Richard Baker had his work featured at a retrospective last weekend in Waynesville. In light of the well-attended event, it’s easy to think that the artist has achieved everything he wanted in his craft, found his distinct style and honed it. However, in the wake of a recent cancer diagnosis, as he ponders his body of work, he feels that while others have created masterpieces, he may never paint something that fully reflects his artistic vision, which begs the question, is the pursuit of perfection the reason to create? (Page 16) Kyle Perrotti photo
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Library consultants speak on Jackson split from FRL ..............................................4
Tainted by misinformation, FRL debate drags on......................................................6 Cannabis plan nixed, Qualla buys Cooper property ................................................8 WCU Greek Challenge nets $1.5 million for Catamount Club............................9
Waynesville to remove advisory board members appointed improperly..........10 Food Truck Boot Camp returns to Cherokee............................................................11
NCDOT receives permits to begin rock removal for I-40....................................12
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Library consultants speak on Jackson split from FRL
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT
P OLITICS E DITOR
In the first of what will be many additional expenditures of taxpayer funds related to the withdrawal from the Fontana Regional Library system, Jackson County commissioners have formally engaged a library consulting firm to help them understand what it takes to run an independent public library and to facilitate the transition if necessary.
According to the county’s retainer agreement with Hall and White Library Consultants LLC, the county plans to spend an amount not to exceed $50,000, with consultants Jeff Hall and Suzanne White each billing $140 per hour.
“We are both retired library directors, and after we retired, we realized through the State Library that many libraries needed additional help, whether it’s strategic planning or facilities planning, space needs reviews, collections, sometimes mentoring, sometimes communications,” said White. “In this case, we got a call saying, ‘Hey, we need some help with navigating this whole process we’re going through with Jackson County.’”
White began her career in education in Onslow County before moving into public library service, holding roles in the Neuse Regional Library System and Rowan Public Library, including reference supervisor, technical services supervisor and public services manager. She later became Director of the Catawba County Library, a position she held for nine years. In that role, she led the library’s strategic planning efforts and also guided countywide planning in arts and culture.
Hall served as director of the Rowan Public Library for 12 years but has worked in library services for more than three decades. During that time, he held multiple leadership roles, including circulation supervisor and operations manager and leading the development of several strategic plans. Since 2019, Hall has partnered with White or worked independently on a variety of library-related consulting projects.
Carolina, is contingent upon Jackson demonstrating it can maintain a consistent level of financial support for its libraries.
“A big part of the process for state aid is maintaining a certain level of funding year after year after year,” White said. “In order to continue to get your state aid allotments, you have to continue to fund your library at an average level that you have over past years.”
region,” Hall said, referring to the e-book lending app tied to the state’s OverDrive consortium. “We want to let them know exactly what it would cost to keep that service.”
Another piece of their work involves drafting or updating library policy recommendations. Hall said they’ve done this work for other systems, such as Sandhills Regional, where they addressed everything from personnel procedures to meeting room availability, internet use and book challenge protocols.
The June 24 vote by Jackson County commissioners to leave the Fontana Regional Library system was only the beginning of the process.
Jackson County government photo
Their role, Hall added, is advisory. They cannot submit the funding application themselves, but will guide county staff through the process, helping them gather the necessary financial and operational data — a task already handled by FRL.
Hall and White will invoice the county monthly, will provide a six- to 12-month project timeline beginning in late summer or early fall, and will also outline a recommended transition process to guide county facilitation thereof.
Among their responsibilities is determining Jackson County’s eligibility for continued state library funding. That funding, which flows through the State Library of North
White and Hall will also help the county develop a transition plan for physical and digital library collections currently shared among FRL members. That includes determining which materials were purchased by Jackson County and can remain in the system, as well as assessing the cost of maintaining digital services independently.
“’Libby’ is one of those things that’s very popular in your
“The key is having a policy that your community supports,” White said, “but also that aligns with the library profession and the freedom to read, and intellectual freedom.”
On the technical side, Hall and White will explore how Jackson County could maintain access to the NC Cardinal system, the statewide shared catalog that allows for interlibrary borrowing. That access depends not only on software integration but also on logistics.
“Typically, that’s done through FedEx,” Hall said. “So you have a budget for FedEx, and then what do you do about the ones within Jackson County? You hire a courier to take materials back and forth to maintain that service. There’s a logistic part of that that [FRL has been handling that if Jackson separates, they will have to address.”
One of the FRL’s six headquarters employees currently performs this task. White added that the county would likely need to develop a new technical services department to handle book ordering, processing and cataloging — tasks currently centralized through FRL headquarters — and would need to make decisions about outsourcing versus hiring dedicated staff.
Hall and White will also advise on continued participation in the federal e-rate program, which provides discounted telecommunications services to libraries.
“It’s a complicated process — federal, FCC, you can imagine, it’s very complicated, and it’s a reimbursement process,” White said. “You need somebody who’s skilled and knowledgeable on staff to handle that process.”
While the consultants can offer guidance, and the State Library remains a resource, ultimately the county must develop in-house expertise or contract out for it.
Hall has also offered to serve as interim director of the Jackson County Public Library, “follow- F
NCDOT lauded for Helene response
The N.C. Department of Transportation has been nationally recognized for its collaborative and dynamic emergency response to Hurricane Helene last fall.
The department received the overall top honors during this year’s National Operations Center of Excellence’s Transportation Systems Management & Operations (TSMO) Awards; the winners were announced last week in Maryland during an annual meeting of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials Committee on Transportation System Operations.
The NCDOT took home two top awards: the “Best TSMO Project” and “Best Overall Winner.”
The state agency was lauded for serving as a central coordination point for road conditions that local, state and federal agencies relied on for their response and recovery operations. The department used its advance flood-warning system to help preposition Incident Management Assistance Patrol (IMAP) crews in locations where staff believed they could help save lives, and shared crit-
ing, or at any appropriate time during our transition consulting.”
County Manager Kevin King told The Smoky Mountain News on Aug. 5 that the county has not yet executed that agreement and gave no indication if the county would or wouldn’t.
If commissioners take Hall’s offer, he will be responsible for day to-day library operations under the supervision of King, at a cost of $7,500 per month, or about $90,000 annually.
Salary.com says that as of July 1, 2025, the median annual salary for a library director in the United States is around $76,018, with a typical range from approximately $63,000 to $92,000.
According to FRL’s 2024 tax filing, Current Library Director Tracy Fitzmaurice earned $87,000 for serving as both the Jackson County Public Library director and the FRL regional director — essentially, paid less for wearing two hats than some are for wearing one.
As interim director, Hall would also interview FRL employees who work at the JCPL and make re-hiring recommendations based on the employee’s record and then help find a permanent director.
The firm’s references include libraries large and small, mostly from the eastern part of the state. Services provided to these libraries include strategic planning, space needs and facility planning, ADA compliance and service recommendations, however White said it was her firm’s first experience with the dismantling of a multi-county regional library system.
White’s comments directly conflict with a statement attributed to Jackson County Commission Chairman Mark Letson the Aug. 6 edition of the Sylva Herald that reads, “The firm has led efforts to dissolve other library systems in the state, Letson said.”
“This particular project is new to us, but as retired library directors, we’re familiar with the process and we can help,” White told SMN.
ical safety information on its traveler-information website at drivenc.gov.
NCDOT helped maintain mobility and access for emergency supplies in the affected counties, while prioritizing travel for responders and preserving limited resources for storm victims. These efforts not only protected the community but also laid the foundation for more efficient, cost-effective responses during future disasters.
The flooding from Hurricane Helene devastated the transportation network in western North Carolina, washing out numerous roads, highways, bridges, and isolating multiple communities.
NCDOT estimated the storm damaged nearly 9,400 sites, resulting in the closure of 1,400 statemaintained roads and damaging 818 state-maintained bridges.
In response, NCDOT deployed over 2,000 employees to restore and rebuild the damaged transportation network.
The annual awards program celebrates TSMO strategies and tools that leverage existing infrastructure to increase safety and reliability; the success of those programs and strategies are shared with other state highway departments.
“She’s right on the money,” Hall said. “I mean, we have primarily strategic planning and building programs in the past, but we are familiar with state aid applications and NC Cardinal to some extent, and the whole of how a library operates. You know, a lot of people think libraries are just book warehouses, but there’s a whole lot more than that.”
“The key is having a policy that your community supports, but also that aligns with the library profession and the freedom to read, and intellectual freedom.”
Suzanne White
Hall and White know that they’re stepping into a politically charged environment and that based on hours of public comment, hundreds of emails, sobering financial projections and growing property tax rates, the decision to withdraw from the FRL system is deeply unpopular. They stressed that they’re totally impartial and strictly concerned with outlining how the technical processes of disentanglement over the coming year would work, and how much it would cost — if commissioners decide to go through with it.
“This ‘demonstration year’ is for the county to say, ‘Hey, yeah, we can continue to provide these services,’ and potentially at the end, I guess your commissioners could say, ’Oh, you know what? Let’s just stick with [FRL] then,’” White said. “Who knows what your folks are thinking there, but we’ll make sure we have all the good information on what it’s going to take and initiate those steps as needed, or if they change their mind, that’s okay, too.”
Tainted by misinformation, FRL debate drags on
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
As residents of Jackson County continue to rail against commissioners’ June vote to withdraw from the Fontana Regional Library system over LGBTQ content — a decision made without a plan, without a clear understanding of library operations and without reliable financial projections — questions are growing more pointed, but the minority that supports withdrawal continues to spread misinformation about key aspects of library operations.
‘HOW MUCH IS THIS ALL GOING TO COST US?’
Jackson County is now in its second month of the so-called “demonstration year” during which it must untangle its operations from the FRL and prove that it has the wherewithal to operate an independent public library for the first time in at least 80 years.
At the Aug. 5 meeting of the Jackson County Board of Commissioners, 25 people spoke during a 45-minute public comment session, suggesting it’s going to be a very long year if commissioners continue to ignore questions and concerns from the press and the public.
Continuing criticism of the board’s decision to withdraw began immediately, as speaker after speaker continued to question the justification behind withdrawal, the absence of a clear problem statement describing that justification, and whether commissioners would again raise their property taxes next year to pay for the estimated $500,000 annual increase in library expenses.
Others focused on specific claims made in prior meetings. Susan Barscheski said she had counted eight Bibles on the shelves — including in Spanish, Cherokee, large print and audio formats — along with dozens of Christian-themed titles. Losing FRL membership, she warned, could mean losing access to many of those materials.
“In a time like now, disinforming people, misinforming people, it’s too easy, and I see it as an abuse of power to take information from people and take access from people,” Barscheski said.
Some speakers took a more critical tone. Luther Jones, who recently criticized the Town of Sylva’s decision not to pass a resolution in support of FRL (the town later did) pledged financial support to any future opponents of commissioners who supported withdrawal.
Concerns about accessibility — echoing those from Barscheski, who also cited the availability of audio bibles that could be borrowed through the NC Cardinal interlibrary system — came from Susan Danner, who is visually impaired and relies on a free reading app provided through the Jackson County Public Library.
“Will this cost us free apps for the disabled?” Danner asked.
Questions about costs persisted, with one speaker saying she still hadn’t heard an answer to the one she’d been asking since June — “How much is this all going to cost us?”
As has been the case since the outset of the library debate, supporters of the withdrawal remain a minority and speak mostly for outside agitators who don’t live in Jackson County.
Only one, conservative activist and Sylva resident Keith Blaine, showed up Aug. 5 in an attempt to justify the withdrawal by spreading more lies, including a whopper about who, exactly, has the ear of Jackson County commissioners.
“You weren’t given the position [of com-
unexpected disasters or other needs not addressed in the general fund budget.
In household terms, fund balance is similar to a savings account that a family can dip into so the light bill gets paid even though payday may be several days away. When that day comes, some of the paycheck goes back into the savings account. Or, when a tree comes through the roof in the middle of the night, that savings account can be used to buy a tarp to cover the hole, and pay the insurance deductible to get the repair and reimbursement process started — without impacting the normal family budget used for housing, utilities and other necessities.
Overseen by the Department of the
into the red.
A subsequent fiscal accountability agreement between the town and the treasurer cited “dramatic decreases in percentage of fund balance” — from 30.6% in 2017 to -8% in 2020 — as financial stability and fiscal management problems. The power of the purse was returned to the town in July 2024.
Former FRL Finance Director Lynn Cody, who recently resigned from his post, told The Smoky Mountain News that guidance from the state and from trainings provided to fiscal officers suggest fund balance can be an absolute bare minimum of 8% of annual revenue, but more practically should be between 40%-50%.
“Fund balance is, basically, just for
missioner],” Blaine told commissioners. “You were elected by the citizens of Macon County.”
Howls of laughter and derision followed, but the Freudian slip — Macon County residents including frequent FRL critic Jim Gaston were among the few to support Jackson County’s withdrawal — wouldn’t nearly be Blaine’s last false statement of the night.
‘OVERPAYMENT’
Nearly all local government units in North Carolina maintain what’s called a “fund balance” — a pot or pots of liquidity, outside of the general fund budget, to be used for short-term reimbursable expenses,
State Treasurer through the Local Government Commission, fund balance accounts are monitored closely and can earn a warning letter from the agency if they drop too low.
Ultimately, state intervention in any public body’s fiscal affairs can also result when the LGC thinks a fund balance account doesn’t provide enough hedge against cash flow issues.
That’s exactly what happened in the Cumberland County town of Spring Lake on Oct. 5, 2021. Then-Treasurer Dale Folwell ordered the LGC secretary “to impound the books and records of the Town, assume control of the finances of the Town and oversee and direct all its financial affairs” after the town’s general fund went
emergency use,” Cody said, adding that the monthly payments made by county governments to the FRL system don’t always line up with FRL’s expenses.
“At times, we have to be able to make sure that the bills are paid during that time and due the fact that we do have a good, healthy fund balance, it means our general fund is always available,” he said. “A lot of times when we apply for grants, you have to request the funds to be able to pay those grant funds, and then you’re reimbursed. In other words, you have to put the money up front first, and then you’re reimbursed for those funds.”
The FRL has adopted a minimum fund balance policy of reserving an amount equal to or greater
Jackson County commissioners voted to leave the Fontana Regional Library system on June 24. File photo
than 25% of annual operating revenues.
According to the FRL’s most recent audit for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2024, revenues topped $4 million and fund balance was $2.7 million; however, $770,000 of that is restricted, meaning it’s already been allocated and can’t be spent for various reasons.
One of those reasons, Cody told FRL board member Cheryl Taylor on July 8, was for payouts on sick leave and vacation time. FRL also pays 100% of unemployment insurance for employees who depart — sometimes unexpectedly. Pulling that money out of fund balance ensures operations funded by the general fund can continue without disruption.
