, the tax rate is expressed in cents per $100 of assessed property value.

In Haywood County, for example, that rate is 58.5 cents, which means that a home valued at $100,000 would incur $585 in property taxes each year.

For each increase of one cent in that rate, based on both the amount and the valuation of all taxable property, the county would raise approximately $750,000 in new revenue. Conversely, for each decrease of one cent, the county would lose that same amount, about $750,000.

Whatever the rate and valuation, it’s that pot of money that provides the public safety budget, which typically includes a diverse array of administrators, clerical workers and facilities as well as all equipment including supplies, uniforms and vehicles.

Tucked away in there are the actual human costs of maintaining a law enforcement agency — their salaries.

Public record requests made by SMN to local government agencies in our core coverage area began in late June and resulted in the compilation of data from 11 different agencies, including the counties of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain, as well as the towns of Bryson City, Canton, Clyde, Franklin, Maggie Valley, Sylva and Waynesville.

The data include salary information for 383 county and city law enforcement agents in that four-county region. What it doesn’t include are the auxiliary costs related to their employment, like payroll overhead, health care coverage and benefits. Those costs can vary widely across departments per local government unit policy.

The salary information also doesn’t include the cost of vehicles or equipment.

It’s simply the gross pay for one year of service from a trained law enforcement officer.

Within those parameters, the 11 agencies surveyed spent a combined $15,439,479 on salaries alone during the last fiscal year. Across 383 positions,

F

Tax impact of an average officer’s salary Property tax rate, cents per $100 value

Median home value

Annual taxes on median home

One cent of property tax generates about

Avg. officer salary, lowest ranks

Impact of one avg. officer salary on tax rate, in cents

Annual impact of avg. officer salary on median home taxes

Haywood .......................58.50 ..................$210,241................$1,229.91 ............$750,000 ...............$38,401 ...................0.05 ....................$1.08 Jackson.........................38.00 ..................$242,081................$919.91................$920,000 ...............$33,514 ...................0.04 ....................$0.88 Macon...........................37.47 ..................$206,116................$772.32................$789,000 ...............$34,686 ...................0.04 ....................$0.91 Swain ............................36.00 ..................$176,756................$636.32................$148,000 ...............$32,710 ...................0.22 ....................$3.91 Bryson City...................35.00 ..................$177,513................$621.30................$13,900 .................$39,838 ...................2.87 ....................$50.88 Canton ..........................58.00 ..................$176,118................$1,021.48 ............$49,200 .................$33,676 ....................0.68 ....................$12.05 Clyde.............................45.00 ..................$214,231................$964.04................$3,150 ...................$34,716 ...................11.02 ..................$236.10 Franklin ........................32.00 ..................$170,695................$546.22................$61,300 .................$37,398 ...................0.61 ....................$10.41 Maggie Valley...............43.00 ..................$229,527................$986.97................$37,100 .................$39,343 ...................1.06 ....................$24.34 Waynesville ..................49.57 ..................$219,571................$1,088.41 ............$115,000 ...............$38,483 ...................0.33 ....................$7.35 Sylva .............................42.50 ..................$192,877................$819.73................$42,300 .................$38,321 ...................0.91 ....................$17.47

Macon sheriff pleads for law enforcement pay increases

that works out to an average salary of $40,524 per officer, from the sheriff or chief of police on down to the newest, lowestranking officers.

That average, however, is far from the full story. Pay varies widely across departments by duty, experience and rank.

The highest-paid official in this fourcounty region is Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall, who made $113,714 last year. Hall also has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement.

The lowest salary, $25,398, goes to a newly-minted detention officer who’s been with Haywood County less than two months.

But detention officers and sheriffs aren’t presently the law enforcement agents under the most scrutiny — it’s the ones doing the bulk of the enforcement on the road.

Removing administrators and detention personnel from the financial equation, along with bailiffs, part-timers, medical personnel, translators and the like, yields an average salary for street-level officers of $33,400.

That, too, varies by department and ranges from a high of $39,343 at the Maggie Valley Police Department to a low of $32,710

at the Swain County Sheriff ’s Office.

Thus, the actual cost of one average street-level police officer’s salary to an individual taxpayer within that jurisdiction is a fairly straightforward equation.

Going back to the Haywood County example, if a one cent increase in property taxes generates about $750,000, and the average salary for a deputy is $38,401, the county could theoretically hire 19 more deputies at that salary with a one cent tax increase.

If it did, a homeowner paying $1,229.91 in property taxes on a median-valued Haywood County home ($210,241) would see an increase of $21.02 in property tax payments each year.

That puts the cost of one Haywood County Sheriff ’s Deputy salary at about $1.08 per year, for the owner of a median valued home.

In Franklin, where the median value, tax rate and average salary are all lower than Haywood County, that number is much higher — about $10.41 per officer.

In Jackson County, where the median value is higher, but the tax rate and average salary are lower, it’s about 88 cents per

M

“I’m discouraged and I’m asking you to fix it. We’ve talked about this long enough — my guys deserve better.”

— Macon County Sheriff Robbie Holland

certification with no additional income to show for it.

“I’m discouraged and I’m asking you to fix it. We’ve talked about this long enough — my guys deserve better,” he said. “None of the other (county) departments are expected to lay their lives down for their fellow man like my officers are.”

Commissioner Ronnie Beale, who served as liaison for the sheriff ’s department, said he agreed that something needs to be done, but also agreed that this year’s budget recently passed presented the county with never seen

before challenges associated with COVID-19 costs, which was why pay increases weren’t included.

“This year is the best excuse you’ve ever had, but every year there’s an excuse,” Holland said, adding that he feels inept as he watches other LEO agencies improve their pay scale. “But I can’t seem to get it done.”

Holland has been with the Macon County Sheriff ’s Department for almost 26 years and his salary is $98,262. He’s been sheriff since 2002. On average, his deputies make $34,686 a year plus benefits.

deputy. Those numbers work in reverse, as well.

Defunding the Haywood County Sheriff ’s Office by eliminating 19 deputies — there are only about 29 of them — would save the county about $750,000 on salaries alone and

interactions taking place.

Whether social workers can accomplish that remains the subject of great debate, but there’s a cost-benefit equation at play there, too. The average salary of an MSW social worker in the greater Asheville market is between $48,000 and $72,000.

Eliminating 19 Haywood deputies might save $750,000 in salary cost, but that would only be enough to hire between 10 and 15 social workers.

In light of those numbers, what’s yet to be seen is the political will either to defund departments and hire expensive replacements with unproven effectiveness, or to call for tax increases to pay for increased law enforcement training, staffing or higher salaries that could attract more qualified candidates.

Either way, when it comes to police reform, prepare to pay.

Sources for this story and the accompanying lists include www.zillow.com and www.salary.com. Law enforcement salary information was provided by each respective local government unit. Tax rate and budget information comes from publicly available municipal budgets. 9

The salary information doesn’t include the cost of vehicles or equipment.

It’s simply the gross pay for one year of service from a trained law enforcement officer. allow the county to lower the property tax rate by one full cent, shaving $21.02 off of the $1,229.91 property tax bill of the owner of a home valued at $210,241.

Most reform advocates seem to agree that defunding departments isn’t being proposed to save taxpayers money — it’s being proposed to reduce the chances of deadly

Smoky Mountain News

and a teacher get up and support that group lifting them up, and that’s what our country is all about, but I had tons of officers there keeping all those people straight.”

In a follow-up response, Franklin Mayor Bob Scott said it’s not unusual for a mayor or other town officials to be present at any kind of demonstration happening in their town.

He also had an issue with Holland’s comments about longtime educator and activist John deVille speaking at the rally.

“Holland deprecated a respected long time Macon County teacher before the County Commissioners for speaking at the BLM movement. I heard this teacher give his historical talk on race relations, which was non-political,” Scott said. “Very moving and informative. What the sheriff said about myself is OK because I am an elected official open to any opinions and the right to air them from anyone. I also have the right to rebut it.”

Scott also said he had hoped law enforcement would have had a more peaceful presence at the protest and felt that having deputies in full gear, staked out on roofs of buildings and flying a drone seemed like an overreaction to what was otherwise a peaceful march organized by young people.

From Holland’s perspective, it was all about providing safety for everyone involved and being prepared for anything.

For officers who have to strap on a bulletproof vest, a gun and put their lives on the line everyday, Holland said, they are worth more than $15 an hour. He said there are school resource officers with five or more years of experience making $34,000 a year when the starting pay for a deputy is now $32,000. He has officers who’ve completed degrees and gone to additional training and

July 22-28, 2020

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR acon County Sheriff Robbie Holland stood before county commissioners last week with a heartfelt plea for better pay for his law enforcement officers who are going above and beyond during the COVID-19 Pandemic and ongoing protests.

After years of talking about pay increases for law enforcement and other underpaid county employees, Holland said it’s time to finally take action.

“The last few years have been discouraging for me. I’m supposed to keep my people boosted but I’m at a point in my career where I’m discouraged now,” he told the board.

“We know where there’s a problem and it needs to be addressed — the purse strings stop with y’all.”

With everything going on in the world right now, Holland said it’s never been more difficult to be in law enforcement. For perhaps the first time in the county’s history, Holland said his department has 11 vacancies and he’s received only two qualified applications. Some employees have retired, some have moved on to better paying departments and others have gotten out of the profession altogether for more lucrative opportunities.

Holland said it’s difficult to recruit and retain officers when they can make more money working in construction or move to another department to make more money. He can’t fault them for trying to better their lives.

“Just in the last month, my officers were put in the position of standing and protecting people who asked us to be there and said ‘all cops are bastards,’” he said, referring to the Black Lives Matter protest held in Downtown Franklin several weeks ago in response to George Floyd’s murder. “The Franklin mayor

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Jackson commissioners shelve task force, discuss statue’s fate

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter a week of impassioned public discussion and protest over the fate of the Confederate soldier standing on the courthouse steps in Sylva, Jackson County Commissioners discussed the issue during a regularly scheduled work session Tuesday, July 14.

“Commissioner (Gayle) Woody had started this discussion by asking that we consider maybe putting together a task force, and that was why we put this on the agenda, to come back today and debate the merit of that and determine if we want to do that,” said Chairman Brian McMahan.

On Saturday, July 11, nearly 300 people showed up downtown to attend opposing demonstrations — one calling for the statue’s removal, and the other demanding that the monument stay where it is. Erected in September 1915, the statue depicts an unnamed Confederate infantryman standing upon a pedestal featuring a Confederate flag and a plaque that reads, “To our valiant fathers: champions of reconciliation with justice, of union with manhood, of peace with honor; they fought with faithfulness, labored with cheerfulness, and suffered in silence. To

July 22-28, 2020

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our heroic mothers: Spartan in devotion, Teuton in sacrifice, in patience superior to either and in modesty and grace matchless among womankind.”

Supporters of the statue say that it’s an important piece of local history, and that while the Civil War affected the lives of nearly every resident of Jackson County at the time, very few owned slaves. To those soldiers, the war was about defending their homeland from invaders, not about slavery or even racism. Likewise, they say, the statue itself is not about racism.

Opponents, meanwhile, say that the statue represents only the part of local history written by a white society that has for too long controlled the narrative. Jackson County may not have been a plantation community, but slavery still existed there, and the subjugation of Black people was a cornerstone of the short-lived Confederacy.

COMMISSIONERS DROP TASK FORCE IDEA Those opponents also decried Woody’s task force idea, which she originally floated during a June 16 work session, as a dangerous

Petition calls for statue to stay During a work session Tuesday, July 14, Commissioner Gayle Woody presented commissioners with a petition that community members gave her calling for the Confederate statue on the courthouse steps to stay.

The signatures were delivered in a spiral notebook labeled “Keep Statue Petition” and included four pages totaling 101 names. proposition that would turn marginalized people into targets and allow commissioners to shirk their responsibility as leaders.

During the July 14 meeting, Woody said that she made the suggestion out of recognition that “we are five white individuals and that our county is more diverse than that,” hoping that by bringing people of different backgrounds together “we could hopefully come to some common ground where we could move forward respectfully.” She added that it was never her intention to abdicate the board’s role as the decision-making body, but

rather to receive information and perspective from a more diverse group before making that decision.

“In answer to your question, I want to defer to the board what you all think,” she said. “I have some dear friends in this community that I wanted to suggest to be on that task force. I would never want to put them in the situation where they would be attacked and treated disrespectfully, so I’m kind of rethinking, and I want to defer to my fellow commissioners to have your input on if you think that would be a positive thing, or would it be more divisive.”

Commissioner Boyce Deitz said he thought a task force could yield positive results but that the current atmosphere might be too charged for such an effort to work.

“If it’s done correctly — I don’t know what that would be — it may be good, but I think there’s so many possibilities and it opens so many doors to bad relationships between people,” he said. “I’ve asked people, ‘Would you serve?’ They say, ‘I ain’t serving on it.’”

Woody said that, no matter what happens, she wants to see the community focus on unity as it navigates this issue.

“We have so many wonderful people here in Jackson County, and I’m hearing from them daily, on both sides of this issue, and I want people to know that,” she said. “Like Commissioner Deitz said, you’re stigmatizing people because they’re ‘them’ on the other side.

Whatever side they’re on, we need to be talking about ‘us.’ We are the citizens of Jackson County. We are ‘us.’”

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200 Golfwatch Road | Canton | 828-235-8451 | Springdalegolf.com Erected in 1915, the now-controversial statue of an unnamed Confederate solider stands on the hillside steps of the Jackson County Public Library, formerly the county’s courthouse. File photo The board did not come to any firm consensus on the task force question.

“So, do we need a task force then?” asked Commissioner Ron Mau. “I think it’s a listening,” responded Commissioner Mickey Luker. “It’s not acting hastily, but to take some time and listen and continue the dialogue.”

McMahan noted that, while he’s received many questions as to when the board will take action, as of now the issue is not an item on the commissioners’ agenda. If the Town of Sylva passes the resolution Sylva Commissioner David Nestler has proposed to officially request the county to remove the statue from downtown, that would trigger movement toward a vote, said McMahan.

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Commissioners did discuss the statue issue at length, giving their initial thoughts on the overall question facing them — should the statue go, or should it stay?

The board’s powers are limited by a state law passed in 2015 that states that “an object of remembrance located on public property may not be permanently removed and may only be relocated … An object of remembrance that is permanently relocated shall be relocated to a site of similar prominence, honor, visibility, availability and access that are within the boundaries of the jurisdiction from which it was relocated.”

So, were the statue to be moved, it would have to remain in Jackson County and would have be placed in a location of equal prominence as the courthouse steps where it currently stands overlooking the town.

