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“Sid the Science Kid LIVE: Let’s Play!,” a stage production of the popular PBS Kids television show, will hit the stage at 1 and 4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Soft rock megastars Air Supply will perform at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 24, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
The Haywood Community Band will perform a concert of popular music evoking the heart of America at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 19, in Maggie Valley’s Community Pavilion.
The Catamount spirit will sweep Jackson County for Western Carolina University’s homecoming weekend, including a community pep rally and parade in downtown Sylva.
The Haywood Art Studio Tour will be from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25-26.
To the Editor:
When I read letters to the editor demanding more government spending, it is clear many do not understand what they are asking for. It is a relief to live where the legislature has balanced the budget and lowered taxes. That takes courage, as there will always be those who insist their own area of interest was unfairly ‘attacked’ in the process of bringing spending under control.
This year the legislature passed a large raise for teachers, yet we see some sneering about it. Those wanting more money for teachers should understand that it will come as the state economy improves. That comes by making the state competitive in drawing and keeping businesses. When people have jobs, when businesses are thriving, revenue to the state grows. In spite of an economy just beginning to improve, the legislature made raises for teachers a priority. Remember, it is the previous governor who cut teacher’s pay.
Those who think Medicaid expansion is good are listening to the wrong people. It does not mean a cash bonanza for the state! Ask your doctor what the reimbursement rate is for seeing Medicaid patients and compare it to what you or your insurance company pays. Ask yourself if a growing bureaucracy means quality healthcare, and ask if encouraging more people to depend on the government is better than healthcare provided through a growing economy. We all want to help the needy, but it is kinder and more cost effective to do it without the federal government.
These are some of reasons I support state Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for reelection. Ask yourself if some of the statements printed in letters supporting his opponent could possibly be true. Her website even says the General Assembly has “stolen from the poor and given to the rich.” Please don’t fall for such wild nonsense. Let’s keep North Carolina on the road to an improved economy.
Valerie Niskanen
Otto
To the Editor:
Republican leaders like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, and Rep. Roger West, R-Marble, voted to allow hydraulic fracking without comment from the citizens of North Carolina whose property rights, drinking water, health and liability exposure will be impacted. Even U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., is not opposed.
Local Republican leaders have not opposed fracking when common sense says that fracking — with its toxic chemicals and corroding well casings — will eventually cause major problems for landowners.
Republicans are not stepping up to protect our property rights and instead are allowing compulsory pooling to take your rights away if you do not want fracking on your property.
They also are allowing you to be arrested if you disclose any of the proprietary toxic chemicals used in the wells on your land. This is America with a democracy last time I checked. It is time to send these Republican leaders a message: “go frack yourself,” and then we vote them out of office.
Larry Stenger.
Franklin
To the Editor:
I am a 1953 graduate of Waynesville Township High School, received my undergraduate degree from Furman University and two graduate degrees from schools in Texas.
One of my high school classmates told me recently that his granddaughter has just graduated from Furman University and has a teaching job in South Carolina because she could make $10,000 more a year than teaching in North Carolina. This is another example of how the Republicans are destroying the education system in this state since they have taken control of the governor’s job, Senate and House.
Last year they cut education funds $500 million. Our schools are short on textbooks and teachers are leaving the state and our schools, meaning our children and youth are the losers.
When you go to the polls in November, please vote for our children/youth. Vote Democratic! If you are wondering about fracking, check with Oklahoma and West Texas about the hundreds of earthquakes that are occurring since fracking began.
Vote for the Democratic candidates!
Robert G. Fulbright, Ph.D.
Waynesville
The past four years have been the first in recent memory that Democrats haven’t held a majority on the Jackson County board.
But likewise, Republicans haven’t had the majority either — a point Chairman Jack Debnam is quick to point out, and points out often.
Debnam is an independent, ascribing to neither party. It was a historical anomaly not just in the mountains but the entire state when Debnam won a county commissioner seat as an unaffiliated candidate four years ago.
But he has been criticized by Democrats for really being a conservative at heart — his independent status merely a ruse to help his election chances with a Democratic-heavy electorate.