Those earmarks leave an unrestricted fund balance of $1.9 million, or about 47%. Cody said he felt comfortable with that level of fund balance.
Like nearly all other public bodies in North Carolina, Jackson County government has a fund balance of its own — $76.2 million, with about half restricted for the same reasons the FRL’s is. That $76.2 million puts Jackson County’s fund balance as a percentage of expenditures at 43.34%, per Jackson County’s most recent audit.
Blaine mischaracterized FRL’s fund balance as 80 years’ worth of “overpayment.”
He also claimed that Jackson County had “overpaid” $160,000 last year.
“My concern is, you’re not getting proper accounting of the finances, of overpayment,” Blaine said to commissioners.
Had any of those allegations been true, they certainly wouldn’t have escaped the attention of the FRL’s auditor, Carter, P.C. FRL’s most recent audit mentions no instances of noncompliance.
“And as far as I know, throughout all these [audits] for many years, we have never had no discrepancies,” Cody said. “We’ve met the state standards, and everything has been processed. And we’ve never had no complaints from the state.”
Not only was Blaine wrong about fund balance being an overpayment, he was wrong about it being a payment at all. County governments don’t contribute to FRL’s fund balance — only to FRL’s general fund, mostly for operations.
“All those [general fund] funds are used in the library system,” Cody said. “A lot of the fund balance that has been created is donations and restricted donations and grant funds that have been given to the library over the years.”
Blaine also said he wanted to know how much of the $2.5 million in fund balance— actually, $2 million — would come back to Jackson County once the withdrawal from the FRL system is complete. The answer to Blaine’s question is zero, according to Cody.
“They’re not due none of those funds,” he told SMN.
A subsequent speaker, Chris Hamlet of Sylva, recognized Blaine’s incorrect assertion about fund balance immediately and offered a sharp rebuttal.
“That was multiple accounts that were for emergency — basically, emergency accounts. If something happened at the library, like something happened to the
roof, that’s where that money is there,” Hamlet said. “That’s for emergency funds. Your own [Jackson County] budget has funds like that.”
Hamlet also shot down another lie by Blaine about library staff wages.
“One lady said, ‘Well, the library [employees] do not make a living wage,’” Blaine said. “Well, the FRL is the one who decides how much they make. It’s not you guys.”
“That is incorrect,” Hamlet said. “Each county sets the salary through their staff, through the money that you allocate as part of your allotment to the Fontana regional, our Jackson County librarians are not paid the same as Macon County librarians, or the same as Swain County librarians. Each of their salaries is based off of what that county contributes to the Fontana Regional [Library system].”
One of the few true statements Blaine made during his public comment was about FRL’s book challenge policy.
“Most people don’t even know what the process is,” he said. “Most people don’t even know there is a process.”
That could be because out of the tens of thousands of books borrowed from the FRL system each year, only five have been challenged in the last 13 years.
During the joint FRL-Jackson County meeting June 19, it was noted that the policy meets legal standards and protects First Amendment rights — while also protecting FRL from First Amendment lawsuits.
Hamlet also offered a question of his own, about what it would cost for the county to begin performing the accounting functions currently handled by FRL.
“This includes almost daily intake of fees and overdue charges and books, as well as collecting any money for people who rent out space in the old courthouse, as well as paying the events to take place at the library,” he said.
When reached for comment, Cody wouldn’t speculate on how many hours of work it might take on the part of Jackson County to replace what is currently being done by FRL, but it sounds substantial.
“The only thing I can say on the transition that Jackson County will take is, if they take the employees, they will have new employees that they’re going to have to absorb, and also the expense that they’re going to have to accrue for their retirement based on their longevity, that will be based on the accruals that they actually earn,” he said. “The operation is basically just the operation that we do at the [FRL] headquarters. We pay the bills and stuff, and all that would have to go over to them. We’re purchasing and monitoring all the bills and invoices coming and going.”
At least two speakers refuse to believe FRL withdrawal is a done deal.
Kate Baker closed her remarks with a clear call to action, asking commissioners to take a vote reversing the decision to leave FRL.
Laura Lauffer, a 1988 Western Carolina University graduate who lives in Webster, left commissioners with a warning.
“This is not done,” Lauffer said. “Y’all still have time.”
Cherokee cannabis growers’ proposal killed, Qualla Enterprises takes Cooper property
BY LILY LEVIN STAFF W RITER
Cannabis regulation was again debated by Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ leadership on Aug. 7 as tribal council considered two resolutions — in both instances, council representatives overwhelmingly favored the status quo. Nonetheless, a few questions were raised in the process.
LICENSE TO GROW?
First on the cannabis docket was Resolution 4887, proposed by medicinal marijuana grower James Bradley. The original text called for a “tier-based licensing system for cannabis cultivation businesses within the Qualla 34 Boundary” — in other words, an outlet for growers like Bradley to join the retail market. At the moment, tribalowned Qualla Enterprises, LLC has a monopoly on sales to the public at the Great Smoky Cannabis Company dispensary, which opened its doors to anyone age 21 and older in September 2024, a year after EBCI voters voted to legalize adult recreational cannabis use.
Last week’s meeting wasn’t the first time Bradley had proposed an economic-benefitfor-growers resolution. Council killed a similar amendment that would’ve permitted medicinal marijuana growers to sell to external entities in April, despite conditionally reauthorizing medicinal marijuana cardholders to grow cannabis a couple of weeks later. The prevailing opinion held that Bradley’s amendment wouldn’t be a net positive for the tribe, given quality concerns and outside political pressure. Some argued that individual retail might even harm Qualla Enterprises’ — and, by extension, the tribe’s — cannabis revenue.
The latest resolution addressed the last concern most substantially. “4887 will now read as the following ownership limitation,” Bradley said during the Aug. 7 discussion. “Licenses for retail cannabis facilities shall only be issued to entities that are wholly owned by the tribe, organized under tribal law, or one of its wholly owned subsidiaries organized under tribal law.” He explained that growers would only have the right to sell to Qualla Enterprises, ensuring that Qualla would retain its monopoly on the retail end of the market chain. Bradley also proposed altering the tribal levy agricultural exemption so cannabis retailers would pay a tax.
But the reaction among council representatives was almost unanimous: now is not the time. One EBCI member refuted this sentiment in a measure of support for the resolution, declaring that “10 years ago, we were talking about cannabis law reform and saying it isn’t time, and it took years to get the appropriate laws changed. And look where we all are now … We can continue to sit on
our laurels and kick the can down the road, but we’re looking at a burgeoning market.”
Bradley echoed the need for more growers in business, citing that the projected revenue from ECBI cannabis production was in the “hundreds of millions” of dollars through 2026, but Qualla has reported $33 million, which puts it on track to fall well short of its projection.
CANNABIS TAKES THE PLACE OF PROPOSED MEDICINE PARK
The second ordinance concerning cannabis — Res. 4870 — didn’t initially mention the plant at all. Authored by Haley Atsei Cooper (Birdtown) and Mary
see themselves as turning away from a potential source of profit. Council Rep. Boyd Owle disputed the theory that individual growers would help Qualla reach its growing goals. He called up a Qualla Enterprises Board member, who testified that “we’ve had some sort of temporary issues of flower[ing] when we first started, and that’s not an issue anymore. We have the 20,000 square foot grow space … we’re ready to put plants in there right now.”
Perry Shell, the only council representative to vote in favor of the resolution, made a final plea. “You know, it’s kind of baffling to me here. James is going to put up his own capital,” Shell said. “He will take the business risk … I don’t see why we want to tell him he can’t do that.”
The resolution was subsequently killed.
for the community.
Cooper ended with a question: “Are there existing plans for the Cooper property at this time that council is aware of?”
After a brief pause, Council Chairman Mike Parker clarified. “I think there was a resolution passed [for cannabis], right?” he said.
Qualla Enterprises General Manager Forrest Parker was called to the microphone to explain that, based on what “was passed, was ratified…” in favor of turning over the land to the LLC as an outdoor grow site, his team had already completed a topographic survey of the area and had continued to the next stage of the process. “We’re moving into our first phased approach,” he added.
After reviewing Cooper’s map of the proposed medicine park/cultural use area, Parker said “that’s pretty much most of the [cannabis] site” but added that he was willing to discuss preserving some of the land. In response, Parker suggested that the resolution be withdrawn so Haley and Parker could meet and parse out further details.
Principal Chief Michell Hicks echoed the recommendation, urging the two parties to participate in a task force to gather stakeholder opinions about the land “so it’s not an ‘us and them’ scenario.”
Cooper agreed to withdraw, emphasizing that a task force would be beneficial, but she was steadfast in her commitment to revising and resubmitting the resolution. She reiterated that a few key concerns remained, including the potential for the tall razorwire fence surrounding the cannabis crop and the plants’ strong smell to impact those engaging in nearby land ritual.
QUESTIONS ARISE
Qualla Enterprises’ takeover of the Cooper land was repeatedly conveyed as a done deal from the start of the Aug. 7 meeting. Even when responding to an argument by Bradley regarding the need for more cannabis suppliers, Owle added, “and with the Cooper property coming on board here, we can maybe hire another 90 [people] there.”
medicine park. The land, Cooper said during the Aug. 7 meeting, had been the site of many archaeological findings and a diverse array of plant species; it should be preserved in its natural state and used for recreational, cultural, educational and religious purposes.
Like Bradley, Cooper had advocated for an unsuccessful prior version of this resolution. Cooper and Crowe submitted a resolution — tabled by the council this past March — with the same goal of pronouncing the Cooper property a cultural use area/medicine park. In the months following, Cooper said she and Crowe had met with elders to discuss their visions for the land, settling on a proposal to create a plant walk/trail with educational plaques
The governing body did indeed pass the resolution in May, designating the Cooper land as Qualla Enterprises territory. But there’s a complicating factor: Hicks vetoed on May 30. His June 5 letter read, “at this time, there are unanswered questions regarding the nature and extent of the cultural artifacts buried underground there, what areas can be disturbed or must be left alone, wetlands, how much of the property can actually support cannabis cultivation and whether other parts of the property are better suited to other uses.”
From the available public records, it appears that tribal council didn’t override Hicks’ veto, but discussions at the meeting implied the contrary. Though Hicks advocated for a community task force, he did not challenge council’s decision to award the land to the tribe’s cannabis venture.
The EBCI Tribal Council heard two items related to cannabis last week. File photo
WCU Greek Challenge nets $1.5 million for Catamount Club; winners announced
Members of Western Carolina University fraternities and sororities contributed more than $1.5 million to the Catamount Club during the 20242025 edition of the Greek Challenge, an annual competition to see which organizations can raise the most money in support of the university’s athletics program.
Winners of this year’s challenge are Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, Sigma Chi fraternity, Delta Zeta sorority and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. Those organizations will be recognized in an on-field celebration during WCU’s home football game Saturday, Nov. 8, as part of Homecoming weekend.
The $1,527,383.87 raised through the recently concluded challenge is more than double the total of $613,196.16 donated during the previous year’s competition, said Wes Cogdill, Catamount Club director and WCU associate athletics director for development.
total amount of members who did not participate in the previous year’s Greek Challenge but who have donated during the current year’s Greek Challenge.
Finally, the “total dollars raised” category is a tally of the entire amount raised by each organization given to any WCU athletics fund that is not endowed.
The challenge totals include not only alumni of the Greek organizations but also current members of the fraternities or sororities who are part of the newly revived Student Cat Club.
The clock is now ticking for the 2025-2026 Greek Challenge, which got underway July 1 and continues through June 30.
The Greek Challenge flights
Interfraternity Council Flight Pi Kappa Alpha, Lambda Chi Alpha, Delta Sigma Phi, Kappa Alpha, Sigma Phi Epsilon and Tau Kappa Epsilon.
Reinvigorated WCU retirees association elects officers, plans activities
Following a period of decreased activity in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was exacerbated by the impacts of Hurricane Helene, the Association of Retired Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University has embarked upon a process of organizational reinvigoration.
Approximately 60 members of the association gathered on campus over the summer in the Apodaca Science Building for a luncheon hosted by WCU Chancellor Kelli R. Brown, who updated the group on campus news and activities.
The association also elected new officers for the 2025-2026 year. Mark Haskett, retired director of photography and video services, was elected president, and Pam Meister, former Mountain Heritage Center director, was named vice president. Terry Welch, retired assistant to the chancellor, is serving as secretary, while Cindy Nicholson, former information technology strategic sourcing and procurement officer, is treasurer.
“The new slate of officers is actively working to help increase membership in the association,” Haskett said. “The association is a great way to stay connected to former colleagues and stay involved with the university. We are in the beginning stages of planning the coming year and
will have additional information available after the start of the fall semester.”
Originally established in 2013, the Association of Retired Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University meets several times each year. The membership fee is $10.
Upcoming activities for the group’s membership include WCU Retirees Day at the Saturday, Sept. 13, home football game against Elon and a fall semester luncheon on Thursday, Oct. 16, on the concourse of the Ramsey Regional Activity Center.
Discounted tickets for retired faculty and staff for the Sept. 13 game are $18 per ticket (including fees), which is more than half off the regular reserved seat price. Discounted tickets are available until Friday, Sept. 5, through the Department of Athletics website. Game time is 2:30 p.m.
Additional details about the fall luncheon and other association activities will be provided in the coming weeks, along with information about upcoming discounts for athletics events and performances at the Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.
For more information about the Association of Retired Faculty and Staff of Western Carolina University, contact any of the officers or go to the website arfs.wcu.edu.
“Since it began in 2014, the Greek Challenge is among the most successful fundraising activities for the Catamount Club,” Cogdill said. “Members of our fraternity and sorority organizations have always stepped up in a major way on behalf of our student-athletes, and this year’s results reinforce that high level of support.”
The 2024-2025 Greek Challenge is the first competition held with a new scoring rubric based on the total number of number of donors, the number of new donors and the total amount of dollars raised by each fraternity and sorority.
Participating Greek-letter organizations receive points based on where they place for each category. The group with the fewest number of points is named winner of its division.
The challenge is broken down into four flights based on the size of each organization’s membership, a step designed to make the event more equitable, with each flight having its own winner.
For the “total donors” category, the number of members who gave toward qualifying funds during the timeline of July 1, 2024, through June 30, 2025, count toward that organization’s Greek Challenge tally. Checks that are mailed to campus are counted based on the date on the postmark on the envelope.
The “new donors” category counts the
Interfraternity Council Flight Two: Sigma Chi, Pi Kappa Phi, Theta Xi, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Pi Lambda Phi, Kappa Sigma, Alpha Sigma Phi, Sigma Nu and Delta Chi.