“I might see that monument left,” said Deitz. “I’d like to see that monument stay where it’s at.”

“The war was a terrible, terrible thing,” he added later in the conversation. “The most terrible thing that could be, that you would fight with your brother and fight with each other, and that’s what the Civil War was. We were fighting each other … This is a terrible thing we’re talking about that happened. We can’t forget our history.”

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However, said Deitz, he doesn’t think the statue should remain unchanged. He’d like to see the Confederate flag emblem removed from the statue.

“To be completely truthful, I’d like to see us take that flag off that stone up there,” he said. “Every time I see that flag, I have no good thoughts. And that’s always been true of my life.”

“I agree with you about the flag,” said Mau. “Absolutely.”

Mau, an engineer, also questioned whether the statue was structurally sound enough to survive relocation.

McMahan agreed that the statue should stay and that removing the Confederate flag would be a good idea. He suggested the flag be covered up with a plaque that discusses Jackson County’s particular history and role in the Civil War. Additionally, he said, the county could install some interpretive signage covering the statue’s 1915 installation, its meaning to the community and the impact of the Jim Crow era.

“Instead of someone trying to tell you what your history is, let people stand there and read it and make a reasonable, educated decision about what history is,” he said.

“Maybe we do put it out before the people as we’re taking calls and emails and say, ‘I think we’re in agreement that we don’t want to see it come off the hill, but what can we do to change the situation? What would you recommend as a compromise or conditions of change that we could do?’” said Luker. “There may be someone that has that perfect answer for us.”

“I do believe it has to be changed,” said Woody in an interview. “And whether that means relocate it, cover the Confederate flag — I’m just throwing out suggestions.

I’ve gotten literally hundreds of suggestions all the way from just leaving it where it is because it’s been there for 100 years to moving it and hiding it, which we can’t legally do.”

The next time the issue is likely to be discussed publicly is during the Sylva Board of Commissioners meeting scheduled for 9 a.m.

Thursday, July 23. The Jackson County Commissioners’ next scheduled meeting will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.

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Ground breaks on Catawba casino

EBCI files amended complaint contesting the project

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER our months after the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians filed suit against the U.S. Department of the Interior’s decision to allow the Catawba Indian Nation to move forward with plans for a casino in Kings Mountain, the DOI has officially taken the land into trust and the Catawba have broken ground on the site. However, the EBCI is still fighting the decision, on July 6 submitting a new, amended complaint in the case.

July 22-28, 2020

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GROUND BREAKS IN CASINO PROJECT While the initial complaint had featured the EBCI as the sole plaintiff, the amended

document also includes 12 tribal members who live near the Kings Mountain site. The Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma, which has intervened on behalf of the EBCI, submitted an amended complaint as well.

“We welcome the growing coalition that is fighting against the DOI’s decision,” said Principal Chief Richard Sneed. “The decision is an egregious violation of federal law, and our amended complaint will establish for the court that there is no legitimate, legal basis for the decision.”

Meanwhile, Catawba Chief Bill Harris has extolled the DOI’s “very rigorous process” for reviewing trust applications.

“We are very thankful for the hard work of the Department’s solicitors and staff on our application, who carefully reviewed our history, including our historic land settlement, ensuring that it is consistent with the Supreme Court’s Carcieri decision,” he said in a March 12 press release.

On March 12, the DOI approved the Catawba’s September 2018 application to take 16.57 acres at Kings Mountain into fed-

eral trust for the purpose of conducting gaming activities, a decision that was the culmination of years of effort on the part of the Catawba. The tribe, based in Rock Hill, South Carolina, is governed by the Settlement Act of 1993, which states that the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act does not apply to the Catawba and that the tribe must instead abide by South Carolina gaming laws.

However, South Carolina does not allow gaming, meaning that the tribe cannot have a casino on its existing reservation. So, the tribe has made various efforts to gain approval for a casino over the state line in Cleveland County, North Carolina.

The Catawba first applied for the land to be taken into trust in August 2013, but that mandatory acquisition application was denied in March 2018. That September, the tribe submitted a new application under the discretionary process and also attempted a legislative route. S.790 — introduced by South Carolina Sen. Lindsay Graham with support from North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr — would have

authorized the DOI to take the land into trust for gaming, but the bill died in committee.

However, in March the Catawba received word that its 2018 discretionary application had been successful.

Along with its initial suit March 17, the EBCI filed a motion asking that the judge issue a preliminary injunction preventing the DOI from moving forward with taking the land into trust until the lawsuit resolved.

However, U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg issued an order April 30 denying that request, stating that the record is “thin” as to whether any Cherokee resources are located on the proposed site and that “even a liberal reading” of the complaint shows that “the injuries fall short of irreparable.”

According to a July 11 post on the Catawba Nation Facebook page, the deed transferring the land into federal trust for the tribe was signed July 10. The tribe will hold a groundbreaking ceremony at the project site Wednesday, July 22, with a drive-in celebration event planned for Friday, July 24, on the reservation.

“This is a historic moment for the Catawba Nation and we are excited to share it with all of our people,” said a statement announcing the groundbreaking.

THE AMENDED COMPLAINT While the six counts of alleged misconduct in the amended complaint have some differences from the five contained in the original document, they make many of the same arguments as to why the decision should be overturned, focusing on alleged violations of the Administrative Procedure Act, the 1993 Settlement Act, the Indian Reorganizing Act, the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, the National Historic Preservation Act and the National Environmental Policy Act. However, the amended complaint includes a much-heightened focus on the role of casino developer Wallace Cheves, characterizing him as “a casino operative with a history of criminal and civil enforcement actions against him and his companies for illegal gambling.”

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statement published to its Facebook page.

“The EBCI has now amended the complaint, which reiterates the same claims they made in the original. After the amendment, they released a press release to local papers slandering the project and our connection to the Kings Mountain area. We remain confident that the judge will find that the U.S. Department of Interior followed all federal laws and made the proper decision regarding our application.”

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July 22-28, 2020 Smoky Mountain News

While the legal case is full of arguments concerning various administrative procedures and how well certain statutes were followed in the process, economics lie close to the heart of the issue as well.

The Catawba bring up this factor in page two of their 11-page motion to intervene, stating that unemployment among tribal members is at 13.8 percent, more than triple the rates in North and South Carolina, with a median household income of $33,029 — that figure is more than 40 percent higher in North and South Carolina. While the Catawba Nation has tried various business ventures to secure revenue to fund services to its 2,800 members, none have succeeded, leading to a reduction in after-school youth programs, the need to transfer “significant portions of fee land” to the local school district to compensate it for educating Catawba children and a lack of funding for the tribal justice system, the motion says. The casino project would directly address those issues, generating $150 million in annual income by its fifth year, employing 2,600 people and providing a location to showcase and sell native crafts and artwork.

Meanwhile, the EBCI fears that a new casino just outside of Charlotte would deal a massive blow to its own establishments, which aside from producing revenues that directly benefit tribal members and tribal services are the rural mountain region’s largest employer.

About 5 percent of workers in North Carolina’s six westernmost counties — which themselves struggle with high poverty rates — work for the casinos in Cherokee and Murphy. Prior to the casinos’ establishment, seasonal fluctuations in unemployment sometimes peaked at 17 percent, but now fluctuations range from 2 to 4 percent.

About 30 percent of the customers who now frequent the tribe’s casinos in Cherokee and Murphy live closer to the Kings Mountain site, and the Virginia Lottery Board has approved plans for a new casino in Bristol as well — the EBCI fears these new casinos, if developed, could deal a significant blow to its own revenues. The tribe is not alone in this fear, with at least 16 counties and municipalities in the western region passing resolutions opposing the 2019 congressional bill. This time around, Swain County has passed a resolution supporting the EBCI’s position in the lawsuit, and Jackson County is considering a similar statement.

Neither the DOI nor the Catawba — which has intervened on behalf of the defense — has filed a response to the complaint yet.

Those complaints are due in the District of Columbia U.S. District Court by July 30.

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According to the complaint, the politically connected Cheves convinced the Catawba Nation to lend its name to his casino “scheme” and then used his influence to get the DOI to reverse its long-held position that such land-into-trust acquisitions are illegal.

Cheves’ proposal came on the heels of a 2007 incident in which two “Catawba-connected” businessmen pleaded guilty to a scheme that would illegally funnel tribal funds to political candidates who would reverse South Carolina’s ban on gaming, the complaint said. Following those convictions, Cheves “prevailed on the Catawba to try its luck in North Carolina,” the complaint said.

A 2019 investigation by The Smoky Mountain News found that Cheves donated nearly $50,000 to the campaigns of Republican Senators Burr, Tillis and Graham between 2015 and 2018, giving an additional $152,000 combined to the N.C. Republican Party, the National Republican Committee and the National Republican Senate Committee. Burr, Tillis and Graham are the same senators who sponsored the nowdefunct 2019 bill seeking to approve gaming on the Kings Mountain site.

In a congressional hearing on the bill, the DOI testified that it could not take the land into trust without the legislative changes proscribed in the bill.

“But after Congress chose to leave the 1993 Settlement Act and the IRA unchanged, Cheves leveraged his political connections to pressure the Department to proceed without the legislation it had previously recognized was necessary,” reads the EBCI’s amended complaint.

Cheves did not return a request for comment.

The amended complaint accuses the Catawba of illegal “reservation shopping,” an allegation that stems from the fact that prior to the Kings Mountain acquisition the Catawba’s trust lands were located exclusively in South Carolina. While the land in question is 34 miles from the existing reservation, it is not contiguous, and both the Catawba and the Cherokee have made vigorous arguments claiming that the area is part of their aboriginal territory.

In a press release, the EBCI said that the controlling statutes “require that a specific process be used for acquiring trust land for the Catawba Indian Nation and that trust land has to be in South Carolina,” making the DOI decision “null and void.”

“The DOI clearly violated other legal requirements, including early consultation with the EBCI to identify and protect Cherokee cultural resources located at the Kings Mountain site, and producing a ‘hard look’ environmental impact statement, which was never conducted,” the release continued.

“All told, the DOI unequivocally violated the law in their hastily rendered decision to take this land into trust for the Catawba casino project in Kings Mountain, North Carolina.”

The Catawba, meanwhile, say that they’re confident their view will prevail.

“Based on their original complaint, EBCI sought a preliminary injunction asking the court to block our project, and the court denied that motion on April 30th because of the weakness of their case,” the tribe said in a

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The concept would place a new aquatics facility to the north of the existing Cullowhee Recreation Center. Clark Nexser rendering

Indoor pool question will appear on Jackson ballot

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much more important that this money could be used for.”

The July 10 vote allows the pool bond question to appear on the November ballot. If voters approve the referendum question, then commissioners will have the ability — but not the obligation — to move forward with borrowing the money and starting the project. If voters say no, the issue will die.

So far, the county has spent about $48,000 on design, geotechnical and legal work surrounding the effort and expects to spend between $5,000 and $10,000 on marketing materials to educate voters about the referendum question. In addition to the $20 million to build the pool, the facility will carry an annual operating cost estimated at $612,000. To pay down the debt and fund operations, commissioners expect to add about 2.26 cents per $100 to the county’s existing tax rate of 38 cents per $100.

Architectural plans for the facility call for a 31,000-square-foot addition to the existing recreation center featuring a sixlane competition pool and a leisure pool with a splash pad. The facility would also house locker rooms, a competition seating deck, party room spaces, offices and other support spaces.

If the referendum question passes and commissioners vote to move ahead with the project, the earliest that higher property tax rates could be enacted is July 1, 2021, to coincide with the beginning of fiscal year 2021-2022.

July 22-28, 2020

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER n November, Jackson County voters will weigh in on a proposal to borrow $20 million for an indoor pool complex at the Cullowhee Recreation Center.

County commissioners voted unanimously July 10 to issue the bond order following a public hearing July 7 in which only one person gave comment on the question.

“There may never be the right time for such a financial investment, but it seems that such an investment is long overdue,” Cullowhee resident David Shapiro told the board.

An indoor swimming pool would serve everyone from the youngest babies to the oldest senior citizens, making Jackson County a more attractive place to live and work, he said. While Shapiro said he’s in favor of the bond order, he added that he would hope to see a coalition of public, private and corporate partners come together to lessen the burden on taxpayers.

While Shapiro was the only person to speak at the hearing, the board’s clerk received written comments from six other people. Of the seven total comments, five were in favor of the bond and two were opposed.

“There is already the ability to use the indoor pool at WCU and also the indoor pool at the Cherokee rec center,” wrote Amanda Buscemi. “Furthermore, it is my opinion that we do not use the outdoor pool to its capacity … There are other things

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Coronavirus cluster found at casino

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER ive employees at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort in Cherokee have tested positive for COVID-19, and the investigation is ongoing, according to the Jackson County Department of Public Health.

The casinos in Cherokee and Murphy closed on March 18 following the March 14 declaration of a global pandemic, reopening on an invitation-only basis May 13 and then to the public May 28. The casinos are operating at 30 percent capacity with precautions in place for patrons and employees, including social distancing, mask-wearing and enhanced cleaning regimens.

The five employees who tested positive work in the table games section and are following isolation orders.

“No changes or closures to the table games operation are expected,” said Regional Vice President for Marketing Brian Saunooke. “Enhanced cleaning and disinfecting protocols have been in place since reopening and will continue. Wearing of face masks will also continue to be mandatory for our employees and customers.”

Saunooke said none of the five employ-

Smoky Mountain News

July 22-28, 2020

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ees in question have worked since at least July 9. While the Jackson County Department of Public Health said the first of the five was tested on June 28, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Regional General Manager Brooks Robinson said that there is no indication that additional people qualify as close contacts.

“Based on information provided by the employees and video surveillance records, no other employees or customers have been identified as close contacts as defined by the CDC,” he said. “Additionally, all employees who test positive, show symptoms or have had close contact with someone who has tested positive have been directed not to come to work and to self-isolate.”

The Jackson County Department of Public Health, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Public Health and Human Services and other local health departments are still working to identify any additional close contacts of these employees, who hail from Jackson, Swain and Haywood counties. The CDC defines close contact as being within approximately 6 feet of a person with a COVID-19 infection for at least 10 to 15 minutes.

Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort “Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos remain committed to the well-being of our employees and customers,” said Robinson.

“Enhanced health and safety protocols in place since reopening include training of our entire team of over 3,000 employees on cleaning and sanitizing techniques, the proper use of PPP, and mandatory wearing of face masks by employees and customers.