But in defense, Debnam pointed to his voting record.
“I voted with the Democrats 95 percent of the time. I also voted with the Republicans. That’s because 95 percent of our votes were unanimous,” Debnam said.
Out of 586 votes by county commissioners over the past four years, 95.06 percent of them — to be exact — were unanimous. Only 24 — or 4.1 percent — were split votes.
But Brian McMahan, the Democratic challenger for chairman, questioned that bragging point. Most of the
“Of the 586, most are routine, procedural agenda items that pretty much are non-debatable,” McMahan said.
Things like approving the minutes, ratifying department head reports, approving budget amendments.
“Those are not a Democratic or Republican issue,” McMahan said. “Those that were split votes were of significance. Those 24 represent real issues where there is a difference of opinion.”
Debnam said Jackson is the only county in the state where neither party has the majority on the county board, and he believes it has brought balance.
“A split board has made things better in Jackson County,” he said. “We have done good things with two Democrats, two Republicans and myself.”
Debnam said it isn’t easy to run as an independent. To get on the ballot four years ago and again this time, he has to collect a passel of petition signatures — he gathered 1,100 in all this time.
Running as a team has posed a conundrum for Debnam. On one hand, aligning with the Republican commissioners could hurt his chances. It certainly won’t gain him any Republican votes. There’s no bona fide Republican running for chairman — it’s just Debnam and Democrat Brian McMahan on the ticket — so Debnam is likely the most palatable choice for conservative voters, regardless of official staking himself out with the Republican candidate camp.
But buddying up with Republican running mates could hurt his chances with swing voters and moderates who question how independent Debnam really is if he is running as a team with Republicans.
At the forum, Debnam addressed the apparent incongruity of running as a team with Republicans on the one hand, despite his partisan independence. A split board is in Debnam’s interest. He needs the two Republican commissioners to win to balance out the two sitting Democrats not up for election this time.
Without a split board, Debnam couldn’t lead from the center.
The other two Republicans likewise touted their ability to work with Democrats and avoid split votes.
“Since we are a mixed board of two Democrats and two Republicans and an independent chairman, we have had to work together to get these things done,” Commissioner Doug Cody, a Republican running for re-election, said.
Still, McMahan questions how genuine it is to use the unanimous voting record as a litmus test of cooperation.
“The chair has so strictly controlled the agenda the more controversial votes have been denied access to the agenda in the first place,” McMahan said.
Some issues get decided by majority consensus without having a formal vote, like whether to give the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad a economic development loan. Regardless, the course has been different than it would have been under a Democratic majority.
“This election is about a vision for the future and where we are going,” Democratic challenger Brian McMahan said in his closing remarks. “We are at a crossroads. Now is the time to grab ahold of the reigns and to lay the foundation. We cannot afford to stumble.”
Chip Hall, D, 46
Qualifications: Chief deputy at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department. Twenty-five years at Jackson County Sheriff’s Department in a variety of positions.
Reason to run: “I want to reach out to be active in everything that goes on in our community, to have a relationship with our citizens beyond anything we’ve ever had.”
Philosophy: “Community involvement is the key to a functioning sheriff’s office and a good community response.”
Favorite fruit: apples
Curtis Lambert, R, 44
Qualifications: Former officer at Sylva Police Department. Fourteen years in law enforcement, including service with the Sylva Police Department and Jackson County Sheriff’s Office; former vice president of payroll service.
Reason to run: “I have a combination of law enforcement and business experience, and that’s what it takes nowadays to be an effective sheriff.”
Philosophy: “An effective leader will be someone that will have an open-door policy and an open-department policy to where they’re not trying to hide things that are going on.”
Favorite vacation: history tour of Charleston, S.C.
Democrats
• Kirk Kirkpatrick, a lawyer, has been on the board since 2002 and has been a supporter of recreation.
• Michael Sorrells has been a commissioner for four years and previously served six years on the school board. He is a service station, convenience store and café owner in Jonathan Creek.
• Bill Upton, the retired superintendent of Haywood County Schools, a principal and teacher, has been on the board eight years.