College Panhellenic Council Sorority Flight Three: Alpha Xi Delta, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu, Alpha Chi Omega, Alpha Gamma Delta and Sigma Kappa.
National Pan-Hellenic/National Association of Latino Fraternal Organizations Flight Four: Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, Delta Sigma Theta sorority, Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity, Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma fraternity, Sigma Gamma Rho sorority, Zeta Phi Beta sorority, and Latinas Promoviendo Comunidad/Lambda Pi Chi sorority.
For more information about the Catamount Club, including the Student Catamount Club, visit the website wcu.edu/catamount-club or call 828.227.7338.
Donations made during the Greek Challenge also go toward WCU’s “Fill the Western Sky” comprehensive fundraising campaign, an effort to raise a minimum of $100 million in philanthropic support for the university’s academic, student engagement and athletics programs.
For more information about the “Fill the Western Sky” campaign or to make a contribution, visit westernsky.wcu.edu, call 828.227.7124 or advancement@wcu.edu.
The Greek Challenge is part of a broader fundraising effort underway at WCU. File photo
Waynesville to remove two advisory board members appointed improperly
BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT P OLITICS E DITOR
The Waynesville Town Council will remove two members from the town’s Zoning Board of Adjustments after an investigation by The Smoky Mountain News last month revealed they’d each been appointed to a fourth term in violation of the town’s own term limits policy.
According to the consent agenda published in advance of the town’s Aug. 12 meeting, the most recent appointments of Henry Kidder and Joshua Morgan will be rescinded and two new applicants, Mary Ford and Jessi Stone, will be appointed in their place. Ford is a retired Air Force officer and longtime leader of the town’s civilian police academy, while Stone currently serves as the regional director of WNC health and economic opportunity at Pisgah Legal Services. Stone is also the former news editor of SMN.
Kidder was first appointed to the ZBA, a quasi-judicial board that hears appeals and variance requests related to land development standards, in 2015. He was reappointed to a fourth term on June 11, 2024, despite the town’s boards and commissions manual explicitly setting a three-term limit. There is, however, an exception to the three-term rule — Town Council may reap-
The Town of Waynesville has taken corrective action on the improper appointments of two ZBA members. Town of Waynesville photo
he was unfamiliar with the existence of the town’s long-term comprehensive plan, which guides decision making on the ZBA.
The same thing happened with Morgan, the current ZBA chair who was first appointed to the ZBA in 2016. On March 4, 2025, Morgan filled out his application for reappointment to a fourth term in clear violation of the policies set forth in the manual that governs his board’s conduct and responsibilities.
Morgan, who serves as head of school at Haywood County’s only taxpayer-funded public charter school, Shining Rock Classical Academy, was recently found responsible by a judge for the “improper use of governmental authority” in withholding public records from the parent of a student and from SMN.
Some had called for Morgan’s removal on that basis alone, but three Town Council members, most notably Chuck Dickson, offered a staunch defense of Morgan’s otherwise non-controversial service on the ZBA.
The town’s boards and commissions manual also states that Morgan should have notified the town clerk that his seat would soon become vacant, but because he was indeed nominated for a fourth term in violation of town policy, it doesn’t appear Morgan did so, or he was aware he had to.
point members on most advisory boards to more than three terms “when they deem the circumstances of an individual’s service to the community to be of such notable importance as to warrant a continuation of service.” When that’s the case, any council member may nominate the individual to another
term and “state that they believe special circumstance to warrant a continuation of service.”
That didn’t happen with Kidder’s fourth appointment, perhaps for good reason. During a 2024 ZBA meeting, Kidder admitted he was unaware of the affordable housing crisis that has plagued the region throughout his service, for a decade or more. Later in the meeting, Kidder also admitted
On June 10, Town Council appointed Morgan to a fourth term but did not include the mandatory statement as to why his service was “of such notable importance as to warrant a continuation of service.”
The removal of Kidder and Morgan, and the appointment of Ford and Stone, are still subject to approval by Town Council during the Aug. 12 meeting, held after SMN went to print on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
Haywood man gets prison time for bomb threat
District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced that a Waynesville man pleaded guilty this week to calling in a bomb threat last spring that forced authorities to evacuate Haywood County Justice Center.
Superior Court Judge William Long sentenced Cody Blake Strickler, 33, to serve a minimum of five years active, up to a maximum of seven years, in N.C. Division of Adult Corrections.
Strickler, 33, called 911 dispatch on March 19, saying: “The emergency is at the courthouse, the new one, there’s a bomb, C4, sausage links on detonators remote switches, you need to evacuate the courthouse now.”
In response, authorities asked that people in both superior and district courts and building office workers and visitors leave immediately.
The Justice Center and Main Street were cordoned off. A handler with a K9 trained in explosive detection systematically swept the courthouse to ensure there was no bomb.
Court resumed after the building was cleared as safe.
Strickler also was designated a habitual felon. Assistant district attorney Jeff Jones, who prosecuted the case, entered evidence that resulted in the habitual felon designation.
This is North Carolina’s version of three strikes and you’re out. The designation acts as a sentence enhancer.
Haywood County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Matt Miller led the investigation. Waynesville Police Department helped cordon off the street and building.
Cody Blake Strickler. File photo
Food Truck Boot Camp returns to Cherokee
Aspiring food truck owners and mobile food entrepreneurs are invited to take their business dreams to the next level at the upcoming Food Truck Boot Camp, hosted by the Center for Environmental Farming Systems (CEFS) EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems (EMFS) project in collaboration with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) Division of Commerce. The event will take place Nov. 17-20 in Cherokee.
This four-day, hands-on training is designed to equip participants with the practical knowledge and real-world tools needed to launch and grow a successful food truck business. From crafting the perfect menu to understanding food safety regulations and designing an efficient truck layout, the Food Truck Boot Camp provides a comprehensive foundation for success.
“It’s a good idea to go to Food Truck Boot Camp because you learn a lot,” said Monique “Nikki” Crisp, owner of Nikki’s Frybread food truck. “You learn about the business part of it, the networking, safety, branding — even learning how to cook a little and meet new people. It is in your best interest to go and experience it; you won’t be sorry.”
Through EMFS, CEFS works across a 12-county region in Western North Carolina — including the Qualla Boundary — to support local food and farm businesses, expand regional food economies, and foster entrepreneurship, workforce development, and leadership.
Participants in the Boot Camp will benefit from one-on-one consultations and interactive sessions led by industry experts. Topics will include:
• Menu design and recipe development with professional chefs.
• Marketing strategies, public relations, and branding.
• Financial planning, funding opportunities, and bookkeeping guidance
• Business planning and enterprise budgeting.
• Food truck design for efficiency, safety and fire prevention.
• Regulatory compliance and food safety best practices.
This event is offered in partnership with the Street Food Institute, a nationally recognized nonprofit based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Known for empowering food entrepreneurs through mentorship and practical training, the Street Food Institute brings a wealth of experience and success stories to the table.
Space is limited, and early registration is strongly encouraged.
For more information, please contact Laura Lauffer at the EBCI NC Cooperative Extension office at 828.359.6936.
Don’t miss this opportunity to gain the skills, support and confidence you need to launch your food truck business and thrive in today’s mobile food economy.
NCDOT receives permits to begin rock removal for I-40
Acritical process has been completed, permitting the N.C. Department of Transportation and its project team to extract rock necessary for reconstruction of Interstate 40 in the Pigeon River Gorge.
NCDOT officials received a 404 Individual Permit from the Army Corps of Engineers and a 401 Water Quality Certification from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality’s Water Resources Division on Friday. In the permits, NCDOT identifies efforts to reduce impacts to the natural environment, and the department will continue to update the permit as design plans are refined.
“We greatly appreciate the partnership that has been established between NCDOT and the state and federal regulatory agencies on the I-40 repair project,” said NCDOT Secretary Joey Hopkins. “Having these permits in-hand will allow us to now access the borrow site and begin the next — and probably most critical — phase of the I-40 repair process.”
NCDOT has coordinated and will continue to partner with the USDOT Federal Highway Administration, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, N.C. Division of Water Resources and N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission on the reconstruction of I-40.
“The USDA Forest Service has made long-term Helene recovery a priority, and there are few projects in Western North Carolina more important in the recovery process than the rebuilding of I-40,” said Forest Supervisor James Melonas with the National Forests in North Carolina. “We greatly appreciate the opportunity to collaborate with our state and federal partners to help complete this project as quickly and fiscally responsible as possible, while also working together to mitigate impacts to natural resources.”
Using nearby stone from the Pisgah National Forest across the river from I-40 will reduce estimated construction costs and timelines compared to using rock materials from other locations farther away. Utilizing the extraction site will also decrease travel times for I-40 drivers and increase safety by reducing the number of heavy trucks in the two-lane pattern.
“North Carolina is building again with the full support
of the federal government after the devastating washout from Hurricane Helene,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy. “We are working to expedite the recovery of devastated Appalachian communities from last fall’s flooding. Let me be clear to our neighbors in North Carolina: this administration stands with you.”
Crews are currently finishing a causeway adjacent to the river corridor that is functionally complete. The cause-
way provides critical access to the base of the interstate for geotechnical data collection necessary to properly design the required retaining walls. The causeway will also allow the contractor, Ames Construction, to safely build the retaining walls without additional road or lane closures on I-40.
In the coming days, crews will begin constructing the
We are working to expedite the recovery of devastated Appalachian communities from last fall’s flooding. Let me be clear to our neighbors in North Carolina: this administration stands with you.”
— Sean P. Duffy, U.S. Transportation Secretary
base of a temporary bridge across the Pigeon River and building a haul road to the 33-acre extraction site. Once crews are able to access the site, the rock removal and processing will begin for reconstruction of I-40.
“We will proceed with this phase of construction with strict adherence to the construction plans and permit requirements,” NCDOT Division 14 Engineer Wesley Grindstaff said. “We have the goal of minimizing impacts to natural resources while fully restoring the transportation services on I-40.”
For real-time travel information, visit drivenc.gov or follow NCDOT on social media.
NCDOT received state and federal permits to begin rock removal for reconstruction of Interstate 40. File photo
Community Almanac
SCC Emergency Medical Science student who helped save life is honored
On May 4, several emergency personnel were called to assist a man who had overdosed at a venue in Tennessee. Despite being out with friends, one individual who immediately jumped into action was Grayson Yount, an Emergency Medical Science student at Southwestern Community College.
While an overdose reversal drug was being administered, rescue breaths and CPR were alternated between Yount and an officer from Collins Protective Services until finally the man regained consciousness and was eventually cleared to walk out of the venue on his own.
“Had Grayson not been able to use the training and education she has gained while attending SCC, the night could have ended very differently,” Tiffany and Greg Collins wrote in a letter to SCC. They are the owners of Collins Protective Services.
A certificate of recognition and scholarship was awarded to Southwestern EMS student Grayson Yount for her efforts in aiding someone in need. Photographed from left: Robert Grover, EMS Clinical Coordinator, Yount and Eric Hester, EMS Program Director. File photo
Yount was quickly identified by those involved and the Collins family rewarded her courage and assistance with a certificate of recognition and a $250 scholarship.
In early July, Yount was surrounded by her instructors, friends and family as she was awarded the certificate.
“It’s no surprise that Grayson Yount stepped up during an emergency,”
Premier Magnesia sells Waynesville facilities
Martin Marietta Materials, Inc. announced that it completed the acquisition of Premier Magnesia, LLC (Premier), a privately-owned producer of magnesia-based products with facilities in Waynesville.
Macon WIC program provides vital assistance
WIC or the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program provides supplemental nutritious foods, infant formula, nutrition education, breastfeeding support and referrals to health care and community resources. The WIC program is available at Macon County Public Health, 1830 Lakeside Drive, Franklin. You may apply for the WIC Program Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To be eligible a person must:
• Be a pregnant woman; a breastfeeding woman who has had a baby in the last 12 months; a woman who has been pregnant in the last six months; an infant; or a child up to the fifth birthday;
• Reside in North Carolina
• Meet income eligibility scale — the gross
said Eric Hester, SCC’s EMS Program Director. “She’s an outstanding student who’s always eager to learn and challenge both herself and those around her. I’m extremely proud.”
To learn more about SCC’s EMS program, contact Hester at ehester@southwesterncc.edu or 828.339.4277.
annual household income cannot exceed 185% of the Federal poverty income guidelines — All Medicaid, Food and Nutrition Services (SNAP) and Work First Recipients meet the WIC income eligibility criteria; and
• Have a nutritional need determined by the WIC Nutritionist.
For more information about WIC or to make an appointment, visit Macon County Public Health, call 828.349.2453 or email wic@maconnc.org.
Jackson County GOP announces August meeting
The Jackson County Republican monthly meeting will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21. Location is 40 W. Sylva Shopping Area in the Harold’s Supermarket plaza.
Lake Junaluska’s Choir Music Weekend
The mountains of Western North Carolina will come alive with the sounds of sacred choral music this fall during Lake Junaluska’s Choir Music Weekend, Oct. 17-19.
Choirs and all who love to sing this special music are invited to come together to learn and
Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation names new director
The Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation announced that Myrle Grate has been appointed as its new executive director. The appointment comes following a search conducted by the succession planning committee and unanimous approval from the Health Foundation Board of Directors.
Grate brings 25 years of experience leading and directing in the nonprofit arena, most recently serving as the Executive Director of Sunnybrook in Ridgeland, Mississippi. While at Sunnybrook, Grate oversaw $10 million in facility improvements, increased fundraising by 110% in his first four years and led the organization to its first national accreditation. Notably, Grate launched an innovative driver’s education program aimed at foster youth in Mississippi, significantly increasing the rate of foster youth obtaining driver’s licenses from 4% to 10% — doubling the national average of 5%.
“I’m honored to join Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation and this remarkable community,” said Grate. “I look forward to listening, collaborating, and investing in local organizations, as we continue to make the communities that we serve healthier and stronger.”
Grate holds a Bachelor of Science from Samford University, a Master of Divinity from Beeson Divinity School and a Doctor of Ministry from Asbury Theological Seminary. In his new role with the Health Foundation, he will oversee staff and operational management, lead development and strategic planning efforts alongside the board of directors, and foster collaborative partnerships across our community.
perform eight anthems, as well as attend workshops. Participants also will experience the cool crisp air and brilliant fall colors of Western North Carolina.
Saturday workshops include “Images that Serve,” “Vocal Sight Reading,” “Musical Alchemy — Turning a Hymn into an Anthem” (offertory ensemble), “Recommended Hymn Arrangement Books for the Church Pianist,” “Spiritual Development for the Choral Singer,” “Vocal and Choral Techniques,” and “Can Do Crafts.”