Other incidences of COVID-19 in publicfacing arenas of the EBCI have been identified as well. After a student at Qualla Boundary Headstart & Early Headstart tested positive, the center closed for cleaning.

Due to an upcoming two-week planned clo-

sure, the facilities will not reopen until Aug. 7. Additionally, on July 17 the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority announced that an employee of the Cherokee County Clinic had tested positive but said it is not believed the diagnosis poses a risk to clinic patients, as the employee had not been in the clinic since July 14. The clinic reopened July 20 after undergoing a thorough cleaning.

For more information about COVID-19 in Jackson County, visit http://health.jacksonnc.org/covid19. For information about COVID-19 on the Qualla Boundary, visit https://ebci.com.

COVID-19: County cases continue to increase

tacts of the first positive case. Upon identification of additional cases, Skyland Care Center coordinated COVID-19 testing for all additional employees and residents. Testing was completed by July 16; results are pending.

“Skyland Care Center takes the health and safety of all its residents and staff very seriously and has prepared the facility and staff for potential exposures in dealing with the pandemic. We will monitor the test results closely and will take preventative measures as necessary to reduce the potential for exposures,” said Skyland Care Center Administrator Mistie Cooley.

As of July 20, Jackson County had a total of 279 cases, 59 people currently in isolation and three deaths.

Macon County had a total of 401 cases — 122 are active cases while 278 are considered to be recovered. To date, there’s only been one reported death in Macon County. There are still 360 test results pending.

Haywood County has performed more than 5,000 COVID-19 tests and has a total of 167 positive cases, but 138 of those are considered recovered.

In Swain County, 2,668 tests have been performed and there has been a total of 81 positive cases and two deaths. The county also has 377 tests pending.

Getting test results back is still taking a week or more depending on the lab being used, according to providers and the health department. The state issued a press release last week stating that 13 additional qualified vendors have been approved to expedite testing and contact tracing efforts.

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR Jackson County has seen a steady growth in active COVID-19 cases in the last week as an outbreak was reported at a local skilled nursing facility on July 17 and a cluster was announced at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino on July 20.

Five employees at the Skyland Care Center have tested positive for COVID-19. All positive employees are following isolation orders. The North Carolina Division of Public Health defines an outbreak in a long-term care setting, like a skilled nursing facility, as two or more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 within two incubation periods (28 days) in the same facility.

The investigation is ongoing. Symptomatic individuals who test positive will be required to remain in isolation under the following conditions — at least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared and at least 72 hours have passed since the resolution of fever without the use of medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms. Asymptomatic individuals who test positive will be required to remain in isolation under the following conditions — at least 10 days have passed since their positive test assuming they have not subsequently developed symptoms since their positive test.

Upon notification of the first positive case, Skyland Care Center coordinated with the health department to determine next steps. Quarantine and testing were recommended for close con-

Candidates file for Haywood school board race

trict, currently occupied by Ronnie Clark and David Burnette. They’re both running for reelection, but are joined in that endeavor by Magnolia Brown Thomas of Reynolds School Road in Canton, Danny Miller of Peaceful Path in Canton, Latausha Forney of Kim’s Cove Road in Canton and Randy McDowell of Dutch Cove Road, also in Canton.

Two Waynesville seats are also up for reelection, although only one incumbent has filed, Jim Harley Francis. Current board member Ann Barrett opted against running again. Three others, all of Waynesville, look to take one or both of those seats — Andy Hall of Sloan Drive, Danya Vanhook of Turn About Court and Logan Nesbitt of April Park.

Look for more coverage of these races in The Smoky Mountain News as the General Election, to be held on Tuesday, Nov. 3, draws closer.

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BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER p until last week, the nonpartisan races for four school board seats — plus the chairman’s position — looked to be rather sleepy, with only one candidate filling.

But as the noon deadline approached on Friday, July 17, a flurry of candidates threw their hats in the ring to ensure some lively contests in the fall.

Longtime Haywood County Board of Education Chairman Chuck Francis will compete against Daran McAdams of Rhoda Street, in Canton.

Two seats are up in the Beaverdam dis-

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Haywood GOP elects new officers The Haywood County Republican Party Executive Committee held a special meeting on Thursday, July 16, to elect three new officers.

Vice Chairman Kay Miller opened the meeting by welcoming over 30 members and guests.

She then asked Mark Delk, 2nd Vice Chair of the 11th District, to chair the remainder of the meeting. Under Delk’s lead-

ership, the Haywood County Republican Party Executive Committee held elections.

When the votes were tallied, Delk announced the winners — Kay Miller, chairman; Dana Underwood, vice chairman; and Beth Justice, secretary.

The new officers join Treasurer Pat Carr and Finance Chair David Eachus.

The next meeting of the Executive Committee of the Haywood County Republican Party will be held at 6:30 p.m.

Thursday, Aug 13, at the Republican headquarters, located at 297 N. Haywood St., Waynesville.

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Understanding between the commissioners and the chamber, funding of $100,000 a year will be reduced to $50,000 a year, with the balance of that money being used to make sites more development-ready than they currently are.

“They are beautiful sites, great locations, easily accessible,” said Hipps. “Everyone loves the sites but the problem is, the infrastructure just isn’t there. That’s been the biggest challenge when developers visit.”

Hipps explained that trunk lines for gas, sewer and water run nearby the sites, but since tapping into them is so expensive, it hasn’t yet been done. Each time a developer expresses interest in the parcels, a time-consuming grant process ensues and construction timetables push that out at least nine months.

“The bottom line is that prospects don’t want to wait 10 months for infrastructure,” she said. “If they’re ready to make a decision, and ready to start digging, they don’t want to wait.”

The hope is, according to Hipps, that the extra cash will be the tipping point that helps Haywood finally close the deal with a developer on one or both of those parcels.

“The commissioners have worked very hard with us to incentivize development,” Hipps said.

July 22-28, 2020

BY CORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF WRITER fter more than two years of funding an economic development partnership between the Haywood and Asheville chambers of commerce that’s resulted in lots of bites but no actual catches, Haywood County commissioners approved a change in how economic development monies will be spent in the future, in hopes of finally landing “the big one.”

“The difference is that we are using some of the money we had given to the chamber and pulling it back in for site development,” said David Francis, Haywood County project administrator and the county’s go-to guy on economic development.

The change won’t affect the partnership between the two entities, or the total amount of money spent on economic development in Haywood County, but will affect the operating budget of the Haywood Chamber.

“Over the past two years, efficiencies have become apparent and the process has been streamlined,” said CeCe Hipps, president of the Haywood Chamber. “It still meets our overall goal, which is to sell the Beaverdam and Jonathan Creek properties.”

Under the terms of the Memorandum of

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Haywood redirects economic development funding

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Paws and Effect affects meaningful change Nonprofit to offer support dogs to first responders

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER hen Asheville Fireman Mark Jameson returned to the fire station after responding to a particularly difficult call, the only thing that lifted his spirits was seeing Denali wagging her tail with excitement upon his return.

“We had a call that was DOA, dead on arrival,” Jameson said. “It was an older woman, lived by herself, no one had seen her for a while, and she passed. It’s a fact of life. But inside her house there were multiple dogs in crates, and they had passed away too because of lack of food and water. That’s a sucky call, no one wants to see that.”

Responding to these kinds of emergencies can be draining and leave first responders in a dark place, but having a service dog like Denali can make all the difference for frontline workers.

Service dog organization called Paws and Effect based in Asheville placed Denali with the Asheville Fire Department in January.

Paws and Effect is a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 in Iowa. Nicole Shumate started the organization initially as a distraction from law school and a way to

July 22-28, 2020

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support children at a local children’s hospital where children would learn to guide dogs through agility courses. Soon parents were asking Paws and Effect to help transition dogs out of service in the hospital to be mobility dogs in the community.

“It wasn’t the initial plan for the organization, so it was just organic. We became a service dog organization,” said Shumate.

Fourteen years later, Shumate has relocated to Asheville and Paws and Effect is a full-blown service dog organization working primarily with veterans, and now emergency service workers, with locations in Iowa and Asheville.

Wade Baker was one of the first veterans to receive a service dog — Honor — from Paws and Effect in 2010. Honor was with Baker until he committed suicide in a police shootout in a Haywood County Church in 2015.

“Prior to Wade completing suicide, we understood the magnitude of our job, but didn’t really appreciate how bad things could get. It couldn’t have become more clear,” said Shumate.

According to Shumate, Paws and Effect is the only service dog organization that has shown up in the media saying that one of their recipients committed suicide.

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Service dog Denali pictured with firefighters at Station 7 in Asheville. Donated photo

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The Long’s Chapel Child Enrichment Center has recently become a N.C. Pre-K Program Center.

The NC Pre-K Program is designed to provide high-quality educational experiences to enhance school readiness for eligible 4-year-old children.

The CEC is also undergoing an extensive remodeling project that will be complete by fall 2020, including fresh paint, new flooring, new rugs, new window coverings and new furniture.

“We are also expanding from seven classrooms to nine classrooms,” said Belinda Marr, Director of the CEC. The CEC’s new facilities also include secured entrances and check-in areas, a brand new indoor playground, a new comforting room for breastfeeding mothers, and an amphitheater area.

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assumed she is supposed to apply it. I see some of the work she does, albeit it probably looks casual from the outside. She definitely works the room and checks in, she monitors firefighters more than they are aware of,” said Shumate.

“The mental health aspect to me, is what it’s all about,” said Jameson.

According to Shumate, Denali was trained to interrupt nightmares or unusual sleep patterns.

“Firefighters sleep in one, open bay room, so if one isn’t sleeping well, none of them sleep well. Disrupted sleep and sleep deprivation are two of the things that can contribute to suicidal ideation, so getting and keeping firefighters rested is critical,” said Shumate.

“You can’t prove a non-suicide. You can’t say that having a dog kept somebody from killing themselves. But what you can say is there weren’t suicides, and this could have contributed. You can say, it helped,” said Jameson.

The new litter of puppies will come from the same parents as Denali, and the same breeders as Honor. The puppies were bred on July 1, should welp at the end of August and be ready to go home with puppy raisers

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July 22-28, 2020

success so that they can fundraise,” said Shumate. “Nobody wants to say that there is this other possible outcome.”

Shumate, who became acquainted with Matthew Allred, partner of the late Justin Mitchell, after she learned of Mitchell’s suicide in April, said that she and Allred are certain Justin responded to the call of Wade Baker’s suicide and shootout.

The most recent dog to be placed by Paws and Effect was the service dog given to a fire station in Asheville. After months of work between the city of Asheville and Paws and Effect, the fire station received Denali in January.

Shumate decided around that time that the next litter of puppies from Paws and Effect would be dedicated for first responders. Dogs like Denali could be given to individuals or stations.

Shumate said she sees Denali and the next litter of puppies as “a philosophical way to say thank you” to the first responder community.

After learning of Justin Mitchell’s suicide and knowing the COVID-19 Pandemic has put so much stress on the first responder community, Shumate said, “the whole thing takes on a whole heightened sense of purpose.”

Denali went through training to be a one-on-one service dog, but during her training Paws and Effect found that she was better suited for more social environments where she could interact with more people.

“Denali has enough training that she has

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Jackson attorney takes on state role The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners held the 2020 Summer County Attorneys Conference in partnership with affiliate organization, the North Carolina Association of County Attorneys. This was the first year the annual event was held in a virtual setting, and it drew about 150 attorneys from counties and departments of social services throughout the state.

During the business session of the conference, Jackson County Attorney Heather Baker was sworn in as President of the N.C. Association of County Attorneys. A native of Jackson County, Baker is a member of the North Carolina and 30th Judicial District State Bars. She is also a former Assistant District Attorney for the 30th Prosecutorial District, and former president of the 30th Judicial District Bar. The conference covered several timely topics including legal aspects of county management and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, Public Health Law, affordable housing programs, legislative and case law and ethical issues related to pandemics.

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Smoky Mountain News

WNC real estate rebounding quickly According to the Beverly-Hanks Q2 2020 Real Estate Market Report, Western North Carolina’s real estate markets have undergone rapid and meaningful adjustments since the end of March. However, a strong seller’s market still makes it a good time for many to meet their real estate goals.

“Even as the impacts of COVID-19 continue to make life difficult throughout the United States, it has yet to put a significant dent in Americans’ willingness to buy homes,” said Neal Hanks, Jr., president of Beverly-Hanks.

Houses for sale, which were already in short supply before the pandemic, are now insufficient to meet current demand. At the end of quarter one, there were 3,038 residential properties on the market. As of July 1, the number of homes for sale dropped to 2,838. That figure represents 33 percent fewer homes for sale than this time last year.

“We expect demand to remain high [in the second half of the year] for two very important reasons,” said Hanks. “Both Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac predict that mortgage interest rates will average around 3.2% for the remainder of the year. The additional purchasing power and lower cost to own will most certainly drive demand, especially among first- and second-time homebuyers.”

“And secondly, with shelter in place orders barely in our rearview mirror, we’re already seeing a shifting preference from major metropolitan cities to places like the North Carolina mountains,” continued Hanks. “This trend is most noticeable in the upper price points, as these buyers’ wealth and employment tend to be more portable.”

Hemp farmers growing business in Macon

HCC offers business webinars

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Appalachian Growers located in the Cowee Valley.

Appalachian Growers started farming hemp driven by the passion to help others discover and apply the benefits of hemp. As a certified USDA organic and GMP operation, the business has carefully developed a full spectrum hemp product line. They are made with organic ingredients to guarantee that the final item in the consumers’ hands is of the upmost quality, safety and integrity.

The products are derived from hemp, containing the legal amount of 0.3% or less THC, which makes the product non-intoxicating. Although they can’t legally claim certain CBD benefits, users report that the products help them with sleep, pain management and overall relaxation. The oil comes in five different concentrations: 300mg, 500mg, 1000 mg, 1500mg and 3000mg so you can choose a strength depending on your body’s needs. The topical products contain full spectrum hemp, as well as organic and natural essential oils to soothe and nourish skin. Appalachian Growers’ products have been state and third party lab tested to ensure compliance and potency.

Purchase oils, lotions, salves, roll-ons and lip balm from www.appalachiangrowers.com or drop by the Franklin Welcome Center/Chamber of Commerce or Smoky Mountain Host Visitor Center.

The Small Business Center at Haywood Community College will offer a New Business Planning webinar series for those interested in starting a small business, with speaker Mike Collins.

For attendee flexibility, each webinar in this series will be offered twice: 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays and 2 to 3 p.m. Tuesdays.

Webinars will cover core topics of the business planning process including business start-up, marketing, business planning and ideation.