Republicans
• Denny King, a conservative voice in county politics and frequent critic of sitting commissioner’s decisions, previously ran for a commission seat in 2012. He came within 300 votes.
• Phil Wight, owner of a motel in Maggie Valley and Maggie town alderman. Wight has long been involved in Maggie’s controversial breed of politics and a player in the tourism industry.
Libertarian
• Windy McKinney, is a historian and writer with a Master’s Degree in Medieval Studies from the University of Kent, in the United Kingdom. She is the Libertarian Party of Haywood County’s first candidate for county commissioner and feels the area is ready for a candidate who will “change politics as usual.”
Jackson commissioner chairman
• Jack Debnam, the current commissioner chairman and a Realtor. As an unaffiliated candidate, he belongs to neither party.
• Brian McMahan, a Democrat, previously served as commissioner chairman but lost to Debnam in 2010. The 39-year-old chief of security at Balsam Mountain Preserve is now seeking a rematch.
Jackson commissioner: district that spans from Dillsboro to Qualla
• Charles Elders, a Republican and sitting commissioner, is the owner/operator of Elder’s Superette.
• Joe Ward, a Democrat and farmer, is retired from CSX Transportation.
Jackson commissioner: district that includes Sylva and Scotts Creek
• Doug Cody, a Republican and sitting commissioner, has worked in the insurance industry for 29 years.
• Boyce Deitz, a Democrat, is a retired teacher and football coach. He coached former U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler as a high school quarterback, and later went to work for the congressman.
Highlands district, one seat
Republican
• Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will continue to be a great place to live and call home through low taxes, great schools, safe communities and efficient services.” He is president of Tate Landscaping Services, and has served on numerous Highlands town boards.
Democrat
• Michael David Rogers owns a landscaping business. If elected, he plans to focus on attracting business to the area, as well as environmental issues. “I love the mountains and the water and I just don’t like seeing it be trashed out and destroyed.”
Franklin district, two seats
Republican
• Ron Haven, a motel and inn owner and sitting commissioner, said he intends to “keep taxes low” and work to improve the community for future generations. “I’ve got an interest in watching my children grow up and have opportunities in life.”
• Gary Shields, a retired educator and Vietnam veteran, said he feels a sense of “civic responsibility” to his home. “I care, I care about Macon County. If you’ve got the time, the energy and the want-to, you need to be involved.”
Democrat
• Ronnie Beale is a two-term commissioner who previously served as chairman, and is a leader in the NC Association of County Commissioners. He is president of a construction company and previously served on the planning board.
Libertarian
• John Martin is a “semi-retired entrepreneur” who has worked in the insurance and real estate fields. He wants to “facilitate a better tomorrow” through “long-term sustainable growth.” He intends to work to “keep taxes low” and ensure Macon County is “business friendly.”
“Good jobs in Macon County are getting tougher for people to find today and citizens deserve better.”
Highlands district, one seat
Republican
• Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will continue to be a great place to live and call home through low taxes, great schools, safe communities and efficient services.” He is president of Tate Landscaping Services, and has served on numerous Highlands town boards.
Democrat
• Michael David Rogers owns a landscaping business. If elected, he plans to focus on attracting business to the area, as well as environmental issues. “I love the mountains and the water and I just don’t like seeing it be trashed out and destroyed.”
Franklin district, two seats
Republican
• Ron Haven, a motel and inn owner and sitting commissioner, said he intends to “keep taxes low” and work to improve the community for future generations. “I’ve got an interest in watching my children grow up and have opportunities in life.”
• Gary Shields, a retired educator and Vietnam veteran, said he feels a sense of “civic responsibility” to his home. “I care, I care about Macon County. If you’ve got the time, the energy and the want-to, you need to be involved.”
Democrat
• Ronnie Beale is a two-term commissioner who previously served as chairman, and is a leader in the NC Association of County Commissioners. He is president of a construction company and previously served on the planning board.
Libertarian
• John Martin is a “semi-retired entrepreneur” who has worked in the insurance and real estate fields. He wants to “facilitate a better tomorrow” through “long-term sustainable growth.” He intends to work to “keep taxes low” and ensure Macon County is “business friendly.”