Ginger Wyrick, a member of the Choir Music Weekend leadership team, said it is always a “joy” to hear so many voices come together during Choir Music Weekend, and she invites the community to hear them sing at the weekend’s closing worship service on Oct. 19.
“The weekend is rich with singing, study and fellowship,” Wyrick said. “We are eager to be back together this year following the devastation of Helene. The fall air will fill with songs of praise and gratitude for the restoration that is taking place all across the region. We hope you join us this year.”
A closing worship service will be held at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in Harrell Center Auditorium. Guests and community members are invited and encouraged to attend. The guest preacher will be the Rev. John Ferree. To register, visit the Choir Music Weekend event page at bit.ly/LJ-Choir-Music-Weekend.
Jackson County Board of Elections announces special election in Highlands
The Jackson County Board of Elections is announcing an upcoming special election that will take place as part of the General Election on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025. This election will be held in Highlands only and will coincide with the regularly scheduled Municipal Election.
In addition to existing municipal races, voters in Highlands will also select a candidate to fill the unexpired term of Highlands Commissioner Brian Stiehler, who resigned from his position on July 31, 2025.
The candidate filing period for this special election seat will open on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025, at 8 a.m. and will close on Friday, Aug. 22, 2025, at noon. Individuals interested in running for this position must file within this timeframe to be eligible for the ballot.
For more information about filing requirements, election details or voter registration, please contact the Jackson County Board of Elections at 828.586.7538 or visit icncelections.org.
A mission to make sure local news survives
A large majority of U.S. adults (86%) say they at least sometimes get news from a smartphone, computer or tablet, including 57% who say they do so often.….
Americans turn to radio and print publications for news far less frequently. In 2024, just 26% of U.S. adults say they often or sometimes get news in print, the lowest number our surveys have recorded. — Pew Research Center
Irecently attended a dinner party with several of my closest friends, and as per usual over the last couple of years, the idea of retirement kept rolling through my mind. All of those in the room that night were not working anymore, having reached the age and attained the financial stability to call it quits. Not a single person regretted that decision, something they’ve all told me in private conversations.
Here I sit at 65 pondering the time I have left above ground, still in good health, with a wife ready to grab a suitcase and go adventuring right now.
But I have this business, this newspaper and media company that is — for better or worse — part of my identity, part of who I am, something I’ve put a good portion of my life into. For me, reading those stats from the Pew Research about the news industry and reading habits doesn’t dampen my enthusiasm for what we do here at The Smoky Mountain News. Instead, it energizes me to be part of this industry as it adapts
Our president Is a disaster
To the Editor:
Disappointing national employment numbers were released last week. Estimates were much lower than expected, and may be precursors of a shrinking economy. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) estimated that 19,000 jobs were filled in May, 14,000 in June, and 73,000 in July (bls.gov/economic news release 8/1/2025). Previously BLS-reported jobs numbers were 144,000 for May and 147,000 for June, a discrepency of 258,000 jobs. For more detail see “Dark Clouds Emerge for Trump on Economy,” 8/2/2025, The Hill (a right-leaning newsletter covering politics). For perspective, in early 2025, prior to the tariff uncertainties, the economy added an average of 162,000 jobs per month. The Biden administration’s average of jobs added per month was 385,000.
President Trump did not like the numbers — they contradict his rhetoric that the U.S. economy is thriving under his leadership. His solution to poor employment data? Fire the messenger, the statistician responsible for the BLS! Such thin skin and massive ego are not the characteristics of a mature, responsible adult. His petulant nature puts our economy in great danger. And his knee-jerk response to bad news likely has lost him the little credibility he had with voters.
Add to this bad news the world-wide economic uncertainty caused by Trump’s tariff waffling. As we all understand now, tariffs are taxes on imported goods that are included in the retail cost of the product.
to this seismic change.
Yes, more people are reading online. Well, that’s no surprise. Here are a few numbers regarding SMN. In 2024, we printed about 16,000 per week for a total of around 800,000 newspapers. Most weeks all but about 10% of those are picked up, so in our mountain region we put 720,000 newspapers into the hands of potential readers.
In our industry there’s what we call the “pass-along rate.” That’s the number of people who actually read a single copy, and the usual estimates are 2.3 to 2.8 readers per paper. Do that math — let’s use 2.5 as the multiplier — and that means our weekly print readership is around 40,000.
Online, the figures are larger, as one would expect. In 2024, we had 1,031,022 unique users visit our website. That means — as the Pew Center’s research confirms — that getting news online is the preferred method for most people these days. Those numbers are from Google’s analytics. That comes out to 20,000 unique visitors every week. I’m pretty proud of those numbers, and I think it speaks to the work produced by our staff.
Local news providers like SMN have, for the most part, transitioned over the last decade to a digital-first mentality.
LETTERS
Last week Trump again changed his mind on tariffs. Now he is proposing a 50% import tax on Brazil, which, if you drink Brazilian coffee, it will retail for considerably more (not all of the tariff amount passes to the consumer), which in turn, raises the sales tax.
Double whammy to consumers.
I bring up Brazil because Trump increased the tariff because he is angry that Brazil has indicted its former president (and a friend of Trump), who is accused of plotting a coup after he lost the last election (NY Times, July 31, 2025). That’s right, Trump is pretending to use leverage he does not have, manipulating our economy in an attempt to sway the outcome of a criminal trial in a foreign country.
Trump last week also raised Canadian tariffs again, from 25% which was imposed ostensibly because Canada was not doing enough to stop fentanyl at its U.S. border (all of 42 pounds were confiscated in 2024) to 35% after Canada announced it would recognize the state of Palestine (Reuters, July 31, 2025). Again illegally using the U.S. economy to get another country to obey him.
Trump has no authority, nor any business trying, to interfere with the internal governance of other nations. This in not diplomacy, it is extortion. He wants to punish Canada and Brazil but he is only punishing his own citizens. Never mind that legally only Congress can impose tariffs.
Please pay attention to our president. He is a disaster.
Karen Patterson Highlands
We print a paper every week with original stories, but we update our website and push stories on social platforms daily. The challenge with the digital transformation, though, is the business model. Despite the fact that a large majority of people think local news is valuable for their communities, there’s another poll number from the Pew Research Center that is more worrisome for local news providers like SMN: In 2024, “just 15% of Americans say they have paid or given money to any local news source in the past year — a number that has not changed much since 2018.”
Look, I’m proud and not afraid to say that local companies like ours are all about the community. Yes, we try to sell advertising and solicit donations, but our relationship with our community is built on shared values, a mutual sense of obligation to make this the best possible place anyone would want to live. The fact that so many people are moving here and want to visit here speaks to a certain degree of success in that mission for all of us who call this place home. Retirement is out there, but so is the mission of keeping this company alive so it can serve this community for many years to come. I’m still yoked to that mission, so I’ll borrow from the over-used Dylan Thomas poem that I have loved for decades — though it resonates a little louder as the years go by: “Do not go gentle into that good night/Old age should burn and rave at close of day;/Rage, rage against the dying of the light.”
(Scott McLeod can be reached at info@smokymountainnews.com.)
How much damage will Trump inflict?
To the Editor:
Many American servicemen feel dutybound to oppose combat Marines being deployed in American cities. I’m one of them.
First of all, this President is in clear violation of the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878, a federal U.S. law that restricts the use of the military for law enforcement within the country. It prohibits the use of federal troops to execute civilian laws unless explicitly authorized by the Constitution or an Act of Congress.
I served in the Naval Security Group, 20 years, under six presidents, all former Army or Naval officers (Dwight Eisenhower to Jimmy Carter). None were perfect men nor did any of them claim to be. Neither did any one of them have a fleeting thought of igniting an armed mob to attack our Capitol, killing or maiming its defenders (his own vice president if necessary) to overturn an election he knew he’d lost.
Like many servicemen of my era, I am deeply distraught that an amoral, corrupt conman and grifter, a president proven to care nothing for the rules of law and justice, replacing them with the despot-ruled equivalent of a banana republic surrounded by masked thugs and parasitic bootlickers. Knowing he couldn’t have accomplished this feat without the complicity of the Supreme Court and huge numbers of our fellow citizens thinking this is all OK (or even good) doesn’t assuage my anguish.
The question has already been asked (by a
University of Texas professor), “How can the Commandant of the Marine Corps act upon an illegal order by the POTUS and have United States Marines violate U.S. federal law?” Is it possible that because our radically unethical Supreme Court, having ruled that the convicted felon-in-chief cannot be held criminally responsible for anything he does as president, can get away with ordering them to do so?
Some former Marines are hopeful that active-duty Marine generals will tell the troops to “stand down.” However, Marine Lt. Gen. Walter Gaskin (retired), when asked what Marines would do if ordered to fight American citizens on the streets of America, responded: “Same thing we always do, what we’re trained to do, they have to follow orders.”
I think we can assume many Marines are as angry and are struggling every bit as hard as most of the rest of us right now.
I envision that by the time America prepares to celebrate its 250th birthday, about a year from now, absent a herculean miracle, Donald Trump will have rendered what’s left of our Constitution and representative government substantially irrelevant and in its place his very own little fiefdom, a well-established oligarchy with groveling lackeys in Congress to cheer him on and the rest of our representatives milling around bleating like the helpless sheep they are.
A universal question still remains. How much more damage will Trump be allowed to inflict on the world order before some brave soul stands up and says enough?
David L. Snell Franklin
Editor Scott McLeod
The pursuit of perfection
the top of the mountain, I could see forever, and I never got that impression out of my mind. I told myself, ‘This is where I need to be. This is home.’”
Baker has seen and painted bigger, more rugged mountains, but those don’t interest him as much as what he’s found across the Blue Ridge Mountains. They are more romantic, he said, and more soothing.
As Richard Baker looks back, the canvas still beckons
BY KYLE P ERROTTI N EWS E DITOR
Richard Baker is in an interesting place, looking back at a prolific body of work while also staring down an uncertain future.
Baker, who is sitting on the doorstep of 70, had his work featured at a retrospective last weekend at the Folkmoot Center in Waynesville. The event was well attended, largely by people familiar with the artist and his paintings, people who admire his unique style.
In light of the retrospective, it’s easy to think that Baker has achieved everything he wanted in his craft, found his distinct style and honed it to the point that it appeals to laypeople and those with an eye for finer art. However, in the wake of a recent cancer diagnosis, as he ponders his body of work. He feels that while others have created masterpieces, he may never paint something that fully reflects his artistic vision.
“I don’t think I need to paint faster,” Baker said. “I think I need to paint better.”
THE MAKING OF AN ARTIST
As a military brat, Baker experienced plenty of places when he was young. Although his mother let him get his hands on paint at three years old — an introduction to the medium — his first experience considering something so beautiful it bears sharing with others was
when he was a young child living in Munich, Germany. The house had a window where Baker could see the Alps. Taken aback by the mystery of the rugged mountains, his mind worked to produce a picture in which his imagination sharpened features dulled by distance.
Not long after that reckoning, Baker’s parents took him to an art museum, and he marveled at the fact that the works people had painted generations earlier were “just out in the world” for all to enjoy. It clicked. He could create art that people connect with. Over the next six decades, Baker would plumb the depths of his own imagination as he searched for scenes worth painting and techniques worth learning in a lifelong quest to render reality as he saw it.
“I know a lot of writer friends that keep a journal,” he said. “I had a sketchbook, and I’d just draw stuff.”
When Baker was in high school living in Kansas, his father got out of the Army and bought a recording studio, where Baker worked, sometimes behind the mixing board, helping lay to wax an array of different sounds. However, when he was just 18 years old, his father died, and the business was sold. Baker headed off to the University of Kansas in hopes of attending its art school. After a snag in that process, he moved to Tampa, Florida. While he hoped to attend art school at the University of South Florida, his plans
Before he even turned 20, Baker took a job at Busch Gardens, a quirky gig initially intended to make ends meet that blossomed into a career of 32 years as the curator of mammals. Over that time, he came to love some of the animals, although not always the job. Baker found that between the zoo and helping to raise his three children, he didn’t have time to paint. As the years went by and he aged into his 50s, it became clear to Baker that it was time to reassess his priorities.
A NECESSARY CHANGE
The Hudson River School Art Movement is known for producing painters who created hyper-realistic depictions of natural landscapes, largely around the Catskills and Adirondacks of Upstate New York. The movement was founded in the early 19th century, grew over several decades and saw varying levels of interest through the mid 20th century before fading from mainstream popularity around the 1960s, just around the time Baker squeezed his first tube of paint.
Considering the inspiration Baker drew from the Hudson River School, Western North Carolina with all its rolling rivers and sweeping vistas seemed like the perfect fit. He recalled a pitstop at Lookout Mountain in Chattanooga during a family trip.
“I bought me a Daniel Boone coonskin hat and a pop gun, and I was the coolest guy ever,” Baker said. “And then when we were on
In his early 50s, Baker moved to Hendersonville, where he took a job in a factory and quickly moved up to a supervisory role. But in 2009, at age 55, Baker suffered a major heart attack. Baker’s great grandfather and grandfather died in their 30s, and his father had died at 42. Even as a young man, Baker didn’t expect to live much past 50. When he had his heart attack at 55, the doctor told him he may have just a couple of years left. Not sure how much longer he’d live but certain he didn’t want to draw his last breath on a factory floor, he took the $15,000 he had saved, moved to Tryon and opened a small art studio. He blew through the money in about three months and had to sleep in his studio, taking bird baths in its sink. He was a starving artist, but he wouldn’t have it any other way. He was painting.
“I was so damn happy,” he said.
Things would get even better.
Around 2012, he met Gina Malone, a writer originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina, who’d owned a bookstore in Tryon for almost two decades before Baker’s studio opened nearby. The first time she saw Baker, he was playing his guitar on the street, and she later looked out her shop window to see him painting a picture of her bookstore. In an artsy city with no shortage of eccentric personalities, Baker was another “character,” Malone thought, but once she spoke with him, the connection was immediate.
Malone said she was impressed that as artistic and outgoing as Baker was, he also had an equally distinct “practical side,” perhaps a remnant from his working years in Florida. She admired how driven he was, and as a selftaught artist, how he always wanted to push himself to become just a little bit better.
“He was down to Earth,” she said, “very ‘let’s get down to it and figure this out.’ He’s not the typical artist.”
In 2013, Baker and Malone moved to Saluda for a of couple of years, then went to Asheville, where Malone took a job with the Laurel of Asheville Magazine, where she is now the editor. Baker opened a gallery in the River Arts District, excited about the prospect of selling art in a larger, yet more saturated market. If he could make it in Asheville, he could make it anywhere, he told himself.