Creating a Winning Business Plan will be the topic on July 27 and July 28 and Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget will be the topic Aug. 3 and Aug. 4.

Attendees are encouraged to register for the webinars that best meet their current small business needs and availability. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512 to register.

New leadership at Mountain Credit Union After 35 years of service at Mountain Credit Union, Patty Idol has announced she will retire in September.

After beginning her career with Mountain Credit Union in 1985 as the branch manager in Waynesville, Idol has been the president/CEO since

1999. She was active in several credit union related organizations, such as the National Association of State Chartered Credit Unions and the Carolinas Credit Union League. She served as NASCUS Chairman of the Advisory Council, as Chairman of the Carolinas Credit Union League Board, and as President of the Western Chapter of the CCUL. Idol also fought tirelessly on behalf of credit unions and their members as an advocate at both the State Capitol in Raleigh and Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. Mountain Credit Union’s Board of Directors has officially named Amy Woody as her successor.

Woody is MCU’s current executive vice president.

She has over 29 years of credit union experience, including 23 years at Mountain Credit Union, and has held the position of EVP since 2003. She served on the Western Chapter of the CCUL Board from 2014 to 2018, and currently serves on the Carolinas Credit Union League Board and on the North Carolina Credit Union Division (NCCUD) Commission.

Ingles Markets to require facemasks Ingles Markets, Inc., has announced plans to require customers to wear a face covering to help in the fight against COVID-19.

The CDC stated “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus — particularly when used universally within a community setting. Face

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covering, combined with physical distancing and frequent hand-washing, has been proven to reduce the spread.”

Signs announcing the face-covering requirement are being posted at all store entrances, and in-store announcements are made repeatedly. This requirement is effective in all retail locations as of July 21 and will not apply to young children or to customers with medical conditions who are not able to wear a face covering.

In addition to requiring a facial covering, Ingles will continue its enhanced sanitation practices and regularly cleaning high-touch surfaces to help reduce the spread of COVID-19. One-way aisles to encourage social distancing remain in place, as will Plexiglas sneeze guards.

For more information, visit Ingles’ website at www.ingles-markets.com.

Chamber offers free masks for businesses The Cashiers Area Chamber is partnering with the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation to provide valuable Personal Protection Equipment to small business members in need.

Pick up a supply of reusable masks for your employees at the Chamber offices (202 U.S. 64 West) between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. Quantities are limited to 10 per business and will be distributed on a first come/first served basis. The masks are provided as part of a FEMA/United Way effort to deliver more than 5,000 essential face coverings to the area. The masks are 100 percent cotton and contain silver and copper, which help prevent the growth of viruses and germs. They are washable and reusable up to 15 times. These are intended for staff only.

New law office in Franklin Attorneys Stephen P. Lindsay and Virginia R. Hornsby recently celebrated the grand opening of their new Franklin office.

Lindsay Law is located at 26 Iotla Street, Franklin. After more than 20 years of serving legal clients around Macon County, attorney Steve Lindsay decided to establish a permanent office right beside the Macon County Courthouse.

“Over the years, I’ve come to love this community. The people here are among the finest I’ve met — blessed with incredible kindness and compassion,” he said.

Lindsay, known for over 30 years throughout North Carolina for his in-depth practice in criminal defense, is also an instructor for the National Criminal Defense College, the top training program for criminal defense attorneys in the United States and internationally.

Ginny Hornsby brings 18 years of criminal law experience to the firm, first as an Assistant District Attorney and then in criminal defense. She also takes family law clients on a limited basis in child custody and complex divorce cases, having begun her practice in North Carolina in 2004.

Opinion

Smoky Mountain News

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Let’s try to avoid pitfalls when school reopens N

Political opinion, not common sense To the Editor: The Oxford dictionary has a couple of different definitions of common sense; my favorite being “good judgment and behavior in practical matters,” like checking the tires on my car once a week or wearing a face mask in public until a vaccine can be had.

However, the definition being used by Jeff Minick and author Robert Curry in last week's book review is different in that they are talking about the common opinions of citizens unfettered by education and well-reasoned factbased thinking. Even further, they are referencing typical Republican talking points; thus, Curry and his sycophant Minick lambast the efforts of government, declaring that. “Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”

Along the way, they manage to promote other Republican attack points, from promoting Trump’s deficit destroying and pointless — from a practical point of view — southern border wall, ridiculing the recommendations of well-educated and experienced health experts in combating the Coronavirus Pandemic, subtly denigrating scientific efforts and research to address the very real gender identity crisis that many people suffer, equating “socialism” and dictatorship as if anyone wishes to go down that road (the important political discussion going on now is about how far we take our country toward democratic socialism, a

and educational experiences. They are clearly at an advantage over those who lack similar access to the internet and adults at home to teach and facilitate learning.

Children with increased needs such as those eligible for special education and those not yet fluent in English may also be behind some of their more advantaged peers. How will we try to educate them in the reopening of brick-and-mortar schools? Let’s avoid asking more of them and their families because they may need more.

They are victims of the circumstances and should not be treated like being “behind” is their choice. Let’s accept them where they are without assigning blame and asking them to “work Guest Columnist harder” to make up for what they missed. Sure, we should provide them with opportunities to succeed like educators are inclined to do, but let’s not blame them for not having internet, for not having adults with ample resources to teach and guide them, for having a disability or for not being fluent in English. It’s not their fault; take them as they are and give them all we have to help them succeed.

Pitfall 2: The second pitfall concerns what to do when the supply of well-qualified teachers is tight or runs dry as educators either contract the virus or are unwilling to risk exposure.

Dale Carpenter

orth Carolina public schools will reopen while the COVID-19 Pandemic is still with us and it is impossible to predict what will happen as we try to cope with the complexity of it all. Parents, educators and students are learning to adjust day by day to changing conditions.

The pandemic has exposed vulnerabilities for the education system and our overall infrastructure and laid bare what we already knew about the divide among those with advantages and those in poverty. Children of poverty have less access to opportunities, and we don’t need test scores to determine where schools and their students struggle — schools with more children of poverty experience less success than those with fewer children of poverty.

North Carolina is also not a state with a surplus supply of licensed teachers; we still rely on importing teachers from other states to work in hard-to-staff schools. We should be aware of two predictable challenges as we reopen schools and avoid tempting solutions that may not be in our best interests.

Pitfall 1: During the pandemic, children who have access to the internet and adults at home who have helped them to remain engaged and active in learning will likely be ready.

They have participated in Zoom sessions with teachers, taken advantage of the increasing education resource base online of video lessons, skill development programs, exploration activities and guides for parents. They have had adults who have the time, education and wherewithal to provide stimulating

LETTERS quite different animal), and even slip in a subtle attack on the VA. Of course there is a scapegoat; the “progressive elite,” a cabal of folks so well educated that they are, by some unnamed and unknown process, rendered unable to recognize reality on its face and at the same time viewing the ordinary citizen as stupid and needing the nanny state.

Well, I am one of those well-educated progressive folks, but even with those twin debilitating conditions I know that the stuff these guys are talking about is not reality, as they would have you believe. It is not reality that the border wall will work for any important purpose except to waste tax dollars, divert military funding and satisfy Trumpian political ambition. It is not reality that the Covid-19 crisis will abate without masks, social distancing, and quarantines. It is not reality that gender identity problems are solved once one simply identifies oneself as being biologically of one sex or the other. It is not reality to claim that our country is in danger of becoming a dictatorship unless progressive thinkers are ignored. Furthermore, it is insulting and damaging to disparage the learning, brains and opinions of those who are a direct important result of our collective commitment to education, which provides our citizenry the best hope to achieve our ideals.

I have had enough experience in life to be able to see this kind of thing for what it truly is, an “angry right-wing bit of bombast,” (Exactly what Minick denies, not surprising-

Students and educators will continue to contract COVID-19 until we have an effective and available vaccine. What will we do when teachers get the virus? It was already difficult for some schools to find substitutes before the pandemic. It will be more difficult to find qualified and trained substitutes during the pandemic, when expectations and risks are increased.

There is likely to be a temptation in desperate times to waive our standards for hiring teachers. Let’s not accept any “warm-bodied” individual to educate our children. We now have highly trained professionals, albeit undercompensated, who showed in the last third of the past school year that they can pivot on a dime and still provide education. Let’s plan to keep up the momentum when schools reopen and some of these professionals get sick.

Retirees who are often part of the substitute teacher pool may not be willing to risk exposure. Schools are likely already planning to use school administrators who are in most cases successful and experienced teachers, but that is not a big group. Let’s train more teachers, increase the pay and develop a plan to staff classrooms with the best possible educators and not rely on unprepared adults to care for and teach our most precious resource — our children — when they need us most.

Dale Carpenter is a professor of special education and former dean of the College of Education and Allied Professions at Western Carolina University.

ly). Stating their opinions are fine by me, since I have a deep respect for the First Amendment, but I do not tolerate without challenge folks who cover up their very real lack of understanding and appreciation of the complexity of human and societal dilemmas, and what is necessary in education and training to deal with those dilemmas. Promoting common sense, as done by these writers, turns out to be an empty attempt to elevate the status of conservative partisan opinions, and to lower the status of educated and researched opinions, all for the purpose of having their favorite political opinions prevail.

Rick Wirth Bryson City

Superintendent Nolte should resign To the Editor: Haywood County’s School Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte sent shock waves through a decent percentage of the community by posting a tone deaf racially charged meme on Facebook. By now I’d say followers of news and social media have seen the depiction of a rural white family picking cotton suggesting that not everyone who picked cotton was not black. Sure, lots of farming families picked cotton. We’re in Appalachia. Plenty of us grew up in families where self-sufficiency was the only means of survival. But it does not invalidate the struggles of the Black community.

Nor does it erase history. It is easy to see

through coded language. White people were never enslaved on American soil or forced to pick cotton (refusal was violence, even death).

The fact that Dr. Nolte even feels comfortable in posting such a meme is troubling.

Dr. Nolte is a well-educated man who holds a position of great responsibility.

Leaders should be held to a higher standard.

Perception is everything. I do not know what is in Dr. Nolte’s heart nor do I pretend to understand his logic or where his reasoning springs from in regards to his choice.

Though many educators, administrators and members of the community seem to stand in support of Dr. Nolte, I’m completely disappointed that he has not been asked by the school board to tender his resignation.

This choice he made is dangerous. Despite his years of service to our school system, this is the dawning of a new day. We need a superintendent who will evaluate the weight of their thoughts and opinions before freely posting on social media.

The Haywood County School Board needs new blood. We need a leader who understands diversity, encourages Black history education, and isn’t afraid to develop a comprehensive training and education program on race in America.

Some say Dr. Nolte has a right to free speech. He absolutely does. However, free speech does not come without consequences.

If we’re to allow Dr. Nolte’s indiscretion, what example are we teaching our children? Our

S EE LETTERS, PAGE 23

LOOKING FOR OPINIONS: The Smoky Mountain News encourages readers to express their opinions through letters to the editor or guest columns. All viewpoints are welcome. info@smokymountainnews.com

As consultants, beach week is a bit calmer these days

Chris Cox

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@SmokyMtnNews

Moe Davis qualified to serve in Congress To the Editor: As a long-time resident of Haywood County and former contributor to your paper now residing in an Asheville retirement home, I write to commend Moe Davis as a candidate seeking to represent the people of the 11th District in Congress.

I recently had opportunity to engage with Moe (he is OK with us calling him that) in a small-group “face-to-face” (on Zoom) conversation and found him to be a remarkably well-qualified candidate. He came across as intelligent, articulate, wellinformed on issues, open to listen and committed to a high purpose. A retired military officer who served with distinction, he at the same time is a man of conscience who resigned from his post at Guantanamo in protest against the torture being carried out there. There are few among us who could serve us in NC-11 — and in our country as a whole — as well as can Moe Davis. Let us elect him!

Doug Wingeier Asheville

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Smoky Mountain News

coverage. One of them suddenly bolted for the ocean, a little girl shrieking as she ran, her mom just a step behind, hands outstretched.

That was us not long ago, delirious from lack of sleep, overwhelmed in just about every way but also exhilarated, living on adrenaline and black coffee and protein bars. We learned pretty quickly that vacations at the beach were not really vacations as much as extended photo shoots for our young children.

We learned that the real vacation is the week you come home, when you can finally slip back into routines as comfortable as old pajamas and find some time to rest and relax, which you can never seem to do while at the beach, since your children need your undivided attention every minute that they are awake.

Being parents of small children at the beach is like being in a play on opening night, having barely read the script, much less memorized or rehearsed it. You may think you understand your role, but you don’t really. People expect you to know what you’re doing, but you don’t. When your children need something or want something or misbehave at the grocery store, you should say something, but you don’t really know what. You can’t remember your lines.

You’re performing in front of a crowd, trying to be convincing, trying to pull it off, trying to get through the damn thing without embarrassing yourself, trying not to poison your children, trying not to print some trauma on their blank little slates that will have to be examined in therapy sessions in 30 years. It’s not so much applause you seek. No, your standards are not that high. You’d just like to avoid being revealed as a complete fraud, to have the hospital nurse materialize on the beach right in front of you demanding the return of this child.

We remember these days with fondness, but also with fear and trembling. We’re happy to go back in pictures and in stories remembered, but not in reality. We’re plenty content to enjoy the people they’ve become, even when they get on our nerves or we get on theirs.

In short, we’re fine with being consultants. It’s nice to be able to read novels and contemplate the undulating formations of pelicans for minutes at a time without jolting yourself back awake in a panic to see where your son got off to. Because he’s right there in his own chair, feet propped up, headphones on, in need of a shave.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher. jchriscox@live.com)

community? I always heard repentance is for people who get caught.

Also, in his hollow “apology,” he points to the fact he had a Black friend once. This myth that proximity to blackness somehow immunizes him from doing racists things is absurd. It’s a short and weak denial of bigotry. A punchline in our conversations about racism. It’s a problem steeped in a number of factors such as a reluctance to have uncomfortable conversations about race and a failure to acknowledge racial differences. Dr. Nolte’s proclamation that he has a Black friend insists he doesn’t see color which in itself is a problem. Without having difficult, deep conversations with your friends of color about race, many white people have superficial relationships. There is a difference in having Black friends and having black acquaintances — one cannot have true comprehension of how race impacts a person of color’s daily life without striving to host uncomfortable discussions.

The Black friend narrative is similar to a slave owner speaking on how beloved he was by his African slaves. One assumes Dr. Nolte’s Black friend does not appreciate being the pawn in a manipulative face-save public relations narrative.