“Good jobs in Macon County are getting tougher for people to find today and citizens deserve better.”
Commissioner Democratic candidates
• David Monteith is the longest serving county commissioner with 16 years on the board. Retired Ingle’s market manager and a school bus driver.
• Steve Moon has served for 8 years and is on the board and owns a tire and service shop.
• Ben Bushyhead, a retired department director in Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians government. He narrowly lost in the 2006 election for the county board but won this year.
• Danny Burns, a Pepsi Cola technician, ran as a challenger in the May primary and sailed to victory.
Commissioner Republican candidates
• Carolyn Bair, retired grocery store cashier and fast-food worker.
• Lance Grant II
The Bethel Rural Community Organization was recognized with the Mountain Heritage award at the recent Mountain Heritage Day festival held at Western Carolina University.
The Bethel Rural Community Organization, a nonprofit created “to enhance the quality of rural life in the Bethel Community of Haywood County,” was recognized for fulfilling that mission with farmland and historic preservation initiatives. Producing and offering books, CDs and DVDs — as well as selling art prints of historic sites — the group collects and documents the area’s history.
“We’re very honored that the work we do is recognized,” said Ted Carr of the organization. “Our goal has been recording and preserving history so that our heritage can be shared in the future and told by those who know the stories best.”
A paddle tour of Lake Logan in Haywood County will be held on Sunday, Oct. 19, with Haywood Waterways Association, Lake Logan Episcopal Conference Center and Waynesville Recreation Center.
A workshop and strategy session on making Haywood County a premier road biking destination will be held from 1:30 to 4 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 9, in Waynesville.
An effort to breathe new life into a neglected Waynesville park will be the focus of the next Trout Unlimited Cataloochee meeting, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 14, at the Waynesville Inn.
Great Smoky Mountains National Parkhas a new acting superintendent following Dale Ditmanson retired as superintendent in January after nearly 10 years of service, and his replacement’s departure more recently.
Western North Carolina farmers can apply for farm diversification grants over the next two years totaling $340,000.
To the Editor:
This is my first written word, publicly in 20 years. I pray that it be as in the will of the Father in that I commit this time, for I feel from the depths of my heart that protecting the poor innocent people with property left in the Smokies and this paradise of creation the Father blessed our Native Americans with. As a Marine I was ready, willing and quite capable of fighting to the death to defend my home and my neighbors. That feeling of protecting and serving should never leave a man who has ever served America.
So it is today with the men and women who commit to defend our civil laws, I look at this solidarity with the spirit of protecting those who need protecting the most. I say we are shepherds protecting the sheep. It is with that purpose of thought that I commit myself and the ancient church to defend Western North Carolina, especially. For it has been my home for some time. Yes, as that Marine of Marines to defend my paradise, to await the return, yes, defend the land and the people from the fracker people. Their greed will poison and destroy even to put innocent poorer people in their graves. These fracker kinds of people have a very, very dark but clear record in many other states today.
It is in this regard I would truly thank our county manager and staff, our county commissioners, our Bryson City mayor and his town council. I would also thank all the organizations that swiftly mobilized as a fighting force of purpose, to defend WNC. This defense to me personally is as real as any terrorist threat from anywhere else in the world. I think I have said enough for now. Thank all you again. The men and women of Swain County, Bryson City and the Nation of Cherokee who have committed to protect and serve.
I pray that each and every one of us, as with one spirit would pledge to vote for men and women who will fight the fracker or anyone else who would invade and destroy even one of our citizens, or his land in WNC. Swain County, you are the first to make a unified stand. Thank you from the depths of my heart.
Raymond Judson McGill
Bryson City
To the Editor:
Rep. Thom Tillis, R-Mecklenburg, has been running ads that say N.C. citizens are paying more for health insurance because U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan supported the Affordable Care Act. In fact, you can thank Tillis and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, for increasing your health care premiums by $1,000 every year. They were both key figures in blocking the expansion of Medicaid in our state for 500,000 citizens that would have quality health insurance because of the Affordable Care Act, but now have no insurance at all.