He sold a painting the day he opened the gallery and then didn’t sell another one for six months.
Ten years ago, the couple moved to the Jonathan Creek area of Haywood County and loved the quiet calm. The area is perfect for Baker, who, inspired by the Hudson River
Baker speaks with a curious visitor about his work. Kyle Perrotti photo
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
Somewhere in Eastern Colorado. Garret K. Woodward photo
‘After all, it was a great big world, with lots of places to run to’
It just dawned on me, at this exact moment, that my Western journey is over (at least until next time). Currently, I’m sitting in a coffee shop in Nashville, Tennessee, doing some writing and pondering, as per usual. And I’ll be finally headed back to my humble abode in Western North Carolina tomorrow. To note, I’ve been on the road since July 8. As I sipped my coffee and looked out the window, there was this moment of silence, in the room and in my mind. Deep reflection and gratitude for what the last three weeks or so wandering the West has brought to my heart and soul. A solo road trip. Thousands of miles in total. Just as many memories made this go-round. South Dakota. Wyoming. Montana. Idaho. Colorado. And then some. Quite the loop, I must say. Old friends and big bear hugs. New friends and plans already made for our next rendezvous. Swimming in rivers, creeks and lakes. Jogging along dirt roads, mountain ridges, and through the highdesert prairie. Sunsets while heading West on the highways and backroads of America, my pickup truck happily dusty, the windows rolled down, with some tune by Bob Wills & The Texas Playboys echoing out of the stereo. Whenever I’m not in the West, I’m constantly thinking about it, pouring over details in my mind as to where to go next. And when I finally return to Mountain Standard Time, I’m in perpetual awe of the natural beauty, character, and charm of the West. The universal energies that ricochet around the high peaks and low valley of these surreal landscapes keep me humble, as well as curious and compassionate.
For this trip, I aimed to put a lot of the last year (one of the hardest of my life thus far) behind me, to process it all, and not glance at it in the rearview mirror anymore with sadness. And I feel like I achieved that on this trek. The work within is always in continual motion. But, my attitude and how I react and process everything remains steadfast. To that, it’ll take some time for me to now process this recent trip, and I look forward to that in the coming days, weeks, and months.
Packing up the pickup truck on Tuesday, July 8, I left my one-bedroom apartment in downtown Waynesville immediately after we kicked the newspaper out the door to the printer. In the truck, an assortment of things needed while in transit. Toiletries. Dog-eared
books. Two pairs of boots, one for mud, the other for a night on the town. One luggage bag filled with enough underwear, socks, tshirts and jeans to last exactly one week, long enough until I could locate a washer and dryer.
The rest of the vehicle, specifically in the camper shell atop the bed of the truck, was an array of shoes and gear for trail running, hiking and jogging on pavement. One pair with good traction for those harder hikes. One pair that’s comfortable for easier treks. The other three pairs for various terrain in urban settings or the occasional greenway.
I mention the shoes because I used every single pair throughout this recent crosscountry jaunt. For me, the “real souvenir” of any place I find myself in is to go for a run and/or hike through that area of people, places and things. Personally, I don’t think you can really get to know or immerse yourself in a new location if you don’t get out of the car and jog around, your eyes and ears picking up on all the nuances of a certain place, your body in motion wandering the contours of the landscape.
And I think back fondly on some of those jogs. Early on in the trip, it was Tunnel Hill State Trail (a rail-to-trail) in Vienna, Illinois, where I was smacked in the face with intense Midwestern heat and humidity. No matter, for I was on the road and in a perpetual state of bliss. The next day, another hot and sunny rail-to-trail in Council Bluffs, Iowa, just as an intense thunderstorm appeared on the horizon.
The heat and humidity started to dissipate when I hit central South Dakota. Nearing the Badlands National Park, I pulled in just as it started to downpour. The temperature quickly dropped from the 90s to the 50s amid big raindrops and thunderclaps. No matter, toss on the waterproof rain jacket and old running shoes (used solely for these muddy scenarios) and start trotting down the dirt road (aka: Old National Park Road). The hauntingly beautiful terrain of the Badlands opened up with each stride, as if I was trotting across some other planet in some far-away galaxy. Then, it was Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Colorado. Triple-digit dry heat and blinding sunshine on a single-track trail outside of Lyons, Colorado. A cold rain and stiff breeze along the Whitefish Valley Outlook in
HOT PICKS
1
“An Appalachian Evening” will continue with a performance by Americana/bluegrass outfit Appalachian Smoke at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
2
A special stage production of “The Cake” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 15-16, 22-23, 28-30 and 2 p.m. Aug. 17, 24, 31 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
3
The annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series will host Dashboard Blues (rock/oldies) at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
4
Americana/folk singer-songwriter Woolybooger will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Whiteside Brewing in Cashiers.
5
Mountain Word Writers Group will give a reading of selected works at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
Montana. Or the paved greenway in Victor, Idaho, a small mountain town I used to call home some 18 years ago, fresh out of college and trying to become a writer. And another greenway trot in the shadow of the Grand Teton Mountains outside Jackson, Wyoming, the view of which remains my favorite spot to be anywhere in the world.
But, the most memorable and enjoyable of this trip was the Swift Creek Loop, just outside of Whitefish. So much so, I did it twice while in Montana covering a nearby music festival. Leaving the city limits of tiny Whitefish, you’re quickly flung into the depths of the backwoods of the Rocky Mountains. Towering pine trees and ancient earth as the anchor. Cool air swirling into the truck, a welcomed, refreshing feeling.
Exiting the truck at the trailhead parking lot, the silence of the woods was eerie and surreal, but all the better for this purposeful disappearing act into Mother Nature. Grab the running backpack and pack up the bear spray. Don’t forget the air-horn and knife, too. It’s extremely rare something would ever happen out there, but the percentage of chance is never zero. Strap everything in. Do a couple quick stretches. Onward down the trail.
Deciding on a four-mile out and back trail run, the halfway point was this mountain ridge. A tranquil, serene vista with a 360degree view of the desolate woods surrounding seemingly every inch of my scan of the peaks and valleys. Thoughts of the trip this far. Thoughts of the hardships of the last year. Thoughts of those missed and those long gone. Thoughts of the moment at-hand, of being present and alive.
The gratitude remains. As do old running shoes, thankfully.
Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
School Art Movement, most enjoys painting en plein air, which basically means out in the open. Baker can drive less than an hour, set up an easel at a Blue Ridge Parkway overlook and capture whatever is in front of him, the unique characteristics of light, weather and season making each spot different from day to day.
Baker recalled that he once had a friend who just painted red apples — apples in a basket, apples on a table, apples in a tree — just apples. Baker used to wonder how his friend could paint the same thing over and over.
“But now that’s what I’m doing,” he said. “I’m painting this landscape, painting these mountains, because that’s my passion.”
THE ABRUPTNESS OF LIFE
Early this year, doctors found a tumor the size of an orange in one of Baker’s lungs. It was fast-spreading, large-cell cancer, and the lung was three-quarters collapsed with fluid in it. The prognosis was uncertain but not promising. Baker underwent radiation and chemotherapy. The initial treatments were harsh enough that he couldn’t physically put paint on canvas.
“That’s when I was worried,” Malone said. “I had never seen him not painting.”
Two months ago, Baker couldn’t even walk more than a few feet at a time. Things felt bad enough that Baker considered how to get his affairs in order and put his daughter in charge of his inventory of over 220 paintings. More recently, Baker has been doing immunotherapy and has felt well enough to come to his studio at Folkmoot and paint.
“I feel lucky I’m still able to do it,” he said. “My eyesight is still great, my manual dexterity, my movement is good. I don’t have arthritis. I see photos of Renoir taping a
show, a retrospective honoring his body of work, came into focus.
The retrospective was held last Friday and Saturday and brought in Baker’s loved ones, admirers of his work and even a few strangers.
Capping off Saturday was a well-attended reception, which offered a chance for folks to enjoy Baker’s work while sipping on wine or mocktails from Roll Up Herbal Bar. Two large TV screens looped videos shot by Baker’s friend and fellow artist, Rylan Love, showed Baker at some of his favorite spots along the Blue Ridge Parkway explaining what they mean to him. Upbeat music from Jazz on the Level featuring the improvisational style of guest violinist Glenn Basham set the right tone throughout the reception.
The highlight of the afternoon was when Ken Czarnomski, a retired architect and working artist known around Western North Carolina for his colorful watercolor maps of some the region’s most beloved areas, roasted Baker. Czarnomski recapped his good friend’s life, touching on much of the same chronology as this story, adding in a slew of jokes that kept the audience engaged and even elicited a few belly laughs.
Czarnomski ended with a heartfelt toast.
“I’d like to thank you, Gina, for sharing Richard with us this evening, and I want to give you a special thank you, because you made Richard believe he’s a normal person,” Czarnomski joked. “Richard, you are a very colorful character, and you have contributed so much to the arts around here, and that’s why we just wanted to tell you how inspirational you are.”
“I didn’t expect any laughs, because you don’t know how people will take flat jokes sometimes, but they did so I was thrilled,”
that in a way that makes the listener feel like they can do the same.
“There are no secrets in this,” Baker said.
When he was a starving artist in Tryon, Baker was paid a lot of kindness by a good number of people, including other artists. Through those connections built on a foundation of generosity, a community formed.
Tryon has a competitive art scene with a lot of talented creators and some serious patrons with money to spend. Baker wanted to cool tensions between artists for the benefit of all. He puts it this way: if someone is
company, Malone reached out to Alicia Blanton with Folkmoot, and the two set to work planning the event. Twigs & Leaves Gallery, where Baker’s work is sold, joined the effort, and before long, the idea for a
booming voice and bouncy energy as he moved through the accompanying slide show. Photos showed Baker in his younger years, usually sporting his trademark goatee, even if it had to be drawn on.
Baker said he didn’t expect the retrospective to draw so many people and create so much positive energy.
“I’ve never had anything like that in my life,” he said. “I’m overwhelmed.”
CREATING COMMUNITY
Most creative types who’ve had a few conversations with Baker have been told by him at some point that they need to pursue their passions with fervor.
“Who’s standing in your way?” he’ll ask rhetorically.
Baker’s gruff voice and sly grin belie a kind nature. During normal working hours Monday through Saturday, people can likely catch him in his studio listening to rock and folk music from the ‘60s and ‘70s and figuring out how to bring nature to life one brush stroke at a time. As others with studios at Folkmoot know, he’s happy to invite anyone in for a conversation. While many artists struggle to work with others around and many prefer utter silence, Baker enjoys the company.
One of the most notable features of Baker’s work is how realistically he depicts water with perfect clarity whether it’s still or moving. For anyone willing to ask, Baker is more than happy to explain just how he does
tion that benefits one can benefit all.
“I had the idea to invite all these artists that I knew that hated each other over for a cup of coffee,” Baker said. “I invited six or seven artists over at the same time. They didn’t know that I invited the other artists, and then they all came, and it was great.”
He began hosting monthly artists breakfasts and throws a large yearly bash for Groundhog Day, traditions that continue still.
“I didn’t get here by myself, so I owe others,” he said. “I can do that by having other artists and like-minded people get together.”
THE NATURE OF SUCCESS
When Baker was in high school, he made his first few bucks selling a painting to his uncle. Since then, he’s sold countless pieces to patrons across the United States. The thrill of selling art, the joy that comes with knowing someone appreciates your work, is unmatched. That someone else can understand what he was trying to do, that they get it and appreciate it is “stunning and humbling, very humbling,” Baker said.
“A gentleman bought a painting he liked, came back and found a companion piece. He bought them, and he hung them in a prominent place in his home,” Baker said. “I was just overwhelmed by that.”
Baker enjoys the company of some friends during the retrospective. Kyle Perrotti photo
Ken Czarnomski makes some light jokes at his friend’s expense. Kyle Perrotti photo
Baker keeps a stack of “in-progress” paintings next to his easel, and from time to time, someone wants to buy one of them. Those works, unfinished in the mind of the artist, were just right to the buyer who connected with them.
“I’m going, ‘There’s something wrong them,’” Baker said. “But people can still relate to them.”
It can be hard for an artist to judge their own work. The first stroke on any canvass is a mistake, Baker said, something that will need more brush strokes to begin to build a composition. There is always room to improve a painting, always something that can be changed to better reflect what’s in his mind. He knows that he will never achieve that aim entirely and that perfection is impossible. It’s in the pursuit of perfection that an artist can find meaning.
“I have not painted a masterpiece,” Baker said. “I may never paint a masterpiece, but I’m going to try.”
But perhaps perfection of a craft, even a lifelong pursuit of art itself, isn’t the right measure of success.
Early on day two of the retrospective, Jewell Payne stepped into Baker’s studio sporting a nervous smile. Payne had driven up from Marietta, South Carolina, about two hours south of Waynesville. The first time Payne met Baker was when he had his spot in Saluda. It was Christmastime and some places were closed, but he was inside working. After some conversation and time with Baker’s work, he inspired her to work on honing her own craft.
The two became fast friends and have stayed in touch ever since.
On many occasions over the last several years, Payne has made the drive to Baker’s gallery after getting off work in the afternoon to paint and learn. Even when he opened his first Haywood County gallery in downtown Waynesville, farther from Marietta than Saluda, she was happy to make the journey.
Not long ago, Payne called Baker saying she wanted to bring a friend up to meet him and paint, and he told her about his cancer diagnosis and the retrospective. She drove up and spent a good deal of time speaking with Baker and studying each painting on display. Payne said she wouldn’t have missed it for the world.
“He’s my best friend,” she said. “We’ve shared a lot of years, and he’s just the sweetest, gentlest and smartest man you’ll ever want to meet.”
Last Friday morning as the retrospective opened, Baker was absent. He was at the oncologist receiving promising news: the tumor in his lung appears to have shrunken and may be effectively “dead.” The result created mixed feelings. Baker was glad to hear that he will have more time, but it was another hairpin turn along on an unpredictable road that still inevitably reaches its destination.
“I expected to be in hospice in six months,” Baker said. “I’m trying to process it. Eventually, we’re all gonna go. We don’t get out of this alive, but maybe I have a bit more time than they thought I had.”
More time to paint. More time to pursue perfection.
On the beat
‘Summer Fun’ with Haywood Community Band
With a theme of “Summer Fun,” the next Haywood Community Band concert will be held at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 17, outside of the Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska.
In an effort to increase its audience, the HCB is doing a “Save a Seat” initiative, where patrons are asked to bring a friend and enjoy the music.
All shows are free and open to the public.
The HCB is a beloved nonprofit organization, one where donations collected at the concerts go to support band camp and college scholarships for young Haywood County musicians.