Martin Luther King Jr said, “Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.” I think we all can take note of Dr. King’s

words. We all make mistakes in life. We can continue to learn and grow.

But please, stop using the Black friends defense.

Heather Hyatt Packer Waynesville.

July 22-28, 2020

disto Beach, SC — As if this year weren’t already weird enough, my son is in the bathroom of our rented house shaving for the first time. His mom has been onto him about needing to shave and for reasons known only to a teenage boy — or maybe not even known to him — he has chosen this moment, just after a twilight walk on Steamboat Landing to look for little frogs and then watch dolColumnist phins from the pier, for this milestone.

I’m wearing blue plaid golf shorts that my grandpa would have said are a little “loud,” the very same shorts I wore on our first golf outing here 11 years ago when Jack was 4 years old and about the same height as my putter. There’s a picture of us in front of our golf cart that has always been one of my favorites, both of us grinning, just about to head to the first tee.

Now he’s 6’1”, almost as tall as I am.

Now he drives us around the island in the Subaru piling up the hours he needs to qualify for his driver’s license in the spring of next year. He used to beg me to let him drive the golf cart. I’d let him sit on my lap and steer, with my index finger surreptitiously on the bottom of the wheel, out of his view.

Parenting is still kind of like that, though it’s all I can do anymore to keep one finger on the wheel. Pretty soon, he’ll have to take total control and we’ll have to let him go. We both pretend that this is exactly what we want. Well, at least I am pretending. With him, I think it varies from day to day.

We’ve already been through this with our daughter, who left for college about a year ago and is now dealing with all kinds of life decisions that are hers alone to make.

As a wise person informed us a while back, our role has shifted to that of “consultant” in her life. Sometimes she consults with us, sometimes not. Uncharted territory, you know.

Our first day on the beach, we put up our canopy, set up our chairs, and pulled out our books, headphones and bottled waters, just as we have for so many years here. By now, setting up at the beach is an art form for us. We don’t need a list of what to bring. We can set up or tear down the entire shebang in less than five minutes, where it once took us a full hour.

Right away, we saw a family with small children, the parents fussing over their swimsuits and checking their sunscreen

LETTERS, CONTINUED FROM 22

1819 Country Club Drive, Maggie Valley, NC

M AG G I E VA LLEY C LU B . CO M

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A&E

Smoky Mountain News

Bringing down the ghosts A conversation with Eleanor Underhill

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF WRITER ne of the most versatile and intriguing musicians in Asheville and greater Western North Carolina, singer-songwriter Eleanor Underhill chases the artistic muse with a reckless abandon of curiosity, joy and self-reflection.

Well-known for her banjo presence in the highly popular “heartfelt country soul” act Underhill Rose, her latest solo release, “Land of the Living,” is a serendipitous ode to a modern world gone haywire. Though the lyrics and melodies were created before the Coronavirus Pandemic, the album finds itself at the crossroads of a society making sense of what it sees in the mirror.

Gathering an array of talented local musicians, Underhill stands firmly at the core of the record, this nurturing, yet assertive voice of hope and optimism. The songs take on a shape and life all their own, each pushing forth into an unknown future — a place and time Underhill herself walks toward with head held high.

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Smoky Mountain News: When listening to the album, I began to think that you, whether subconsciously or consciously, do not want to be pigeonholed into any specific genre.

Eleanor Underhill: Definitely. It’s the lack of concern of genre. It’s not defined by genre, [where] I follow the muse. You know, we’ve all heard so many different styles of music our whole lives and so many different styles move me.

And so, if something bubbles up [when] I’m playing around, this moment of inspiration hits and I’m going to follow that thread if it brings me joy. There was a moment where I had to decide: is this going to be an Americana album? Is this going to be an electronic album?

It was definitely a struggle on an artistic and spiritual level.

SMN: Well, you’re serving the song and not sticking it in a formula.

EU: Exactly. And that’s why you’ll hear less banjo on this album. You know, I felt less loyal, for better or for worse, to the banjo and felt like: does it serve the song because banjo has been my safe instrument? [The banjo] has been my primary tool for many, many years.

SMN: And perhaps also a safety net, too?

EU: It could be a safety net. It could be that what I’ve come to realize is that I think the banjo can be super versatile. But, I’m not sure everyone else can go there [as a listener]. I think I did start to associate the banjo with my image and maybe that’s my thing.

Eleanor Underhill.

Want to go?

The Eleanor Underhill & Friends album release show will be held at 8 p.m.

Thursday, Aug. 6, at The Grey Eagle in Asheville.

Presented by The Grey Eagle and Worthwhile Sounds, the performance will be limited capacity with all social distancing rules and protocol in place. Tickets are $15 per person ($20 day of show). For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit www.thegreyeagle.com.

To learn more about Eleanor Underhill, the new album “Land of the Living” and its online streaming premiere, go to www.eleanorunderhillmusic.com. The Aug. 6 concert will also be streamed live at www.iamavl.com.

“I think that’s the test: does the [music] stand up with this much of a sea change? I think most of the songs do. I think some of them have even risen to be oddly relevant.”

— Eleanor Underhill

[The banjo] is a really fun and interesting instrument. And I don’t think the versatility has been showcased very much. It is a thing I can do, and this is something unique about me.

But, I also feel really liberated to be at a keyboard. It’s fun to put the banjo down [and try something else].

SMN: Do you think this album has liberated you as an artist?

EU: Yeah, I do. Similar to my last solo album, “Navigate the Madness,” I didn’t know what I could pull out of myself, given the permission to just sit and play around — get the equipment, get the little home studio going, and then just go for it. So, I feel like I learned a lot in that first album.

And then, [with “Land of the Living”], I feel I’m bringing more skill, more experience, more confidence [to this project]. We also recorded the drums at Echo Mountain [Studios in Asheville], which I think brings up the fidelity of the album. And we brought in more people.

So, it’s all been a continuation of growing confidence and skill, I hope.

SMN: You recorded “Land of the Living” before the pandemic and shutdown. What

do you think about the album title when placed in the context of July 2020? I ask, because that title is interesting, seeing as right now the world has been in this great pause, and yet some people have never felt more alive.

EU: It is quite a different world than when the songs were written. Even choosing the two singles — “Strange Chemistry” and “Didn’t We Have Fun?” — you can see everything through the current lens and make sense of it, feel out how it has meaning.

I might’ve chosen two different singles if I would have known [what the future held]. But, I think that’s the test: does the [music] stand up with this much of a sea change? I think most of the songs do. I think some of them have even risen to be oddly relevant.

Music is therapeutic for me. This album was very personal, so I’m kind of working through some of my own demons, but I had a personal revelation where I was like, “Oh man, I’m holding on to stuff that I think is generational.” It’s not my weight.

So, I’m going to go ahead and let go of it, and be more fully alive and more fully awake in my body. I’m not held back. And I think that does apply to our society right now, that we are maybe more grateful for being alive.

SMN: To walk a little lighter.

EU: Walk a little lighter, and just recognizing that we do have the choice while we are alive to make our lives and make other people’s lives better — it’s recognizing that we have this precious time.

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Armond’s Place in Rouses Point, New York. (photo: Garret K. Woodward)

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828.452.4251 susanna@mtnsouthmedia.com

Smoky Mountain News

tepping out of the pickup truck in my little sister’s driveway last Saturday, I was immediately greeted with the sounds of children laughing and splashing around in the backyard. It was my niece’s sixth birthday party in my hometown of Rouses Point, New York, a tiny village on the Canadian and Vermont borders.

The backyard was organized chaos. More than a dozen kids running amuck in the inflatable pool and bouncy house. Parents all milling about on the edge of the yard, as if spectators at a wrestling match. Some of the adult faces were familiar, these folks I remember fondly from my adolescent days — not seen in years, only to catch up over some small talk.

I left this town when I was 18 for college in Connecticut, some 300 miles away. From there, it’s been an ongoing, rollicking odyssey across America and beyond. And it’s rare for me to find myself back in Rouses Point — not by choice, just by circumstance.

Since I graduated high school, I’ve kept wandering and pondering, pushing ahead and

rarely looking over my shoulder at the past.

And these last two months spent in the North Country (in the midst of the pandemic and shutdown) have brought a lot of things in my life full circle, personally and professionally. I’ve never forgotten the starting line of my hometown. It’s always been the line by which I’ve measured a life well-lived, all while chasing long held dreams in real time.

It’s this place, this tiny dot often forgotten on the map, that’s remained an anchor in my thoughts and actions. It’s a location that no matter how tough the going gets, I always know that it’s still up there somewhere, tucked in this corner along Lake Champlain, hidden from the madness of the outside world.

During the birthday party, I laced up my running shoes and snuck away to go for a jog around the town. With a slew of emotions and memories flooding my field-ofvision, I figured it’d do me some good to sweat it out amid a landscape that I once knew on a daily basis, now somewhat a foggy image in memory.

Exiting the driveway, it was a right down Pearl Street to Lake Street. With the seemingly endless Lake Champlain in front of me, I took a right down Lake Street heading

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This must be the place

south in the hot sun of the early afternoon.

Jogging by The Anchorage motel with the big front yard where The Anchorage restaurant once stood, a North Country staple of family gatherings and late-night shenanigans for decades before it burned down. It’s also where my best friend and I took our prom dates for dinner before the big dance.

Down Lake Street and a left on Stony Point Road. S-curve pavement towards the breakwater barrier. Local anglers hoping to catch that one elusive fish. The nearby boat ramp is used as an entry point for the shanty town once the lake freezes over in winter and a small community appears atop it, as if a scene directly from the film “Grumpy Old Men.” The s-curve pavement soon turns to dirt, with several camps (or “summer homes”) appearing. Eventually, my late grandfather’s camp came into view. It looked the same as I remembered: black with blue trim, the old shack for his fishing and hunting gear still standing, too.

I hadn’t seen the camp since it was sold years ago, not long after his funeral. In the distance was the deck overlooking the lake where we’d sit and chat over a beer about how college was going, what the plan was after graduation, only to head down to the dock and jump off it to cool off in the ancient waters.

Returning to Lake Street, my legs started to get tired, but my mind was restless as I made my way to Montgomery Street. Push past Sportsmen’s Pier (aka: the local rod and gun club swimming area) and all those summer barbecues and family get-togethers, now only dusty photos in albums taken out at Christmas parties.

From Montgomery, I hopped on the walking trail that leads up to the Rouses Point Rec Center. With the enormous old hockey rink in the distance, I made my way by the soccer and baseball fields, these green spaces where as a kid I kicked the ball past the goalie or caught the pop fly in left field.

The last stretch back to my little sister’s house and seeing my reflection in the windows of Armond’s Place on Lake Street — the now-defunct dive bar that was the social hub of the community. There were countless Fourth of July celebrations where I ended up in there following the fireworks, catching up with my old high school buddies as some local band was rocking through a tragically hip song, most likely “New Orleans is Sinking.”

Drenched in sweat, I finished at the corner of Lake and Pearl. Grabbing a towel from my truck, I took a moment to collect myself before reentering the birthday party.

In that hour-long jog, I passed by people, places and things forever cherished and carefully placed on the shelves of my mind.

I passed by abandoned buildings, renovated buildings and buildings long gone where I spent many days and nights growing and blossoming as a human being in the greater universe. And I thought of all those familiar faces I dearly miss, either many miles away or six feet under. Rouses Point was the starting line, and I’ve never taken that for granted.

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

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July 22-28, 2020

arts & entertainment

On the street Smithsonian traveling exhibition The Macon County Public Library, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities Council, will host “Water/Ways,” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program.

“Water/Ways” will be on view through Aug. 24 at the library in Franklin. The exhibition explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s impact on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality.

It looks at how political and economic planning have long been affected by access to water and control of water resources.

Human creativity and resourcefulness provide new ways of protecting water resources and renewing respect for the natural environment.

Designed for small-town museums, libraries and cultural organizations, “Water/Ways” will serve as a community hub to inspire conversations about water’s impact on American culture. With the support and guidance of North Carolina Humanities Council, the Macon County Public Library is partnering with numerous local organizations and individuals.

These groups are developing a film and photographic tour of the Little Tennessee and its watershed, virtual and in-person public programs and facilitating educational initiatives to raise people’s understanding about what water means culturally, socially and spiritually in their own community.

“We have a wonderful group of local partners helping us to safely engage with

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Amongst The Trees at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1.

Free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com.

Smoky Mountain News

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host The Darren Nicholson Band 7 p.m.

Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host the “Western Carolina Writers” songwriters showcase with Nick Mac, Hannah Kaminer and Jesse Frizsell 7 p.m. July 25. Free. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Tea 4 Three 8 p.m. Aug. 8. For more information and a complete schedule of events, visit www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Nantahala Brewing (Sylva) will host live music semi-regularly on the weekends.

Free and open to the public. www.nantahalabrewing.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Grains of Sand 26 Band (classic hits/oldies) 7:30 p.m. Aug.

the community this summer. Because while we want to make the most of the six weeks that the Smithsonian exhibit is in Franklin, we also want to continue to support organizations like Macon County Schools STEM Program, GA/NC Bartram Trail Society, Friends of the Greenway (FROGS), Mainspring, and the Nikwasi Initiative that help us protect and enjoy our waterways now and in the future,” said Kristina Moe, library assistant at the Macon County Public Library. “We want to facilitate conversations about water and are developing local content and public programs to compliment the Smithsonian exhibition.”

Such free events include documentary films, book discussions, and outdoor activities near the Little Tennessee River.

“Water/Ways” is part of the Smithsonian’s Think Water Initiative to raise awareness of water as a critical resource for life through exhibitions, educational resources and public programs. The public can participate in the conversation on social media at #thinkWater.

The exhibition is part of Museum on Main Street, a unique collaboration between the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service, state humanities councils across the nation and local host institutions. To learn more about “Water/Ways” and other Museum on Main Street exhibitions, visit www.museumonmainstreet.org. Support for MoMS has been provided by the U.S. Congress.

For more information, visit www.fontanalib.org or call the Macon County Public Library at 828.524.3600.

The library is open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

IBMA winner to play Maggie

Acclaimed Americana/country act The Darren Nicholson Band will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Elevated Mountain Distilling Company in Maggie Valley.

Nicholson is a Grammy Award nominee and a recipient of numerous International Bluegrass Music Association’s Awards, including “Entertainer of the Year” (2014, 2018) and “Album of the Year” (2006, 2017).

He has appeared countless times on WSM’s Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium, CMT, GAC and many of the world’s most famous venues and networks.

Currently, he records and tours as a full-time, founding member of Balsam Range with all sorts of collaborative efforts each year.