Hospitals and other caregivers still have to provide these people with the care they need even if they can’t afford to pay for it and have no insurance. In order to stay in business our hospitals have to cost shift this uncompensated care to those with private health insurance. This cost-shifting results in an average premium increase of $1,000 per year for every person in North Carolina with private insurance.
Tillis and Davis are also responsible for the deaths of hundreds of our low-income friends and neighbors because of this lack of quality health care. Are Tillis and Davis really the kind of representative you want?
Ed Morris, MD
Franklin
To the Editor:
Becky Johnson’s report on the Canton and paper mill landfills gives me a much-needed better understanding of the massive mounds that have been accumulating beside I-40 I’ve been passing by over the years. While I knew that these landfills were predominately being developed from wastes of the paper mill, I did not have any knowledge of how hydrology from these landfills would be affecting neighbors’ well water nor the river from outflows.
Certainly the hydrologic contamination patterns must be interrupted as we are accumulating massive amounts of coal ash. Moving accumulated elements from coal beds in Kentucky or elsewhere and concentrating them in coal ash as waste byproducts does not address how the hydrology in our local environment will be affecting us. Unlike the coal ash ponds near the generating plants, drying coal ash dumps must be a better way, as the Evergreen Packaging plant is currently doing. The next question to ask is how are the pollutants from the landfill operations for the wastewater treatment plant finally dealt with?
Air pollution and water pollution are linked also. When I was a child, little was known about managing pollutants from Canton’s paper mill and Enka’s rayon plant. There were occasional days that the odors from one or both those plants drifted through the morning air to our farm in the Fruitland Community east of Hendersonville. Those air pollutants were being dealt with much better in recent years and somewhere those air pollutants had to either be decomposed or dispersed in other ways, meaning some may have made its way into water. This was followed by procedures to clear up water hydrology and this has been a significant advancement in the past couple of decades. It is good to have a local agent, Marc Pruett, and state agent, David Ramey, oversee these operations.
Keeping our mountain air and water fresh and clean is always a primary need for all those living or visiting here.
Dan Pittillo
Sylva
To the Editor:
I am a retired classroom teacher and worked in Haywood County Schools for 37 years. During the past two years I have been disappointed and concerned over the decisions that have been made by the Republican-led legislature and governor that directly affect the lives of the citizens of North Carolina.
A lot of valuable time has been spent at the taxpayers’ expense, especially in the area of education. I am pleased that teachers received a raise, but this turned out to be very misleading. Only beginning teachers received a significant amount. Many veteran teachers received less than 1 percent, and many didn’t receive any raise at all. We need to retain all teachers, and there isn’t any substitute for experience. Teachers have lost tenure and longevity pay, and those who are working toward advanced degrees don’t have any assurance that they will receive extra money for having obtained their degree.
Thousands of teacher assistant positions have been eliminated and teachers have to cope with more students in their classes, inadequate supplies, outdated textbooks and not enough books for all students to have a copy to take home.
Once an educator, always an educator, and I think Jane Hipps is the candidate that can help put North Carolina Public Schools back on track. I have known Jane since she came to Haywood County. She spent more than 30 years working in the county school system. She understands what educators need in order to bring North Carolina schools into the future. Jane also has a degree in nursing earned after retiring from Haywood County Schools. She will work to secure healthcare for all citizens, jobs for those who need them, and try to help people in all areas of life.
Sen. Jim Davis seems to think that teachers should be able to manage a classroom with more students, less materials, less pay, and without teacher assistants. His wife taught in California in the 1980s and she didn’t have teacher assistants, so evidently he doesn’t think they are needed. Sen. Davis can’t understand what teachers are fussing and griping about. After all, they got a raise.
Sen. Davis also thinks that public libraries aren’t important, and that they are becoming obsolete. If he wants a book, he just goes to a bookstore and buys it. This isn’t a solution for the majority of North Carolina citizens. I am a member of the Haywood County Friends of the Library Book Sale Committee, and we work from September to July to hold an annual book sale. We made over $30,000 this past July to benefit the library. The books were priced so that everyone could afford them. Hundreds of people took advantage of this opportunity to have books to read.