For more information and/or a full schedule of performances, visit haywoodcommunityband.com.
‘Concerts on the Creek’
The Town of Sylva, Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department and Jackson County Chamber of Commerce will continue its 16th season of the annual “Concerts on the Creek” music series.
Dashboard Blues (rock/oldies) will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
With over 25 years of experience, Dashboard Blue delivers a crowdpleasing mix of rock, country, funk, R&B, disco and timeless classics, all arranged with tight harmonies and danceable grooves. The group’s influences range from the Eagles and Doobie Brothers to Stevie Ray Vaughan and James Brown.
“Concerts on the Creek” are held every Friday night from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Everyone is encouraged to bring a chair or blanket. These events are free, with donations encouraged. Dogs must be on a leash. No smoking, vaping, coolers or tents are allowed. Bring a chair or blanket. There will be food trucks on select nights.
For more information, call the chamber at 828.586.2155, visit mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek or go to the “Concerts on the Creek” Facebook page.
• Bascom Center for Visual Arts (Highlands) will host a “Community Barn Dance” 5:307:30 p.m. Aug. 14. Admission is $10 for adults, free for kids ages 10 and under. 828.526.4949 / thebascom.org.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Helena Rose & Joey Brown (Americana/bluegrass) Aug. 20 and Brian Ashley Jones & Melanie Jean (Americana) Aug. 27. All shows begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranchevents/live-music.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host Bob Zullo (guitar/vocals) 7:15 p.m. Aug. 29 ($10 cover). The kitchen and wine bar open at 4 p.m. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Orchard Sessions” with The Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) Aug. 13 and Martin & Kelly Sept. 10. All
Holton returns to Meadowlark
Regional blues/folk singer-songwriter Heidi Holton will perform at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Meadowlark Motel in Maggie Valley.
Holton is turning heads with her unique take on one of America’s oldest popular musical traditions: the blues. She began young, leaving Murphy to play in rock bands in Athens, Georgia, and New Orleans, Louisiana, before the blues called and she answered. She studied under the great Jorma Kaukonen (Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna) and then disappeared to Alaska’s arctic interior to perfect her craft. Since then, Holton has moved back to Murphy and is touring around the country.
The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.926.1717 or visit meadowlarkmotel.com.
shows begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $50 per person, with discounts rates available for hotel guests and members. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com/orchardsessions.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host “World Drum Classes” every Friday at 2:30 p.m. (adults) and 4 p.m. (family friendly, all ages) and “Waynesville Acoustic Guitar Group” 2-4 p.m. every second and fourth Saturday of the month. Free and open to the public. 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.
• Friday Night Live Concert Series (Highlands) will host Shane Lane Trio & Lane Brothers Aug. 15 and Spare Parts Bluegrass Band (Americana/bluegrass) Aug. 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. highlandschamber.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Hammock Theory Band Aug. 15, Somebody’s
Child (Americana) Aug. 16, Mike Hollon (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m. Aug. 17, George Trouble & The Zealots Aug. 22, Watkins (Americana/folk) Aug. 23 and Marley’s Chain 3 p.m. Aug. 24. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Corey Stevenson (singer-songwriter) Aug. 13, The James Gang Aug. 14, Dillon & Company Aug. 15, Rock Holler Aug. 16, Kody Paul (singer-songwriter) Aug. 20, Dillon & Company Aug. 21, Charles Walker Band Aug. 22, Young Mountain Magic Aug. 23 and The Alamo Band Aug. 24. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic with Phil” on Wednesdays, Andrew Danner (singer-songwriter) Aug. 16 and Shane Meade (singer-songwriter) Aug. 23. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless
Heidi Holton. File photo
HCB will play Lake Junaluska Aug. 17. File photo
File photo
On the beat
‘An Appalachian Evening’
The “An Appalachian Evening” series will continue with a performance by Americana/bluegrass outfit Appalachian Smoke at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, in Lynn L. Shields Auditorium at the Stecoah Valley Center in Robbinsville.
Appalachian Smoke is a contemporary bluegrass band grounded in the corners of North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. Its independent release, “Colder Side of Love,” was reviewed in Bluegrass Today, acknowledging their talented songwriting, melodic arrangements and smooth vocal harmonies.
According to Bluegrass Today, Appalachian Smoke brings an “edgy, modern sound” to bluegrass music and “if they stick to this formula, we will be hearing about Appalachian Smoke for a long time.”
The annual summer concert series offers an ever-changing schedule of bluegrass, folk and old-time mountain music by awardwinning artists — quality entertainment for the entire family. Rich in cultural heritage, the series continues to be a favorite with locals and visitors alike. The concert will be held in the airconditioned Lynn L. Shields Auditorium.
Tickets are $20 for adults, $10 for students grade K-12. Dinner will also be available for purchase in the Schoolhouse Cafe starting at 6 p.m.aFor more information and/or to purchase tickets, call 828.479.3364 or visit stecoahvalleycenter.com.
otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678/ innovation-brewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host Bryan & Al (soft rock/oldies) Aug. 15, Blue Jazz (blues/ jazz) Aug. 16 and Cody Marlowe Trio (rock/ country) Aug. 23. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 6:30 p.m. Mondays, Blue Jazz (blues/ jazz) Aug. 15 and Cody Marlowe Trio (rock/ country) Aug. 22. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Listening Room (Franklin) will host Al Scortino (singer-songwriter) 6:30 p.m. Aug. 16. Suggested donation $20 (no one turned away). Located at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship. robby.concerts@gmail.com
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host a “Community Jam” from 6-7:30 p.m. each first and third Thursday of the month. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host a “Bluegrass Jam” 5-7 p.m. Sundays, Ramblin’ Ricky Tate (Americana/folk) Aug. 14, Heidi Holton (blues/folk) Aug. 16, Amos
Jackson (soul/funk) Aug. 21 and Len Graham (Americana) Aug. 23. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1717 / meadowlarkmotel.com.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host “Karaoke” 7 p.m. Wednesdays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Mic” 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Michael Kitchens (singersongwriter) Aug. 15, George James (singer-songwriter) Aug. 16, R.A. Nightingale (singer-songwriter) Aug. 29 and David (singer-songwriter) Aug. 30. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host Bobby G (Americana/blues) Aug. 14, Flat Lincoln Aug. 16, Jenny & The Weezels 2 p.m. Aug. 17, Meschiya Lake (Americana) Aug. 21, Jon Cox & Ginny McAfee Aug. 23 and Scott & Jennie (Celtic) 2 p.m. Aug. 24. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host Jamie Rasso (singer-songwriter) 6 p.m. Aug. 15, Harvest String Duo 4 p.m. Aug. 17, Alton Land Band 6 p.m. Aug. 22, Madison Owenby (singer-songwriter) 5 p.m. Aug. 23 and Generations 4 p.m. Aug. 24. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Creedence Revived 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16 and “The Man in Black” (Johnny Cash tribute/country) 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Stecoah Valley Center (Robbinsville) will host a Community Jam 5:307:30 p.m. every third Thursday of the month (free), Appalachian Smoke (Americana/bluegrass) 7:30 p.m. Aug. 16 (adults $20, students/kids $10) and Liam Purcell & Cane Mill Road (Americana/bluegrass) 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23 (adults $25, students/kids $10). 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Co. (Waynesville) will host Spiro Nicolopoulos Blues Apocalypse (rock/blues) 2 p.m. Aug. 16, Amos Jackson (R&B/soul) 6 p.m. Aug. 22 and Watkins (Americana/folk) 2 p.m. Aug. 24. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 / valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Vineyard At High Holly (Scaly Mountain) will host Zorki (singersongwriter) 3 p.m. Aug. 15, Jordan Denton (singer-songwriter) Aug. 17 Rail Town 3 p.m. Aug. 22 and Rail Town 2 p.m. Aug. 24. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.482.5573 / thevineyardathighholly.com.
• Find more at smokymountainnews.com/arts
On the stage
HART presents ‘The Cake’
A special stage production of “The Cake” will be held at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 1516, 22-23, 28-30 and 2 p.m. Aug. 17, 24, 31 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
Whiteside gets the blues
Americana/folk singer-songwriter Woolybooger will hit the stage at 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 15, at Whiteside Brewing in Cashiers.
Dubbed “music to grow your hair out to,” the Murphy musician, whose real name is Gavin Graves, is well-regarded in this region for his mix of blues and roots music into a unique Southern Appalachian tone. The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.743.6000 or visit whitesidebrewing.com.
The show is a tender, thought-provoking comedy about a small-town baker whose beliefs are tested when she’s asked to bake a wedding cake for a same-sex couple.
Tickets start at $19 with seating upgrades and discounts for seniors/students available. For more information, call the box office at 828.456.6322 or visit harttheatre.org.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. For tickets, go to caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. mountaintheatre.com / 828.526.9047.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. smokymountainarts.com / 866.273.4615.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
‘The Cake’ will be at HART on select dates. File photo
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “An Evening of Appalachian Tales: Scrubs on Stage” 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. thepeacocknc.org / 828.389.ARTS.
Woolybooger. File photo
Appalachian Smoke will play Stecoah Aug. 16. File photo
Mountaintop Art & Craft Show
The Mountaintop Art & Craft Show will be held Aug. 23-24 at Kelsey-Hutchinson Park in downtown Highlands.
The annual event is a two-day, two-weekend gathering that brings over 120 artisans from the region to Highlands for demonstrations, fine art, crafts and live entertainment. Organized by Mountaintop Rotary Club of Highlands.
For more information and a full schedule of events, visit highlandsartshow.com.
On the table
• “Rivers & Brews” small town craft brewers festival will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Nantahala Outdoor Center in the Nantahala Gorge. Live music, food and craft beer. For more information, a full schedule of events and ticket pricing, go to noc.com/events/rivers-and-brews.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Wind Down Wine Flight” 6 p.m. Thursdays. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have its wine bar open 4-8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held starting at 4 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s
On the wall
Open call for art grants
The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville is now accepting applications for the 2025-2026 Grassroots Arts Program (GAP) grants.
Applications are open through Sept. 5. Local nonprofit arts organizations and arts programs are encouraged to apply. This grant opportunity is not open to individuals.
Established in 1977 by the North Carolina Arts Council, the GAP program supports both programming and general operations for arts groups across the state. In Haywood County, this funding opportunity is made possible through a partnership between the Haywood County Arts Council and the NC Arts Council. Grant awards typically range from $500 to $5,000.
Eligible expenses include costs related to artistic programming such as artist fees, publicity, musical performances and equipment rental. Operating support can
Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.
ALSO:
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturdays at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. 828.538.0420.
• “Uncorked: Wine & Rail Pairing Experience” will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on select dates at the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad in Bryson City. Full service all-adult first class car. Wine pairings with a meal, and more. There will also be a special “Beer Train” on select dates. 800.872.4681 / gsmr.com.
also be covered, including rent, utilities, staff salaries, office supplies and smallscale capital improvements. In 2024, eight local arts nonprofits received a combined $26,023 in GAP funding through HCAC.
Please note, all grant recipients must provide a 1:1 cash match for the amount awarded. A list of these matching funds is required and must be included in the final grant report.
Applications will be evaluated by a panel using eight review criteria: completeness, feasibility, organizational health, community accessibility, alignment with arts and culture, multicultural relevance, regional impact and artistic merit. No matching funds are required for this grant.
The submission deadline is Sept. 5, with funding decisions announced in late September or early October. Funds will be distributed in October and supported projects should be completed by June 30, 2026. To apply and learn more about eligibility, visit haywoodarts.org/grants-funding.
The Mountaintop show returns to Highlands Aug. 23-24. File photo
Local artists install new public sculpture
Earlier this summer, two Western North Carolina artists completed and installed a new public sculpture at a park in Virginia.
Metalsmith William Rogers designed the work and created steel elements that support hammered copper panels made by Nathan Bush. The two have worked before, designing and building collaborative sculptures for the Cherokee Indian Hospital and the Stecoah Valley Art Center.
The iron and copper sculpture, titled “Forest Shelter” — “Inage Galtsodv” in Cherokee — is now permanently installed at the High Knob Destination Center in Norton, Virginia. The sculpture is part of the Forest Botanicals Region Living Monument, which seeks to highlight the cultural, historical, ecological, and economic significance of Central Appalachia’s story of native medicinal herbs and forest foods.
The sculpture is a celebration of the relationships that Appalachian people have long held with forest botanicals. “Forest Shelter” is a forged iron archway holding four copper panels, each depicting a plant used in traditional Cherokee medicine.
Funded by Monuments Across Appalachian, the artist team was selected through a competitive application process early in 2024.
“All of the sculptors who applied were incredibly talented, but what made Rogers’ and Bush’s art stand out was the deep connection their craft holds to the history of the Forest Botanicals Region of Central Appalachia,” said Virginia Tech Sociology Professor Shannon Bell,
who is the director of the monument project. “Our leadership team and advisory board thought that working with these artists would not only lead to a beautiful sculpture, but it could also add another layer of storytelling to the monument so that visitors could learn more about Indigenous cultures and traditions in the Appalachian region.”
The sculpture team of Rogers and Bush is revitalizing Cherokee copper craft, a tradition that is thousands of years old. Long before colonization, Cherokee people and other Indigenous groups mined copper and hammered the metal into sheets with stones. They created many items from this hammered copper, including tools, cooking utensils, arrow points and jewelry.
Rogers and Bush first met a decade ago, when Rogers began teaching copper workshops for Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians tribal citizens through a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services to revitalize metalworking on the Qualla Boundary.
Rogers, who has received numerous awards and fellowships for excellence in creativity and craftsmanship, has always enjoyed teaching and mentorship. He has also created sculptures for Tuscola High School, Smokey Mountain Elementary and Cherokee Central Schools.
Describing his first visit to Rogers’ metal studio in Cullowhee, Bush recalled, “I was inspired by the history that we were learning from William — overwhelming inspiration. I wanted to do whatever I could to bring back a tradition that was no longer being practiced in Cherokee. That was the reason I got into copper.”
• “Chiaroscuro,” the latest exhibition at the Haywood County Arts County, will run through Sept. 1 at HCAC’s Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville. The showcase highlights the bold use of light and shadow to create depth, mood and movement in art. Free and open to the public. For more information, visit haywoodarts.org.
• “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop,” is now on display at the Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee. On view through May 2026, the exhibition features works handcrafted by students during an intensive three-month workshop. For more information, visit motcp.org.
ALSO:
• WNC Paint Events will host painting sessions throughout the region on select dates. For more information and/or to sign up, visit wncpaint.events.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host “ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied. Participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share. Ages 16 and up. Space limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring,
mixed media, acrylic painting and more. 828.283.0523 / cre828.com.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. 517.881.0959 / galleryzella.com.