The show is free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

ALSO:

Artist grants now available

• The next “Dillsboro After Five: Wonderful Wednesdays” will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. July 22 in downtown. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. Bring the family and enjoy small town hospitality at its best.

“Dillsboro After Five” will be held every Wednesday through July 29. For more information, call 828.586.2155 or visit www.mountainlovers.com.

Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission and the Transylvania Community Arts Council.

Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford and Transylvania.

Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grants-funding. The

deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000.

Emerging or established artists are encouraged to apply to support a range of professional and artistic development including the creation of work, improvement of business operations or expanding capacity to bring work to new audiences. Artist fees are also allowable expenses.

“The Artist Support Grants program responds to the impact of the pandemic by ensuring that artists and the state’s arts infrastructure have the resources needed to help our state make a strong social and economic recovery,” said Wayne Martin, executive director of the North Carolina Arts Council.

For information or questions, contact Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, at www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

1. Tickets start at $15 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva. 828.631.3075.

• The “Haywood County Medical Exhibit: 1870-1950” will be held at The Shelton House in Waynesville.

The showcase will run through October. Admission is $7 adults. $5 students. Children ages 5 and under free. Admission includes Shelton House.

828.452.1551 or www.sheltonhouse.org.

On the shelf

Jeff Minick

T

money and gold, a fortune he has stolen from the family of a man he befriended in the army. Hill has chosen Tugaloo, a run-

down dirty town but with train service, as the place to invest his wealth. He intends to buy up a number of the businesses, refurbish them and so control the town and its people.

The lives of these three people become entangled when Vancie and Josiah fall in love with each other, smitten from the

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ters — Mattie, the former slave who becomes a second mother to Vancie, Big John during the chapter in which he digs a grave, the crippled and good-hearted Phineus Coble, Delilah Hart, the town’s madam — are as finely drawn and real as the main actors on this stage of love, hope and sadness.

Impressive as well is the amount of action and emotion Gulledge manages to condense in this short novel. He cuts from scene to scene and from character to character with expert ease, telling us the story of these people without wasting a word or making a misstep. Here, for example, he paints this portrait of James and his grandmother, Mama Lois: Their days were spent in endless hours of barnyard tales, gliding on the front porch swing, and singing silly songs that Mama Lois had been taught as a child in Ireland. Mattie did all of the cooking now, and Big John kept up the garden. Mama Lois was free all day long to lighten James’s heart and cure him of the endless melancholy of life with his mother and father back at Orchard Cove. Wednesdays at Mama Lois’s were days to breathe deeply and freely, to be silly, loud and juvenile, all things that were banned at his father’s house.

Finally, unlike so many modern novelists who write about the nineteenth century, Gulledge gives religious faith a place in the lives of many of his characters. From the memoirs, letters and diaries of that time, we know faith was a cornerstone of life for many people, and when Gulledge describes the reactions of Vancie, Mama Lois, James and Mattie, he allows them to express their Biblical beliefs that were as natural and common to these men, women and children as the stars in the sky or the mountain air they breathed.

Read A Poor Man’s Supper, and you’ll enjoy a feast.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com)

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moment they meet in the livery stable where the sassy Vancie pokes fun at Josiah for “trying to bury yourself in a pile of hay with a pitchfork.” When Phineus Coble learns of Josiah’s love for the girl, he gives him a gold watch once owned by his mother engraved now with the initials V.K and J.B. The watch acts throughout the novel as a bond between Vancie and Josiah, and plays a key role in their story.

When Vancie becomes pregnant with Josiah’s child, her mother Lois, determined that her daughter should avoid the hardships of her own life, approaches Jagger Hill and offers him her daughter in marriage. He accepts, mostly because of her beauty, believing that she’ll act as eye candy, one more sign of his rise in the world.

Hill treats his wife as brutally as he does his whores, his animals, and eventually, the boy James, whom he believes to be his son but whom he despises for his kindness and weakness. When Josiah learns of this marriage, but not of the circumstances surrounding it, he is brokenhearted. He says goodbye to Coble and the livery stable and returns to the mountains to carve out a life for himself there.

To tell more of this story would spoil its ending.

In addition to its dramatic romance, A Poor Man’s Supper offers readers several other gifts. First, some of the minor charac-

July 22-28, 2020

he years following the Civil War brought great changes to Western North Carolina. The railroads penetrated these coves and mountains, carrying tourists, flat-landers and goods to small towns previously isolated by their forbidding terrain.

Following the railroads were the timber barons, eager to harvest the ancient forests and able now to move and sell the lumber to outside buyers. Though many of those native Writer to the region remained in poverty, others were able to make their fortunes in the mountains.

It is against this background that Jim Gulledge has set his novel, A Poor Man’s Supper (Deer Hawk Publications, 2017, 140 pages), a love story involving a young woman, the boy she loves and the man she marries.

Vancie Keller lives on a hardscrabble farm in the hills, along with her mother and two African Americans who fled the to the mountains after the war. Her father, wounded in both body and soul during the fighting, has died, leaving them struggling to eke out a living as best they can. Vancie has her mother’s beauty, is quick-witted and prefers britches and exploring the woods to the stiff dresses she must wear to church.

The orphaned teenager Josiah Buckland walks out of the hills to Tugaloo, a town within a day’s journey of Asheville. The hungry boy finds work in a livery stable, where the owner, Phineus Coble, soon treats Josiah as the son he never had. The grateful Josiah mucks out stables, hauls buckets of water from the town’s well and performs all the other tasks required of him, returning the affection Coble has bestowed on him.

Jagger Hill is also newly arrived in Tugaloo. Unlike Josiah, Hill arrives with

arts & entertainment

A feast for readers: A Poor Man’s Supper

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Smoky Mountain News

Relay for Clean Air cyclists gather at Waterrock Knob on the Blue Ridge Parkway at midnight for the August 2005 race. Donated photo

‘PART OF HISTORY’ Canary Coalition dissolves after 20 years

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER fter 20 years at the forefront of clean air efforts in Western North Carolina, The Canary Coalition is no more.

“I’m not bitter about it at all,” said Avram Friedman, who founded the organization in 1999 and served as its executive director until retiring in December. “I’m grateful that they tried, but at this point The Canary Coalition has served its purpose. I think we’ve made an impact, and now it’s time for the younger generation to take hold.”

When Friedman retired at the end of the year, he felt confident that the organization’s younger membership would carry The Canary Coalition’s mission into the future. That confidence may have been well placed, but it couldn’t take into account the impact that a virus then in the process of devastating China would have on every facet of American life as 2020 unfolded.

“We lost a big contributor when Avram decided to retire, and we had hoped to do a lot of fundraising and attending events,” said Lauren Baxley, co-chair of the Canary Coalition at the time it dissolved. “We’d signed up for tables at various things that were happening around the area. With COVID that all shut down.”

Down a major donor and stripped of the ability to hold any major fundraising events, the all-volunteer board couldn’t see a path to stability, said Baxley, and the 501c3 is now in the process of being dissolved.

“It’s really a shame,” she said. “It broke our hearts, but we didn’t see a clear way we could go forward.”

A

CLEANING UP THE AIR The Canary Coalition may be gone, but the impact of its 20 years of existence will be felt for decades to come.

“He never had much money at all to work with and was always just getting by and yet still made some really important changes that have improved the quality of our air and the quality of our lives,” Will Harlan — a former member of The Canary Coalition who is now senior editor at Blue Ridge Outdoors and regional director for The Sierra Club — said of Friedman. “The whole region is indebted to him.”

The organization was born in 1999 after Friedman, then chairman of the Tuckasegee chapter of the Western North Carolina

Steve Earle plays AirAid at the Orange Peel in Asheville following the 2005 Relay for Clean Air. Donated photo

Alliance — an organization that in 2014 participated in a merger that birthed the new nonprofit MountainTrue — heard a presentation on air quality that featured some disturbing news. Jim Renfro, who was then and is still the air quality program manager at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, was speaking to a group of 20-30 people gathered for a chapter meeting about recently received data on regional air quality. The picture it painted, Friedman recalled, was pretty grim — especially considering that most everyone there had considered the region to be a relatively pristine and untouched area.

“What he was showing us was that, quite to the contrary, the ozone levels were skyrocketing here, and he compared our air quality to Los Angeles and Atlanta. Plus, we had an issue with sulfur dioxide,” said Friedman.

Forty years prior, the tower at Clingmans Dome had offered a view stretching 100 miles on a clear day, but by 1999 you could only expect to see for 12 miles, Friedman remembers hearing.

“That was the impetus for starting the

Canary Coalition, that presentation, when we realized this was an issue that not only impacted the environment but directly impacted public health,” said Friedman. “We understood that it would appeal to a much broader cross-section of the public to start an organization that focused just on air quality, and not on every other environmental issue — and we were right.”

The cause quickly garnered support from leaders across the region, with the board including members of the Jackson County and Buncombe County commissions, Asheville City Council and the Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. In its initial efforts, the group targeted the source that Renfro had identified as bearing the most responsibility for the region’s worsening air quality — coal-fired power plants.

The Canary Coalition joined with 12 other environmental organizations to form the N.C. Clean Air Coalition, which still exists today, and together the group developed the white paper that ultimately led to the 2002 passage of the N.C. Clean Smokestacks Act. The act’s passage was a “remarkable” victory and a “story of effective political action,” said Friedman, with The Canary Coalition playing a pivotal role in lobbying legislators and preventing the legislation from being watered down as it moved through Raleigh. In the years to come, the law’s importance would become increasingly evident as pollution measures trended downward and visibility steadily increased.

STILL WORK TO DO The law’s passage was a huge victory, but the job was far from done. The Canary Coalition turned its attention to the federal Clean Air Act. The Bush administration was in power then, adopting new rules that weakened some standards contained in the act. The Canary Coalition lobbied the state to resist adopting those new, weaker standards in North Carolina.

“We won some and we lost some” on that front, said Friedman, but by then the regulations surrounding coal-based energy production had become problematic enough for Duke Energy that the company had already started to close some of its coal-fired power plants in favor of natural gas.

The organization’s next success was securing adoption of a renewable energy portfolio standard, a regulation that required power companies to derive a certain percentage of their energy production from renewable sources. Friedman said he doesn’t consider that accomplishment a pure win, as the measure was included in a 2007 omnibus energy package that included aspects he found to be “very objectionable” and used a broad definition of “renewable source” that included wood, hog waste and chicken carcasses.

However, said Harlan, Friedman’s work was still cutting-edge.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy is seeking renewal for its accreditation as a land trust, and a public comment period is now open as part of the process.

The Land Trust Accreditation Commission, an independent program of the Land Trust Alliance, conducts an extensive review of each applicant’s policies and programs. It also invites public input and accepts signed, written comments on pend-

ing applications. Comments must relate to how the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy complies with national quality standards. These standards address the ethical and technical operation of a land trust.

For the full list of standards see www.landtrustaccreditation.org/help-andresources/indicator-practices.

To submit a comment, visit www.landtrustaccreditation.org, email info@landtrustaccreditation.org, fax to 518.587.3183 or mail to Land Trust Accreditation Commission, Attn: Public Comments 36 Phila Street, Suite 2, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Comments will be most useful when received by Sept. 18.

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Former N.C. Rep. Phil Haire hands Avram Friedman one of the pens then-N.C. Gov. Mike Easley used to sign the Clean Smokestacks Act. Donated photo

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Carolina to 100 percent renewable energy in 10 years. The organization has also been working steadily to gain support for the Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates Bill, which would restructure energy bills in the state so that users using low amounts of energy pay less per watt than users drawing high amounts of energy. The bill has been introduced in every session since 2011.

“Each time we found more sponsors,” said Friedman. “In 2019 we had 20 sponsors — we had 10 in each house.”

The nonprofit has been involved in various other campaigns as well, also debuting a YouTube channel called Mountain Stream TV to cover issues of importance to the Coalition — but it also knew how to have fun, said Harlan. A good example of that is the Relay for Clean Air, held 2004 to 2009, in which dozens of outdoor enthusiasts would run or bike from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Asheville.

“He just created a really exciting, fun regional organization that a lot of folks enjoyed participating in,” said Harlan.

The Canary Coalition and all of its efforts are now “a part of history,” said Friedman, and at 70 he’s looking to the next generation to pick up the baton and carry it forward.

“In that sense it will move on,” he said.

“Its work will move on and certainly the positive impact it’s made will move on.”

July 22-28, 2020

“I think it was in many ways an organization ahead of its time,” he said. “The work I’m doing for The Sierra Club is very detailed, technical electric sector, energy sector policy work — really boring, wonky stuff that Avram was doing two decades ago, long before any mainstream environmental group was focused on it.”

In the 13 years since, The Canary Coalition has shifted its focus from visible environmental threats like haze and ozone damage to a less visible enemy — climate change.

While the organization’s initial efforts surrounding the Clean Smokestacks Act enjoyed broad support across the communities of Western North Carolina, the climate change issue is a more polarizing and politically divisive animal. That’s unfortunate, said Friedman.

“To me it seems like it’s even more universal,” he said. “The climate is definitely something that is impacting all people, but there is, I think, a deliberate effort to confuse the public about how the climate is impacting their lives and even the reality of climate change itself.”

The Canary Coalition has spent the past decade or so working on several different efforts surrounding its focus on climate change, including a bill known as the N.C. Green New Deal, which would adopt on the state level the goals contained in New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’ controversial bill, aiming to move North

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Environmental organizations sue over NEPA changes

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The Southern Environmental Law Center is representing 16 environmental organizations in a lawsuit claiming that the Trump administration illegally cut corners in “gutting” the National Environmental Policy Act. “This is a blatant and transparent effort from the Trump administration to further silence communities that are not as well connected, not as wealthy, not as valuable to the White House as others,” said Kym Hunter, a Southern Environmental Law Center senior attorney who is heading up the legal effort.

The new rules prevent agencies from considering climate change in their reviews as well as from considering cumulative impacts. For example, when a new highway or bypass is proposed near a current interstate, the projected increase in pollution is added to the existing pollution levels to get a full understanding of how nearby communities will be affected. The NEPA rewrite eliminates consideration of these “cumulative impacts.”

SELC alleges that the administration “made a mockery of the laws and policies that are designed to make changes like this a transparent and public process.” Only two public hearings were held nationwide before the decision was made to adopt the changes.

“Even so, the Council on Environmental Quality received more than 1.1 million comments and has a duty to review each one,” reads a press release from SELC. “However, CEQ moved forward with rulemaking less than four months

later, an impossibility if it followed its mandate.”