It seems that the Republican-led Legislature and governor didn’t have any clear vision or agenda for the laws that were passed. Every decision that was made at the state level was intended to suppress our values and freedoms. They have allowed doubts, fears, and paranoia to guide their decisions. Don’t ever underestimate revenge. It is a very powerful motive.
Gail Leatherwood
Lake Junaluska
To the Editor:
There has been a lot of discussion regarding environmental impacts of fracking, yet two areas have not been discussed much. One is the social impacts that hundreds of transient workers bring, and the other is property rights issues. I want to speak on the latter.
The state geographic regions targeted for fracking are in areas owned and occupied by farmers and rural landowners. These folks tend to be the most uninformed about fracking due to the lack of accurate information available to them, yet they are the ones that will be most negatively impacted by fracking.
In Lee, Chatham and Moore counties, there are more than 2,000 farms that involve over 220,000 acres of farmland. There are documented cases in other states of farmers being negatively impacted by fracking to the point that it is severely affecting their livelihood. On Friday, Sept. 12, several individuals from other states spoke at the MEC hearing who were firsthand witnesses to the horrors of wastewater spills, deliberate spraying of toxic wastewater on back roads, failing cement well casings and negligent drilling companies who have no regard for people living next to these wells. We heard about cows dying by the hundreds from what can only be determined by vets as arsenic poisoning, calves being stillborn or with blue or white eyes; another indication of poisoning. The stories go on and on regarding poisoned dogs, cats, chicken, livestock and horses. While it is sad when a family loses a pet, it can be financially devastating when a farmer loses numerous animals that he depends on for his subsistence.
In North Carolina there’s a 1940s policy called Compulsory Pooling. It was originally designed to prevent a landowner’s minerals or resources being depleted by a neighbor’s well. This policy is now being used in the fracking industry to force landowners who do not sign drilling leases to be pulled into a property group of landowners who have signed drilling leases. An oil company is required to have a certain amount of acreage in order to place a well pad. Forced pooling is a method of pulling in non-consenting property owners and basically forcing them to lease their land. Most landowners don’t consult with an attorney before signing land leases to oil companies.
Folks in Western North Carolina have a long-standing adverse history with the government concerning land rights. Mountain people have long memories regarding situations where they feel the government “cheated” them. Any local can regale you with their version of the TVA dam, the Road to Nowhere or the Trail of Tears, complete with a personal family history attached to these events. Emotions run deep when you mention forcibly separating a property owner without their consent.
With the passing of Bill 286, the government has given oil companies permission to do just that. I’m unsure Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, knew what he was doing when he co-sponsored the fracking bill. Based on his waffling in the past couple of months, I’m not sure he does either. Either way, it’s obvious he’s not in touch with the people WNC. The ones I know are a proud, resilient, hardworking breed who don’t take kindly to strangers coming in and telling them what they can do with their land. It’s time we stick together. Demand the moratorium reinstatement.
Susan Leading Fox
Bryson City
To the Editor:
Our country is in a heap of trouble. Ebola has now been introduced into the United States. In the Mideast ISIS is running rampant killing and beheading while announcing they intend to bring their fight to the United States. Our borders are open, allowing anyone to slip in and move about the country freely. What a mess!
Leadership from the top level of government is grossly lacking. And yes, that means leadership from the President of the United States. He does not take the advice of his military experts who have laid out the plan needed to defeat ISIS. Instead we are dilly-dallying with ineffective bombing and still talking about what to do next.
He refuses to command our borders be closed and to co-operate with the states that are trying to do that on their own. He has sent troops to West Africa to fight the Ebola virus and in the meantime the virus is here in the United States. Every day he blames others for the lack of solutions to these very serious problems.
The main role of the U.S. government is to protect our citizens. Recently because the White House protection by the Secret Service was breached, the head of the Secret Service resigned and security there has been tightened. There is continual talk about protecting our troops and keeping them out of harm’s way. There certainly is nothing wrong with those goals, but what about us … the American people? We are vulnerable and in grave danger.