• Waynesville Photography Club meets at 7 p.m. every third Monday each month on the second floor of the Haywood Regional Health & Fitness Center in Clyde. The club is a nonprofit organization that exists for the enjoyment of photography and the improvement of one’s skills. waynesvillephotoclub@charter.net.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.452.0593 / haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.631.0271 / jcgep.org.
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. 828.339.4000 / southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters in Dillsboro will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. 828.586.2248 / dogwoodcrafters.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org.
‘Forest Shelter’ is a sculpture by William Rogers and Nathan Bush. Donated photo
Tolstoy’s short stories are worth a read
Recently, I read an article about a Tolstoy short story. Curious if I had it, I pulled out Tolstoy’s, “Master and Man and Other Stories” (Penguin Classics, 2005, 293 pages) and found it. It was very short so I finished it in one sitting and moved on to the next story. For the rest of the week I couldn’t put it down. Each story in it seemed to top the previous one and their simple, spiritual tone was moving, beautiful and captivating. While there is much depth and meaning to Tolstoy’s writing, it remains straightforward and clear. This compilation is a testament to the fact that classics are not just for classrooms, they’re for everyday use.
that evening, for fear someone else may try to slip in and make the land purchase before he arrives.
They set off, but the weather worsens and they find themselves lost in a blizzard. Eventually they stumble upon a town (in the
The article that prompted it all focused on the story, “How Much Land Does A Man Need?” Here Tolstoy examines a timeless trait of man: the temptation of never having enough. It starts out almost reminiscent of the old children’s tale about the town mouse and the country mouse. A sister married to a rich city man is visiting her younger sister who’s married to a country peasant. She boasts of her life and all its fineries in the city. Her sister challenges her: that for all her luxuries, they come with more risk and more stress. They bicker until the younger sister’s husband, Pakhom, chimes in claiming that the country life is indeed more sensible, and in fact, that if only he had enough land, he’d fear no one — not even the Devil. Unbeknownst to any of them, the Devil was eavesdropping and decides to take Pakhom up on his boast. From there we follow Pakhom and what happens when someone decides to relentlessly pursue more and more goods without satisfaction.
“Master and Man” is the next story I read of this collection since it was in the title. And after reading it, I understood why it got front and center. Late at night during a Russian winter, the landowner, Vasily Andreich, takes one of his peasants, Nikita, with him on a short journey by sleigh. Vasily has a business deal he needs to finalize. He’s proud of all the wealth he’s accumulated in his life and commends himself for his business savvy. Reflecting on this while his wife pleads with him to wait until morning, he grows more determined to complete the deal
opposite direction they were heading) and they take a break there. Nikita wants to remain and suggests it, but Vasily wants to continue. As they persist on their journey, we are given a striking impression of the social differences between the two, but also of the humanity that they share. I was surprised at how quickly and strongly my emotions grew in reaction to the characters. Tolstoy has a masterful way of making his characters come alive, and even develop, in such a short amount of space. His skill is also illustrated in the unexpected and beautiful ending.
The last story I’ll point out is my person-
al favorite: “What Men Live By.” The shoemaker, Semyon, is dirt poor. Married with children, he and his family live in a peasant’s cottage and they try to make do with what little they have. The couple has only one winter coat which they shared between them and so one winter, after two years of saving up, Semyon sets out to purchase sheepskins for a new coat. He has some of the money already but plans to pick up the rest from what he’s owed by a few debtors along the way. Unfortunately, they don’t have it and so by the time he reaches town, he realizes he doesn’t have enough. So he gets a small glass of vodka instead and heads home.
On his way he notices a man, half naked in the snow by the church. Alarmed he hides behind the building and glances back at him, nervous and about to leave. But then he becomes overwhelmed with pity and shame for having almost left a man by himself in the cold unclothed. So he lends the man his old, tattered coat and brings him back home to his house. From there I’ll let you read on your own how his wife reacts to this situation and how the man becomes a part of their life.
Russian literature is heavy, long and intimidating. But it’s one of the best in my opinion. For those of you who have wanted to dip into this treasury of literary gems but have found it daunting, this short story collection is a great place to start. Short and simple, but packed with this literature’s classic Russian spirituality and snapshots of humanity, these stories can be a launching pad into more novels and stories like it.
(Anna Barren is a teacher and lifelong lover of books. annab4376@gmail.com.)
Upcoming readings at City Lights
The following events will be held at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
• Mountain Word Writers Group will read selected works at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 16. The group, meeting weekly since January 2023, includes Louise Runyon, Erin Smith, Jim Howe, Mae Miner and Scott Cornwell. This year’s readings explore family history, art and science, hospice reflections, a plumber’s career change and children approaching war. The group is full but open by invitation; email sylvawriters@gmail.com.
• C.L. Willis will discuss his memoir, “Hillbilly Odyssey: Resilience in a Small Mountain Mill Town,” with Tom Rash at 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16. The book celebrates Appalachian resilience, community and spirit, countering negative stereotypes. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.586.9499 or visit citylightsnc.com.
Armadillos make a home in the Smokies
Wdigging habits and pattern of giving birth to identical quadruplets, ninebanded armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus) are full of quirks. These solitary creatures are skilled burrowers and surprisingly adaptable — so much so that they’ve expanded their
and Environmental Science at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In fact, they have been expanding through the states for a long time.
Native to South and Central America, nine-banded armadillos — named for the
There is a “funky history” to the distribution of armadillos, said Tim J. Gaudin, a University of Chattanooga Foundation profes-
Southeastern states during the Ice Age before disappearing and retreating back into Central America. Around the 1850s, armadillos reap-
them to Florida. As populations expanded from Florida and Texas, the two groups eventually converged in Georgia during the 1980s. Since then, their range has continued to grow steadily — by 2007, they had reached middle and eastern Tennessee. Though about 20 armadillo species exist worldwide, the nine-banded armadillo is the only one found in the United States.
“Normally,
“Armadillos change their activity pattern,” warm, they’re out at night almost exclusively. But in the winter, they start coming out during the day when it’s warmer. They appear, as with many things, to be very adaptable and to figure out ways to deal with the cold.”
when we get a new invasive or exotic species, it’s because it has been moved accidentally from its native range into a new habitat. Armadillos are different though since they’re probably not being moved by people.”
Director
Despite long-held beliefs that armadillos are strictly warmweather animals, their expansion tells a different story. Since armadillos were first spotted in Great Smoky Mountains National Park in 2019, nine armadillo sightings have been reported in the park through iNaturalist, an app park visitors can use to document plant and wildlife observations. These sightings occurred at locations such as Cades Cove, Tremont and Smokemont, as well as high-elevation areas like Kuwohi and Newfound Gap, where the average January day sees a low of about 22 degrees. Five of these nine observations were of dead animals, mostly found along roadways.
Historically, scientists believed that
Will
Kuhn
of science and research, Discover Life in America
As armadillos continue expanding into areas experts hadn’t anticipated, some people see them as an invasive species. However, this perception could do more harm than good, and affect how these animals are perceived and treated.
“I think by them having the invasive label attached to them, it tends to make people just want to shoot them and not try to understand them,” Gaudin said. Though armadillos are establishing themselves in places they had not previously existed, classifying them as ‘invasive’ may not be entirely correct.
“Normally, when we get a new invasive or exotic species, it’s because it has been moved accidentally from its native range into a new habitat,” said Will Kuhn, director of science and research for park partner Discover Life in America, which works to document all forms of life found in the F
The nine-banded armadillo is an extremely adaptable creature that prefers warm, wet climates and can live in either forests or grasslands. Public domain photo
Citizen science observations like this one submitted to researcher Tim J. Gaudin have been key to documenting the northern expansion of the nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus). Keegan Smith photo
Smokies. “Armadillos are different though since they’re probably not being moved by people.”
Their presence in Great Smoky Mountains National Park does raise questions about their overall impact.
“It’s possible that as their numbers grow, they could cause rooting damage similar to the truly invasive European hogs in the park, but it’s too early to tell what kind of major effects they will have — if any — on the Smokies ecosystem,” said Kuhn.
A common concern relates to how armadillos will affect other animals in the region, potentially becoming a competitor with certain mammals like spotted skunks. Their burrowing, while having the potential to improve soil health, can also damage lawns, gardens, and any other area that has moist soil. However, armadillos have remained relatively understudied throughout the years, and much remains unknown. Even basic information about how they might affect their new environments is missing from the body of research.
visitors to document every species within the park. The nine-banded armadillo is also on DLiA’s Smokies Most Wanted list, an initiative within the ATBI that invites park visitors to help submit observations of specific species for which more information is needed. Through these efforts, DLiA plays a key role in tracking the armadillo’s expansion into the region and providing valuable data to better understand these animals.
Over the past decade, the armadillo’s rate of expansion has doubled, but scientists aren’t sure why. With their adaptability and general indifference to human presence, these animals are more than capable of settling near towns and neighborhoods. As a result, more communities may soon find themselves sharing space with armadillos — and adjusting to the unexpected changes that come with them.
“I’d like to see money spent on figuring out what they’re doing, what their role in the ecosystem is,” Gaudin said. “They’re not invasive in the classic sense. We didn’t bring them in there — they
“The traditional way that people who study mammals study them is they set out traps and they capture them,” Gaudin said. “It turns out it’s really hard to trap armadillos because they feed on stuff in the soil. Usually, the way we get animals into traps is by using bait, but armadillos don’t really seem to go for bait because you can’t put a pile of live bugs in a trap — the bugs would run away.”
As a result, researchers are turning to motion-activated cameras placed in areas where armadillos are likely to appear. These tools allow scientists to observe them in their natural habitats and steadily expanding range—which now includes parts of the Smokies. Their appearance in the Smokies has been documented through Discover Life in America and iNaturalist users. DLiA is best known for coordinating the Smokies All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory — a massive, ongoing collaborative project between scientists and park
brought themselves in. And we still don’t really know why they’re doing so well and are spreading much faster than they used to. There’s a lot to learn about them.”
See an armadillo? If you’re able, snap a photo and upload it to iNaturalist to help scientists better understand these mysterious creatures. However, use caution. If startled, armadillos may jump up to three feet vertically in the air and have been known to break teeth and noses in the process. In rare cases, they may also carry leprosy. Avoid touching armadillos or approaching them too closely.
(Hannah Early is a writing intern for the 29,000-member Smokies Life, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services such as this column. Learn more at smokieslife.org.)
Join Franklin Bird club for Macon County walks
The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.
The public is welcome. All walks are weather dependent. Additional information, including
directions to each location and a bird club check list can be found at littletennessee.org/franklinbird-club.
Schedule for upcoming walks:
• Aug. 20, meet at the Macon County Library parking lot
• Aug. 27, meet at Big Bear parking lot
• Sept. 3, meet at Saladi Lane parking lot
• Sept. 10, meet at the Macon County Public Library parking lot
Tim J. Gaudin, a mammalogist and professor at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, holds a golden mouse (Ochrotomys nuttalli) while he gives a presentation during the 2024 Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage in Gatlinburg.
Christopher G. Brown, Georgia Gwinnett College photo
Crews work toward expedited repair of Newfound Gap Road
The National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration continue to work toward emergency repairs for U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road following the Aug. 1 washout and landslide. The agencies plan to award a contract in August and expect that construction will be complete in early October.
Representatives from the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and Sevier County (the Cities of Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge and Sevierville and the Sevier County Government) visited the landslide site with Great Smoky Mountains National Park leadership to learn more about the road damage and next steps.
Late on Aug. 1, the park responded to reports of a road washout and landslide event on Newfound Gap Road between mile marker 12 and 13 on the Tennessee side of the park (south of
Alum Cave trailhead). That evening, the area around Walker Camp Prong experienced over 2 inches of rain in just two hours, leading to the swollen creek that undermined a section of the roadway. The affected area spans approximately 125 feet and has significantly undercut nearly the entire width of the southbound lane.
On the morning of Aug. 2, NPS and FWHA engineers visited the slide and immediately began project scoping. Both agencies are quickly working to complete the required steps of the design, permitting and contracting processes for construction.
NPS reopened U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road on the North Carolina side of the park from Oconaluftee to Newfound Gap on Aug. 3. Many visitors have taken advantage of the partial reopening which allows access to Newfound Gap Overlook, Kuwohi and other points of interest. Visitors are reminded to follow detour and closure signs for their own safety.
Visitors may need to adjust their travel plans due to the closure of U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road between Sugarlands and Newfound Gap. However, there is still plenty to explore and enjoy in the Smokies. On the Tennessee side of the park, consider exploring areas like Cosby and Greenbrier for hiking, or take in the scenic views from Foothills Parkway.
Parking areas at popular trailheads may be especially busy while U.S. 441/Newfound Gap Road is partially closed. Consider taking a shuttle to your destination: go.nps.gov/GRSMShuttles. Visit the park website to explore many options that don’t require travel on this section of Newfound Gap Road: nps.gov/grsm/planyourvisit/index.htm.
Girls on the Run welcomes new executive director
Girls on the Run of Western North Carolina (GOTR WNC) announced the appointment of Stacie Marlowe as its executive director. A Henderson County native and long-time advocate for youth development, Marlowe steps into the role with a passion for empowering girls and a strong background in youth development programming and nonprofit leadership.
Girls on the Run is more than an after-school program. It’s a movement — teaching 3rd through 8th grade girls how to build confidence, stand up for themselves and others, and find joy in movement. The program pairs running with intentional life skills lessons, culminating each season with a community impact project and a celebratory 5K. This fall’s 5K will take place on Nov. 23 at Tanger Outlets in Asheville with registration opening Aug. 8.
With Marlowe at the helm, GOTR WNC looks ahead with energy and vision, committed to growing access, deepening community roots, and continuing to inspire the next generation of strong, compassionate leaders.
Girls on the Run’s mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident using a fun, experiencebased curriculum which creatively integrates running. With a focus on building valuable life skills while incorporating running as a physical component to catalyze life lessons, the program is non-competitive and structured around individual growth and goals.
Girls on the Run Western North Carolina is a 501(c)3 organization founded in 2002, serving 14 WNC counties and the Qualla Boundary.
For more information on starting a team, volunteering or supporting Girls on the Run, contact Stacie Marlowe at stacie.marlowe@girlsontherun.org or call 828.713.4290. gotrwnc.org.
Stacie Marlowe, a Hendersonville native, is GOTR WNC’s new director. GOTR WNC photo
Donated photo
Oil Change
Up Moses Creek
BY B URT KORNEGAY
There’s a mountain world up Moses Creek, and I don’t love to leave it. Outdoors, steep wild ridgelines form the horizon, with deep forests, clean air and clear streams tumbling down the slopes. Close to the house are Becky’s beds of flowers, all a-flutter with butterflies, birds and bees. There’s a small pond we cool off in when summer days are hot. Indoors, there’s a woodstove for when winter days are not — along with books to read and spring water in the tap.