The rule changes stemmed from an Aug. 15, 2017, executive order from President Donald Trump titled “Establishing Discipline and Accountability in the Environmental Review and Permitting Process for Infrastructure,” which ordered, among other things, that CEQ take action to “ensure that agencies apply NEPA in a manner that reduces unnecessary burdens and delays as much as possible, including by using CEQ’s authority to interpret NEPA to simplify and accelerate the NEPA review process.”

On its website CEQ said that the changes represent the first comprehensive update to NEPA in more than 40 years. The final rule will “(modernize) regulations to streamline the development of infrastructure projects and promote better decision making by the Federal government,” the website says.

Organizations represented by SELC include MountainTrue, Defenders of Wildlife, N.C. Wildlife Federation, Clean Air North Carolina, Upstate Forever, Wild Virginia, Haw River Assembly, National Trust for Historic Preservation, Virginia Wilderness Committee, South Carolina Wildlife Federation, Highlanders for Responsible Development, Cowpasure River Preservation Association, Congaree Riverkeeper, the Clinch Coalition, Alliance for the Shenandoah Valley and Alabama River Alliance.

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The Unicoi Mountains rise in the distance as seen from the Rim Trail on the newly acquired Fires Creek tract. Mainspring Conservation Trust photo

Fires Creek inholding conserved Mainspring Conservation Trust has sold 49 acres of land at the headwaters of Laurel Creek to the U.S. Forest Service.

The area is an inholding surrounded by existing national forest land, and is located in a popular recreation area on the Tusquitee Ranger District. Laurel Creek is a tributary to Fires Creek.

Mainspring purchased the property in 2017, and the Forest Service bought it using funding from the N.C. Threatened Treasures FY 2020 Land and Water Conservation Fund Appropriations.

“We are thrilled that the Laurel Creek inholding is forever part of the National Forest, after more than a decade of uncertainty,” said Mainspring Executive Director Jordan Smith. “Mainspring is grateful to the landowners, who were willing to seek a conservation solution for this incredibly significant property, the organizations and supporters who helped donate to this project so the property could become public land and for our partners at the U.S. Forest Service, who recognized what this inholding means to hikers, hunters and people who love the Fires Creek Area. This project exemplifies what can happen when everyone works together for permanent conservation.”

The parcel is an important area for hunting and wildlife and includes a section of the Rim Trail, a 25-mile foot and horse path that traverses the rim of the Tusquitee Mountains and Valley River Mountains, which form the Fires Creek watershed. The Rim Trail loop starts at the Fires Creek Recreation Area and connects to other trails including the Shinbone, Sassafras, Phillips Ridge and Bristol Horse Trails.

The purchase also protects the headwaters of Fires, Laurel and Phillips Creeks, all of which flow into the Hiwassee River Basin, which is the primary source of drinking water for North Carolina and Georgia residents.

Public comment open for Smokies mountain bike plan and-answer period extending through 7 p.m. Written comments will be accepted through Aug. 19.

To join the July 28 meeting, use the link https://zoom.us/s/92424167876 or call in at 312.626.6799 and enter passcode 92424167876#. To join the July 30 meeting, use the link https://zoom.us/s/ 98627136296 or call in at 312.626.6799 and enter passcode 98627136296#. Attendees who call in will not be able to speak or view the presentation.

Submit written comments online at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/wearsvalleyb iketrails or mail them to: Transportation and Recreation Planning Projects, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, 107 Park Headquarters Rd, Gatlinburg, TN 37738.

More information about the proposal is available at https://parkplanning.nps.gov/wearsvalleyb iketrails.

Buy national forest passes online A new online platform allows visitors to the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests to pay day use fees online at www.recreation.gov at no additional cost.

Digital passes are available for Cheoah Point Beach, Dry Falls, Whiteside Mountain, Whitewater Falls, Jackrabbit Mountain Beach and Roan Mountain.

Because many areas of the national forest have limited cell reception, it’s best to buy passes before heading to the destination. Passes can be printed and placed on the dashboard, but this is not required because rangers can use license plates to validate passholders.

To purchase a pass online go to www.recreation.gov/sitepass/72611 or search “National Forests in North Carolina Digital Passes” at the www.recreation.gov homepage.

Here’s Your Sign ...

July 22-28, 2020

A proposed mountain biking trail system for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is now open for public comment, with virtual meetings planned for next week.

The trail would be installed on the unfinished section of the Foothills Parkway corridor in Wears Valley, Tennessee. If approved, it would be the first area in park boundaries to allow mountain biking.

The park is entering an environmental assessment and 30-day public scoping period in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act and the National Historic Preservation Act. Staff are looking for public input on the proposed action, preliminary alternatives and issues for consideration in the environmental assessment.

Virtual meetings will be held at 5 p.m.

Tuesday, July 28, and Thursday, July 30. The sessions will begin with a half-hour overview of the proposal and a question-

The Cheoah Ranger District on the Nantahala National Forest has two new Kids in Parks TRACK Trails, designed to turn an ordinary hike into a fun-filled, discovery-packed adventure.

At the Massey Branch Fitness Trail and the Cheoah Trail, both located across from the Cheoah Ranger District Office in Robbinsville, visitors will now find new trailhead signs with activity guides that allow young hikers to learn about and connect with the natural features found along the trail. On the Cheoah Trail, explore the historic site of the 1940s Civil Conservation Corps Camp. The Fitness

Trail has a variety of exercise stations along the trail.

After their hike, kids can register their TRACK Trail adventures at www.kidsinparks.com to earn prizes designed to make their next outdoor adventure more meaningful and to encourage continued participation in the program.

The TRACK trails on the Cheoah Ranger District were created in cooperation with the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation’s Kids in Parks Program with funding and support provided by the Duke Energy Foundation, Graham County Travel and Tourism, and the Graham Revitalization and Economic Action Team. Since the Kids in Park’s Program’s inception in 2009, more than 1.5 million TRACK Trail adventures have been completed.

outdoors

New Kids in Parks Trails created in Robbinsville

Get the skinny on environmental legislation

Fun, Affordable Gifts in Downtown Waynesville!

Hike Hemphill Explore Hemphill Bald with a hike beginning at 8 a.m. Saturday, July 25.

Former Great Smoky Mountains National Park Deputy Superintendent Kevin FitzGerald and Haywood County Emergency Management Director Greg Shuping will lead this moderate 6-mile excursion from Polls Gap to Sheepback Knob, featuring an elevation gain of 981 feet.

The hike is part of an ongoing series offered by Haywood County Recreation and

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Learn about the status of environmental legislation in Raleigh during an online event offered noon to 1 p.m. Monday, July 27, from MountainTrue.

MountainTrue lobbyist Rob Lamme and MountainTrue’s legislative advocacy team will discuss the organization’s legislative priorities and work, and how environmental issues have fared in the General Assembly this year.

Lemme has represented MountainTrue in Raleigh since 2016 and has worked in North Carolina policy and government for more than 20 years.

To register, visit mountaintrue.org/event/raleigh-report-live.

————————————————————————————— 120 N. Main St. • Waynesville, NC • 828.452.0526

Parks to explore some of the county’s most beautiful areas. Free, with registration required at 828.452.6789.

find us at: facebook.com/smnews

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outdoors

Franklin butterfly garden’s honors long-time volunteer Kay Coriell, a longtime supporter of Franklin’s greenway along the Little Tennessee River, has been honored for her efforts by serving as namesake to the

Friends of the Greenway’s butterfly garden.

The Kay Coriell Butterfly Garden, as it is now called, has been her passion since it began in 2006. Coriell led the restoration and revitalization project in 2017 and con-

tinues to coordinate plantings and maintenance needs today. Through her efforts, the Greenway is listed in the National Recreation Trails, included in the North Carolina Birding Trail, and the Butterfly Garden is registered as a North American Monarch Waystation.

Coriell’s involvement with the greenway stretches back even further than that.

During the 1990s, she was volunteering with the original group that had the dream of a path along the Little Tennessee River. She has been a member of Friends of the Greenway since its inception in 2001 and has volunteered in numerous capacities over the years. She has been on the Friends of the Greenway Board and has served in every officer position. During some very dark times, it was her contribution that kept the organization going as she filled several officer positions at the same time.

July 22-28, 2020

Get the scoop on electric school buses

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The first installment of a three-part webinar series about environmentally friendly transportation will be offered 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22.

Focused on electric transit and school bus developments in the Southeast, the program is presented by N.C. Clean Cities Coalitions and Plug-in N.C. Kathleen Staples of Dominion Energy will join the conversation to discuss Dominion’s electric school bus program in Virginia, and George Linney and Jay Perkins of the Greensboro Transit Authority will share the lessons they learned from one of the earliest electric school bus deployments in North Carolina.

Free. Register at https://bit.ly/3hbjcnm.

Project aims to honor veterans buried in national park A local group has launched a project to identify all veterans buried in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with 163 veterans found so far representing conflicts from the Revolutionary War to the Iraq War, including both sides of the Civil War. Of the veterans, 103 are buried in Tennessee and 60 in North Carolina, including 49 in Swain County and 11 in Haywood.

The team intends to build a publicly available interactive database of all the veterans buried including biographical data, location and the wars and unit records in which they served. Listed separately will be cenotaphs — headstones in a location without a body buried — and cremated veterans whose ashes were scattered. Veterans originally buried in the Park whose bodies were moved prior to the Fontana Dam flooding will be listed too.

“Our goal is to honor and protect the

valor of those who served and not let their memory be erased because of where they are buried,” stated Joe Emert, a member of the National Parks System Advisory Board and former president of the East Tennessee Historical Society. “We are putting this initial list out for review by the public to ensure we are not missing any veterans who are buried in the national park. All currently listed veterans have been verified through military records or historic books and documents listing their military service. Any new additions will have to be verified and documented through the same process before being added to the list.”

Emert, a sixth-generation resident of Blount County, is working on the project with Sheila Evans of the Daughters of the American Revolution in Cocke County and Don Casada, of Friends of the Bryson City Cemetery in Swain County.

The current list is at gsmheritagecenter.org and friendsofthebccemetery.org.

To add a veteran buried to the list, suggest changes or provide additional information, contact Casada at don.casada@friendsofthebccemetery.org.

outdoors

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outdoors

Outdoor Leadership alum honored at SCC

Ingles Nutrition Notes written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath Q) I’m trying to eat more fish that’s not breaded and fried but need some ideas on how to cook it so it’s not so smelly

July 22-28, 2020

After earning his associate’s degree at SCC in 2003, Wilson progressed on his educational journey, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Western Carolina University and ultimately earning a doctorate in parks, recreation and tourism management from Clemson University.

Established in 2019, the award is given annually to an alumnus or alumna who has attained extraordinary distinction and outstanding performance in his or her career field while demonstrating exceptional community leadership.

In his current role, Wilson writes environmental assessments and Dustin Wilson (at right) impact statehikes with his SCC Outdoor ments for nonLeadership class in 2003. federal Donated photo hydropower licenses.

“I am extremely proud of the trajectory Western North Carolina wilderness with a of Dustin’s career path,” said Paul Wolf, group of classmates along the Bartram SCC’s founding and current Outdoor Trail, a trek designed to bring together all Leadership Program Coordinator. “Seeing lessons from a land-based class. For Wilson, the impact he is making on the recreational the experience instilled all the confidence use and protection of our country’s natural he’d need to chart his own career in the resources and being able to mentor him on world of Outdoor Leadership. his journey makes me grateful to have been “Just being able to see the skills I had part of his formative years here at SCC.” learned in a classroom and directly translatNominations are accepted annually for ing them into a positive experience of being SCC’s Distinguished Alumni Award. For able to overcome obstacles, have fun and more information, visit earn a living from this — it proved to me www.SouthwesternCC.edu/award. that I could do this,” Wilson said.

A graduate of Southwestern Community College’s Outdoor Leadership Program who now holds the title of outdoor recreation planner with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in Washington, D.C., has received SCC’s second annual Distinguished Alumni Award.

Just over seventeen years ago, Dustin Wilson found himself trudging through the

A) Often when fish is overcooked or even slightly old it has a stronger smell. Make sure you use fresh/thawed fish within 2 days of purchasing it. If you aren’t going to cook it be sure and freeze it or buy frozen fish filets. Ingles sells a variety of frozen fish filets in the frozen food department that can be quickly thawed under running water. I like to cook mild tasting fish like tilapia or swai and put it into tacos with chopped vegetables and even add a bit of grated cheese and salsa. You can also season fish with herb blends, salt and pepper and cook it in a hot skillet with a little oil. The "trick" to cooking fish is to not overcook it.

Because fish filets are so thin and low in fat. when fish is overcooked it becomes dry and has a stronger smell. You may also want to consider canned or packaged fish like salmon or tuna. Some of the canned or pouch salmon and tuna have some really interesting flavors like ginger or BBQ that can be found on the grocery aisles at Ingles Markets. You could use these to top salads or make into tuna salad (mix with a combination of mayo and a plain Greek yogurt for lower fat).

Here is a good site for more information and recipes. www.seafoodnutrition.org

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN

Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian

@InglesDietitian Leah McGrath - Dietitian 800.334.4936

Smoky Mountain News

Ingles Markets… caring about your health

34

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

Parkway Foundation welcomes new Trails & Views manager Audrey Pearson is the new Trails & Views Forever Program manager at the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation.

“I am excited to expand the reach of the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation farther into Virginia, and look forward to working with this experienced team,” Pearson said. “The Foundation has a solid track record of enhancing the Parkway.”

The Foundation launched the Trails & Views Forever program to repair and rehabilitate trails, overlooks, campgrounds and picnic areas along the entire 469-mile scenic route through Virginia and North Carolina.

Unfortunately, the National Park Service continues to face shortfalls in funding to repair and maintain these areas that are sought out by millions of visitors each year.

In her new role, based in Roanoke, the

Audrey Pearson. Donated photo Virginia native will support community outreach for the program and oversee efforts by the nonprofit’s Volunteer Corps.

To contact Pearson, email apearson@brpfoundation.org or call 866.308.2773, ext. 19.

WNC Calendar BUSINESS & EDUCATION •Southwestern Community College will hold a drivethrough commencement ceremony for spring and summer 2020 graduates on Saturday, Aug. 8, on the Jackson Campus. The ceremony will run from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. following a traffic pattern leading up to the front of the Balsam Center for diploma cover presentation.

• The Long’s Chapel Child Enrichment Center has recently become a N.C. PreK Program Center and is accepting applications for students. Enrollment packets are ready for pick up at the CEC located at 133 Old Clyde Rd, Waynesville and are due by July 31. For your child to qualify he/she must have turned 4 on or before Aug. 31. For more information, contact Belinda Marr at Belinda.Marr@LongsChapel.com or 828.476.4153.

•Haywood County Community College Small Business Center will hold a Business Planning Virtual Learning Series. The next program, on July 27-28 will be Creating a Winning Business Plan. The third program, on Aug. 34, will be Dynamite Marketing on a Firecracker Budget.

Attendees are encouraged to register for the webinars that best meet their current small business needs and availability. Visit SBC.Haywood.edu or call 828.627.4512.

• Franklin High School graduation ceremonies will take place from 9 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, with 5-minute time slots available. Appointments will be on a first come first serve basis through Ms. Vargas at Franklin High School. Call 828.524.6467 or email renee.vargas@macon.k12.nc.us.

• Registration is underway for several sessions of a Wilderness Emergency Medical Technician program through Landmark Learning. Upcoming sessions include Aug. 7-15, Aug. 21-23, Aug. 29 - Sept. 6, Sept. 5-13, Sept. 18-20, Sept. 26-27 and Oct. 3-30. www.landmarklearning.org.

• Haywood Habitat for Humanity will conduct its Annual Meeting at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday, July 29, via Zoom.

The meeting is open to persons supporting the purposes and objectives of the organization. New board members will be nominated and voted on. Call 828.452.7960 to request a link to the meeting no later than Monday, July 27. For more information, see the organization’s website www.haywoodhabitat.org.

POLITICAL CORNER • The Macon County Democratic Party will host a candidate rally and official opening of its new headquarters at 2:30 p.m. and again at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, July 25, at 143 Porter St., in Franklin. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will be held followed by brief remarks from each of the candidates. Masks will be required as well as social distancing.

• The next meeting of the Executive Committee of the Haywood County Republican Party will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, at the Republican headquarters, located at 297 N. Haywood St., Waynesville.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted. n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com Covid-19, visit www.mountaintopshow.com for a virtual craft show.

• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host the “Western Carolina Writers” songwriters showcase with Nick Mac, Hannah Kaminer and Jesse Frizsell 7 p.m.

Saturday, July 25. Free and open to the public. www.froglevelbrewing.com.

• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Grains of Sand Band (classic hits/oldies) 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1. Tickets start at $15 per person. www.greatmountainmusic.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Amongst The Trees at 7:30 p.m., Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Company will host The Darren Nicholson Band 7 p.m. Aug. 1. Free and open to the public. www.elevatedmountain.com.

• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Tea 4 Three 8 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8. For more information and a complete schedule of events, click on www.lazyhikerbrewing.com.

• Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission, and the Transylvania Community Arts Council. Artist Support Grants will be distributed to eligible applicants by Haywood County Arts Council in the following counties: Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Polk, Rutherford, and Transylvania. Applications for the grants are available www.haywoodarts.org/grants-funding. The deadline is Sept. 30. Grants will range in awards from $500 to $1,000. For information or questions, contact Leigh Forrester, executive director of the Haywood County Arts Council, at www.haywoodarts.org or 828.452.0593.

• The Macon County Public Library, in cooperation with North Carolina Humanities Council, will host “Water/Ways” a traveling exhibition from the Smithsonian’s Museum on Main Street (MoMS) program.

“Water/Ways” will be on view through Aug. 24 at the library in Franklin. The exhibition explores the endless motion of the water cycle, water’s effect on landscape, settlement and migration, and its impact on culture and spirituality. For more information, visit www.fontanalib.org or call the Macon County Public Library at 828.524.3600. The library is open by appointment from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

FOOD & DRINK

A&E • Mountaintop Art & Craft Show (previously the Village Square show) will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 29-30 in downtown Highlands at K-H Founders Park (Pine St.) from. The FREE event features regional potters, jewelers, woodworkers, fine artists, etc. For more info, call 828.787.2021. Sponsored by Highlands Mountaintop Rotary. If the event is canceled due to

• Tour the 10-Acre Garden and enjoy a wood-fired pizza Saturday, July 25, at the Ten Acre Garden in Bethel. The event is organized by the Haywood Waterways Association as part of its “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities. The event is free for members with a $5 donation for non-members.

Donations are also accepted for the pizza, and participants will be able to buy vegetables from the farm.

Space is limited to 10 people, with social distancing guidelines followed. RSVP to Caitlin Worsham, caitlinw.hwa@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 12.

• There will be a free wine tasting from 2 to 5 p.m every Saturday at The Wine Bar & Cellar in Sylva.

828.631.3075.

Smoky Mountain News

• Bosu’s Wine Shop in Waynesville is offering lunch on Saturdays, “Lunch with us” from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. featuring fresh seasonal menu with outdoor seating weather permitting. 828.452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

• Bryson City Wine Market offers flights from 4-7 p.m. on Fridays and from 2-5 p.m. on Saturdays. Flight of four wines for $5.

• Secret Wine Bar is hosted by Bosu’s in Waynesville on Fridays from 5 to 9 p.m. Contact for more information and make reservations. 828.452.1020.

• A free wine tasting will be held from 1-5 p.m. on Saturdays. at Bosu Wine Shop in Waynesville.

828.452.0120 or www.waynesvillewine.com.

Outdoors

• The first installment of a three-part webinar series about environmentally friendly transportation will be offered 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesday, July 22. Free. Register at https://bit.ly/3hbjCNM.

• Explore Hemphill Bald with a hike beginning at 8 a.m.

Saturday, July 25. Free, with registration required at 828.452.6789.

• Discover the amazing diversity of life in the Pigeon River with an event on Saturday, July 25, at Jukebox Junction in Bethel. The event is part of Haywood Waterways Association’s “Get to Know Your Watershed” series of outdoor recreation activities. Memberships start at $25. RSVP to Christine O’Brien at christine.haywoodwaterways@gmail.com or 828.476.4667, ext. 11, by 5 p.m. Friday, July 24.

• Mountain True will host a canoe outing on Apalachia Lake in the Hiwassee area from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, July 26. Cost ranges from $10 to $25 depending on membership status and boat rental needs. Space limited.

35

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 The group will meet at the parking area at the TVA Hiwassee Dam Recreation Facility and carpool to the put-in, which has very limited parking. Register at www.mountaintrue.org/event/apalachia-lake-paddlewaterfall-hike.

• Learn about the status of environmental legislation in Raleigh during an online event offered noon to 1 p.m.

Monday, July 27, from MountainTrue. MountainTrue lobbyist Rob Lamme and MountainTrue’s legislative advocacy team will discuss the organization’s legislative priorities and work, and how environmental issues have fared in the General Assembly this year. To register, visit mountaintrue.org/event/raleigh-report-live.

HIKING CLUBS • On Saturday, July 25, the Nantahala Hiking Club will take a moderate 6-mile downhill hike, elevation change 700 ft., to Bee Cove Falls in South Carolina on an old logging road off 107 near the Fish Hatchery. Hike limited to 10 people. Meet at Cashiers Rec. Park at10 am, drive 20 miles round trip. Call 828.743.1079 for reservations.

• On Sunday, July 26, the Nantahala Hiking Club will take a 9-mike moderate-to-strenuous hike, elevation change 1,000 ft., on the Cowetta Hydrological Lab Center Loop, hiking up Shope Creek Road to Cunningham Branch to Dyke Gap to come down Ball Creek Rd. Hike limited to 6 people. Meet at Smoky Mtn. Visitors Center on Hwy. 441 at 9 am, drive 10 miles round trip. Call 828.421.4178 for reservations.

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37

SUPER

CROSSWORD

INITIALLY ADORED ACROSS 1 Classic arcade name 6 Subdivision of a religion 10 Low-pitched 14 Southern speech trait 19 Bits of viral web content 20 Spencer of TV news 21 Trade show 22 "Tiny Bubbles" crooner 23 Chris Evert beat her at the 1978 U.S. Open 25 "Poetry Man" singer 27 Fruit related to a 37-Down 28 Paper opinion piece 29 Michigan's Grosse -30 "The Jerk" diector Reiner 31 Genie holder 33 "It's enough to survive on" 35 "How I wish!"

37 "Wall of Sound" record producer 41 Saturate 43 High throw 44 Word sung after "que" 45 Not messy 47 See 57-Across 48 High mount 51 Web handle 53 "The Lady Eve" director 57 With 47-Across, allots 58 "That stinks!"

59 Miners' finds 60 How oboes sound 61 Casino pair 63 Actor Mark -- -Baker 66 Enter on a vehicle 68 Pack in 71 David Letterman's music director

74 75 77 78 80 81 83 85 89 93 94 95 96 97 99 100 102 105 108 110 111 112 114 116 120 122

124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131

"Halt!"

Deodorant target Pueblo pot Bros, e.g.

Jason's vengeful wife E-garbage Garbage Irish coins He played Captain Picard Louisiana cooking style -- -Blo (fuse type) Frat letter H.S. math "It's a possibility for me" -- Lingus Mambo music's Tito "Take Time to Know Her" singer Beachward Exist naturally (in) Put in danger Baseball card no.

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Occasion Margarine Completed Literary twist Bird homes Scottish loch Picnic pests De Mille the dancer

DOWN 1 Gig hookups 2 Pond duck 3 Arsenal stuff 4 Vend anew 5 Bull tail?

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15 Gun, slangily 16 2001 Peace Nobelist Kofi 17 Fingerprint ridge 18 Humble 24 Frolicked 26 Lebanon's capital 29 1994 Peace Nobelist Shimon 32 Whence St. Francis 34 Out of sight 36 Coming time 37 It may become a prune 38 Wash (down) 39 "Yeah, sure!"

40 Mafia title 42 Most domineering 46 Not written in any key 48 Liaison 49 Occasioned 50 CIA mind-game initiative 52 It's similar to a wapiti 54 Wheel action 55 Spongy ball brand 56 New printing 58 Grizzly rug, maybe

62 64 65 67 68 69 70 72 73 76 79 82 84 86 87 88 90 91 92 93 98 100 101 103 104 105 106 107 109 113 115 117 118 119 121 122 123

Tax pro Chemical "twin" Capitals' gp.

Soft & -Globs Ryan of film Supplement Refs' kin Actor Jamie City in central India Green gems People present Of the ear Pothole site Cassini of couture Parched Havarti, e.g.

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38

www.smokymountainnews.com

July 22-28, 2020

WNC MarketPlace

Charlies Bunion one of best views in Smokies Editor’s note: This George Ellison column first appeared in a July 2005 edition of The Smoky Mountain News.

A

George Ellison

re you by chance looking for a highelevation day-hike that embodies quite a bit of the region’s human history? If so, try the moderate to steep portion of the Appalachian Trail that leads from the Newfound Gap parking area in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Charlies Bunion.

Murlless and Stallings in Hiker’s Guide to the Smokies (1973) designated Charlies Bunion to be “probably the most spectacular view in the park.

Almost sheer cliffs drop more than 1,000 ft. into Greenbriar section.”

Columnist Located on the Tennessee-North Carolina border 4.0 miles north of Newfound Gap, this bare rock outcrop is situated at 5,375 feet. The narrow, cliff-hugging trail affords breathtaking views not only down into the abyss but far westward out beyond Mt. Le Conte into Tennessee.

It’s not the Grand Canyon by any means, but the site can give you a touch of vertigo

BACK THEN in a heartbeat.

The rocky outcrops of Charlie’s Bunion (formerly called Fodderstack) were created in the mid-1920s when a fire swept over the crest. The exposed humus was washed completely away shortly thereafter in a deluge.

The curious place name dates to 1929 when Swain County native Charlie Conner was hiking with outdoorsman Horace Kephart, photographer George Masa, and others along the high divide. When they paused for a rest on the rocks, Conner took his boots and socks off, exposing a bunion or two that rivaled the surrounding stones.

Eying Conner’s feet, Kephart remarked, “Charlie, I’m going to get this place put on a government map for you.” And he did.

As exciting as the views from Charlie’s Bunion are, the walk from Newfound Gap up over Mt. Kephart and down around Masa Knob is equally interesting. It’s a stroll through the early history of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Newfound Gap (5,040 feet) is situated 16 miles from the Oconaluftee Visitor Center on the North Carolina side of the GSMNP. The site came by its name when it was discovered (perhaps as early as the 1850s) by surveyors to be a lower pass through the high Smokies than Indian Gap two miles to the west. In 1928, when funds

to acquire national park lands were proving hard to come by, John D. Rockefeller donated over $5 million as a memorial to his mother. In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) dedicated the GSMNP — which had been officially founded in 1934 — in ceremonies at the gap.

At 1.7 miles, the AT leads to a gap and an intersection with Sweat Heifer Creek Trail. According to Allen R. Coggins in Place Names of the Smokies (1999), this name “goes back to a time when cattle (including young, virgin female cows called heifers) were driven up the strenuous pathway along this stream to summer pasture.”

One supposes that this sort of rugged terrain made the virgin heifers sweat.

At 2.7 miles, the AT reaches the intersection with the Boulevard Trail, which leads 5.3 miles to Mt. Le Conte, named for John Le Conte.

About 100 yards from the AT, a spur trail off the Boulevard Trail leads 0.8 miles to Mt. Kephart (6,217 feet) and the JumpOff (6,100 feet), which also has truly spectacular views. The mountain is named for Bryson City writer Horace Kephart (18621931), author of the classics Camping and Woodcraft (1906) and Our Southern Highlanders (1913). Kephart was a force in the movement that helped establish the GSMNP and was nominated to have a mountain named after him in the late 1920s

while still living.

This story is told in full for the first time in a website titled “Horace Kephart: Revealing an Enigma” (http://library.wcu.edu/digitalcoll/kephart /), which was completed this year by the Special Collections division of Hunter Library at Western Carolina University.

Using a variety of media, the library has built an in-depth archive around the life and times of Kephart that presents photos, artifacts, documents, writing, maps, and links to other sources of information.

In the section of this website devoted to the naming of Mt. Kephart, it’s noted that, “The life of Horace Kephart ended unexpectedly in a 1931 automobile accident.

While the National Park he campaigned to create was not yet a reality, it was already clear that despite the obstacles to its founding, the park would come to the mountains he had grown to love. Of the many individuals involved in creating the park, Kephart was already recognized as a leader in the movement during his later years …. The North Carolina Literary and Historical Commission urged that a mountain in the coming park be named after Kephart. In 1928 [a peak] in the proposed park was officially named [for him], an honor rarely given to living individuals.”

(George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com.)

July 22-28, 2020 Smoky Mountain News 39

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Smoky Mountain News July 22-28, 2020