So how could I forget Aug. 13, 2019, when the little red wrench on the dash of my Ridgeline lit up? Like a monkey wrench thrown into the works, it told me it was time to service the truck. That meant a trip to the nearest dealership, Apple Tree Honda. It’s on Underwood Road in Fletcher, far away.
Now, “Underwood” might conjure up the image of a shady byway, and “Apple Tree” may bring to mind the orchards that were farmed around Fletcher once, but when I turned into Honda’s new white superstore, the only apple tree in view was a stylized painting of one over the entrance to the used-car part of the complex, with three glossy red apples dangling from it. Otherwise, shopping centers, offices, gas stations, motels, apartments and restaurants dominated the land as far as I could see, bounded by I-26 and the Asheville Airport.
Told the wait time was two hours, I decided to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel. It’s about a 10-minute walk away. But because sidewalks were a low priority during the recent building frenzy, to “walk” there meant balancing on curbs as traffic blew past and weaving through busy parking lots.
Midway I came to Airport Road, its many lanes bursting at the seams with traffic. For pedestrians — and I appeared to be it that morning — there was a crosswalk light. I pressed the button, and, after the traffic lights turned red, the small white image of a walker lit up on the far side of the highway. He was striding forward, as if to say, “You can make it!” I’d no sooner stepped off the curb, however, than I saw walker white switch to a flashing red palm warning me I had 22 seconds — and counting down. As I crossed the paved expanse
between walls of braked traffic, I sensed that inside every vehicle there were eyes fixed not on me but on the red lights overhead, and a foot was poised above a gas pedal, and both eyes and feet were wired together in a brain set to go on green.
Cracker Barrel was almost in sight when I came to two helmeted construction workers sitting in the shade of a maple tree looking at their phones. Beyond them a bulldozer, a dirt-compactor and a front-end loader were noisily flattening an orchard-sized dirt pad. And nearest to the men there was a big yellow trackhoe at work. It was the trackhoe that caught my eye.
tense, then watched as it ripped the stump out of the ground. Wads of clay were clinging to the roots. The T-Hoe shook the stump violently, making the dirt fly — just the way a dog shakes a rabbit it’s caught to make sure it is dead. It lifted the stump high, dropped it, picked it back up, shook it, dropped it again. Then, proud predator, it carried the naked thing to a truck piled high with other stumps, their roots dangling like skeletal limbs.
Breakfast over, I was sitting in one of Cracker Barrel’s rocking chairs out front letting my meal settle before the walk back to Apple Tree when a gun-metal gray pickup with a loud diesel rattle pulled into a handicapped parking spot in front of the restaurant entrance. It had “XLT F250” and “6.7L POWER STROKE” in shiny chrome on its body. “4X4” was painted large across its side panel. The 4's were black, the X blood red. Stamped in recessed caps on the hood was SUPER DUTY. And below that, centered on
You can make it!
emerged from such an impressive carriage, drawn by hundreds of horses, would have to be impressive, too, a sun-like deus ex machina, and not everyday people in casual modern dress. But I could also see how such a machine would bestow a feeling of power on anyone who rode inside — super power, with a touch of class.
I was still in my rocking chair when the four came back out. The woman got in the cab, while the men stood around smoking. The truck was smoking, too. Then the woman got out complaining that the air conditioner was pulling in their fumes, so the men walked off a few steps. The woman reached back into the cab and lifted out a poodle the same gray color as the truck. Its fur was styled, and it was dolled up with a pink harness studded with sequins. It had a pink leash. The two walked over to a grass median, where the dog squatted. Then they got back in the truck.
The men followed, each taking one last pull before flicking his butt away. As he hoisted himself up, the driver gave me a long look.
a praying mantis and a Tyrannosaurus rex. Mantis-like, it had a rigid exoskeleton powered by an inner hydraulic life, and when it uncurled its jointed arm from the “prayer position,” it looked like a mantis about to grasp its prey. But its arm did not end in the spiny, clasping foreleg of a mantis. Instead, it was attached to a boxy reptilian head with a mouth full of big teeth. The upper jaw was large and cavernous, the lower one shovellike — like a T Rex. It was a TyrannoHoe. Opening wide, the T-Hoe clamped its jaws around a sawed-off tree stump and started wrenching it back and forth in its hole. I heard the machine rev up, saw it
$2 million for EV chargers awarded through Volkswagen Settlement funds
The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Air Quality is awarding another $1.91 million for new public electric vehicle chargers across North Carolina, filling gaps in the state’s charging network along highways and in rural communities. Awards from the Community and Destination Zero-Emission
and a woman got out. They had to use the running boards to reach the ground. With their round faces and stocky builds, I thought they’d have fit in with the revelers in Bruegel’s painting “The Peasant Dance.” The four didn’t dance, but they did stretch, as if they’d been on the road for a while. Then they walked into the restaurant.
That’s when I realized they’d left the truck running. Poised on its aggressive tires, the truck seemed to be growling to other vehicles that ventured close, “Stand back.”
To look at it, you’d think that any being who
Vehicle Infrastructure Program will support the installation of 25 new DC Fast charging ports at 13 sites, including state parks, shopping centers, gas stations, town centers and hotels. A full list of awards is online.
These projects will prevent more than 657 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere and will also avoid 125 pounds of nitrogen oxide emissions and 1,191 pounds of volatile organic compound emissions — air pollution that harms the climate and public health.
Most of the funding was awarded to projects in rural counties, and many projects are powered in full through Renewable Energy Credits, certificates that verify that electricity was generated from
The truck backed out, breathing deeply now, ready for highway combat. When it shouldered its way out of the lot, I saw a pile of luggage in the bed. And it had a pink suitcase on top — the poodle’s, probably. The blue Ford oval on the tailgate flashed in the sun.
Walking back to Apple Tree, I came to the same two workers at the construction site. They were still sitting in the shade with their phones. But now they were in different shade, under a different tree. All that was left of the first tree they had been under was a gaping red clay hole! The men had moved over to the shade of the last tree standing. Then I saw the T-Hoe behind them. It was bent over something, worrying it, making sure it was dead.
I asked the men what was going to be built. One said a motel. There’s already a Courtyard, a Clarion, a Fairfield, a Hampton, a Comfort, a Wingate, a Holiday and a Budget, I thought, looking around. “What kind of motel is it going be?” He shrugged, said he didn't know, he just moved dirt. Nodding toward a steel frame going up in the distance, the other man said with hunger in his voice that he wished it was finished. Popeyes was on the rise. Back at Airport Road, with traffic surging past, I pushed the crosswalk button. I had 22 seconds.
(Burt and Becky Kornegay live in Jackson County. “Up Moses Creek” comes out the second week of each month.)
renewable sources such as wind, solar and hydro power. The funding comes from the state’s $92 million share of a national settlement with Volkswagen. After distributing most of the funds across two phases of grants, DEQ is allocating unspent funds from canceled projects into this new grant opportunity. DEQ does not anticipate having any additional funds from the Volkswagen Settlement to distribute.
DEQ awarded 15% of its settlement funds — the maximum allowed by the trust agreement — toward electric vehicle infrastructure projects in the state. Other grants supported clean vehicle replacements, including all-electric school buses and transit buses.
Burt Kornegay photo
Market PLACE WNC
MarketPlace information:
The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!
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• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)
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Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com
NOTICE OF SERVICE OF PROCESS BY PUBLICATION STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA JACKSON COUNTY
IN THE MATTER OF JOYCE WEBER VS. OSCAR MUNOZ HUIZACHE TO: OSCAR MUNOZ HUIZACHE
FILE NO. 25CV000199490
TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you
above-referenced actions. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows: Breach of Contract, Negligence, Unjust Enrichment, Damages, and Attorney’s Fees.
Filed: March 14, 2025, in Jackson County, North Carolina
You are required to make a defense to such pleading no
later than September 19, 2025 and upon your failure to do so the party seeking service against you, will apply to the Court for the relief sought. This, the 31st day of July, 2025.
Danya N. Ledford, Attorney for Plaintiff 854 N. Main St. Waynesville, NC 28785 828-452-5522
NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE RESALE STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF HAYWOOD IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE SUPERIOR COURT DIVISION BEFORE THE CLERK 24SP000005-430 IN THE MATTER OF THE FORECLOSURE OF A DEED OF TRUST from MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. and wife, TERRALENE ROBINSON to GENERAL AMERICAN CORP., Trustee, dated JANUARY 16, 2003,
recorded in BOOK 546, PAGE 212; REFORMED MARCH 6, 2023, and recorded APRIL 20, 2023, in BOOK 1084, PAGE 2166, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY
Pursuant to an order entered March 26, 2024, in the Superior Court for Haywood County, and the power of sale contained in the captioned Deed of Trust (the “Deed of Trust”), the Substitute Trustee will offer for sale at auction (the “Sale”), to the highest bidder for cash on:
AUGUST 25, 2025, AT 10:00 A.M. HAYWOOD COUNTY COURTHOUSE 285 NORTH MAIN STREET, WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA the real estate and the improvements thereon secured by the Deed of Trust, less and except any of such property released from the lien of the Deed of Trust prior to the
date of said sale, lying and being in Haywood County, North Carolina, and being more particularly described as follows (the “Property”): TRACT ONE: BEGINNING AT AN IRON PIPE SET AT AN OLD FENCE INTERSECTION POST AT SOUTHWEST CORNER OF RHINEHART TRACT (DEED BOOK 261, PAGE 688, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GREEN TRACT (DEED BOOK 172, PAGE 17, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND RUNS FROM THE BEGINNING POINT THUS ESTABLISHED: S 88-11-20 W, PASSING AN IRON PIPE SET AT 170.85 FEET, A WHOLE DISTANCE OF 178.85 FEET TO THE CENTER OF THICKETY ROAD (S.R. 1513); THENCE WITH THE CENTER OF THICKETY ROAD THREE CALLS AS FOLLOWS: S 23-3726 E 109.74 FEET TO A POINT; S 33-22-40 E 86.90 FEET TO A POINT; AND S 52-32-13 E 99.41 FEET TO A POINT; THENCE LEAVING SAID ROAD AND RUNNING N 02-09-53 E, PASSING AN IRON PIPE FOUND AT 26.33 FEET, A TOTAL DISTANCE OF 235.42 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE N 11-3830 W 4.06 FEET TO THE BEGINNING. CONTAINING 0.605 ACRES, AS PER PLAT AND SURVEY BY L. KEVIN ENSLEY, RLS, DATED 11-8-88, DRAWING NO. A-091-88, AND BEING A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 208, PAGE 534,
HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. ALSO SEE PLAT BOOK A, PAGE 89, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY.
TOGETHER WITH AND SUBJECT TO RIGHT OF WAY FOR STATE ROAD 1513 TO ITS FULL LEGAL WIDTH. BEING THE SAME PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN DEED DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1999, FROM MAX GERRY ROBINSON, SR. (A.K.A. MAX GARY ROBINSON) AND WIFE, JEAN ROBINSON, TO MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. AND RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 475, PAGE 1012, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY.
TRACT TWO: BEGINNING AT AN IRON PIPE SET, SAID IRON PIPE SET BEING S 11-38-30 E 4.06 FEET FROM THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF RHINEHART TRACT (DEED BOOK 261, PAGE 688, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND SOUTHEAST CORNER OF GREEN TRACT (DEED BOOK 172, PAGE 017, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY) AND RUNS THENCE FROM THE BEGINNING POINT THUS ESTABLISHED: S 27-57-09 E 142.65 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE S 42-0211 W 111.66 FEET TO AN IRON PIPE SET; THENCE N 02-09-53 E 209.09 FEET TO THE POINT AND PLACE OF BEGINNING, CONTAINING 0.172 ACRES, AS PER PLAT AND SURVEY BY L. KEVIN ENSLEY, RLS, DATED 11-8-88, DRAWING NO. A-091-88, AND BEING A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN DEED BOOK 396, PAGE 557, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. ALSO SEE PLAT BOOK A, PAGE
89, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY. BEING THE SAME PROPERTY DESCRIBED IN A DEED DATED SEPTEMBER 29, 1999, FROM DEAN ROBINSON AND WIFE, MARY JANE ROBINSON, TO MAX GERRY ROBINSON, JR. AND RECORDED IN DEED BOOK 475, PAGE 1015, HAYWOOD COUNTY REGISTRY.
The record owner of the Property not more than ten (10) days prior to the date hereof is Terralene Robinson. Parcel ID: 8657-19-7736 Unless delayed by other sales held at the same place, the sale will be or as soon thereafter as practicable, but not later than 3 hours after the
Section 45-21.23 of the North Carolina General Statutes.
deposit, or a cash deposit of $750.00, whichever is greater, will be required of the last and highest bidder. The balance of the bid purchase price shall be due in full in cash or
to take place within thirty (30) days of the date of sale. The Substitute Trustee shall convey title to the property by non warranty deed. This sale will be made subject to all prior liens of record, if any, and to all unpaid (ad valorem) taxes and special assessments, if any, which became a lien subsequent to the recordation of the Deed of Trust. This sale will be further subject to the right, if any, of the United States of America to redeem the above-described property for a period of 120 days following the date when has run.
The purchaser of the property described above shall pay the Clerk’s Commissions in the amount of $.45 per $100.00 of the purchase price (up to a maximum amount of $500.00), required by Section 7A-308(a)(1) of the North Carolina General Statutes. If the purchaser of the above-described property is someone
under the Deed of Trust, the purchaser shall also pay, to the extent applicable, the land transfer tax in the amount of one percent (1%) of the purchase price.
To the extent this sale involves residential prop(15) rental units, you are following:
(a) An order for possession of the property may be issued pursuant to Section 45-21.29 of the North Carolina General Statutes in favor of the purchaser and against the party or parties in possession by the clerk of superior court of the county in which the property is sold; and
(b) Any person who occupies the property pursuant to a rental agreement entered into or renewed on or after October 1, 2007, may, after receiving the notice of sale, terminate the rental agreement upon 10 days’ written notice to the landlord. Upon termination of a rental agreement, the tenant is liable for rent due under the rental agreement prorated to the effective date of the termination.
The 7th day of July 2025.
Janeen Miller-Hogue, Substitute Trustee (NCSB No. 23344) The Miller-Hogue Law
Firm, P.C.
1130 Harding Place, Charlotte, North Carolina 28204
704-307-4330 / jmhogue@m-hogue.com
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