Barak Obama is not doing the job to protect us and neither are Democrats in Congress who go right along with him. Our Sen. Kay Hagan has supported Obama 96 percent of the time. I doubt she will change that record if re-elected. So unless Hagan and other Democrats are sent home, there is no hope of increased protection for us there.
I am increasingly concerned and truly afraid for our country, my family and all of us. As a country we seem to be befuddled and are being run by incompetents. This condition must change, and we have a chance to do it with our vote in this midterm election.
Carol Adams
Glenville
To the Editor:
The dictionary definition of “conservative” is, “Holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change or innovation.” How does that definition square with today’s elected Republican actions and agenda?
By definition you would think Republicans would want lower taxes for as many people as possible. That is a very traditional value. Yet unless you make more than about $90,000 a year, your overall taxes went up. A conservative businessman, when facing hard times, would cut his expenses and do everything possible to increase his income. Yet the “conservative” N.C. legislature cut the state’s income by giving the largest tax breaks in state history to the wealthiest 1 percent of our citizens. The state is now facing a very serious deficit. This will have to be made up either by additional cuts to education and Medicaid or by increased taxes on the poor and middle class and more increased fees for every possible service.
There can be no more traditional values than good schools. Over the last 50 years there has been a bipartisan effort in the N.C. Legislature to create one of the best school systems in the South. That is, until now. Recently, a national rating company listed N.C. as the worst state for a person considering a career in teaching. This ranking did not take into consideration the 5 percent pay raise given to new teachers which, incidentally, was paid for by cutting other portions of the education budget. Career teachers got next to nothing.
What could be a more traditional value than protecting the very land and water that make this state such a special place to live? Yet the response by the N.C. legislature to coal ash spills by Duke Energy, the reversal of almost all environmental laws and the approval of fracking seem to be the very opposite of traditional values. In every case, the beneficiaries of these changes are large out-of-state corporations, not the citizens of North Carolina.
Conservatism values the individual. Every individual should count. Yet the state legislature recently passed the most draconian voter suppression law in the country. A federal judge, while ruling on this law, asked the attorney representing the state, “Why does the state of North Carolina not want people to vote?” Of course the answer is, “voter fraud.” The number of actual voting fraud cases in the state, however, can be counted one hand. This is simply a naked attempt to suppress minorities, elderly, youth and poor from voting. Maybe that is a Republican value. But it is not a conservative value.
If you call yourself a conservative, think about what that means. Look around and see who represents those values you hold so dear.
Louis Vitale
Franklin
Superstar comedian George Lopez will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at Harrah’s Cherokee.
Lopez is a multi-talented entertainer whose career encompasses television, film, standup comedy and late-night television. For two seasons, he hosted Lopez Tonight, a late-night television talk show on TBS, which represented Lopez’s return to series television after co-creating, writing, producing and starring in Warner Bros. Television’s groundbreaking hit sitcom “George Lopez,” which ran for six seasons on ABC.
Tickets are $31.50, $40, $46.50 and $57.50.
www.harrahscherokee.com or 800.745.3000.
The 31th annual Church Street Art & Craft Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, on Main Street in downtown Waynesville.
Bluegrass group The Darren Nicholson Band will be performing during the Farm-to-Mug brewery and food event at 4 p.m. Oct. 16 at Walnut Cove Farms in Waynesville.
The upcoming celebration of the town of Sylva’s 125th anniversary will feature an array of local storytellers on Oct. 11 at the Lifeway Church in downtown.
Twenty-three of the best high school marching bands from five states will compete for honors during the annual Tournament of Champions on Saturday, Oct. 18, in E.J. Whitmire Stadium at Western Carolina University.
A candidate debate last week between N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and challenger Jane Hipps, D-Waynesville, plowed a lot of ground. Education, Medicaid, and fracking were the biggies, but the 90-minute debate ran the gamut, touching on government spending, guns, charter schools, teacher salaries, higher ed, and so much more.
Twenty years after Aaron Prevost and other community leaders provided the seed money to start the endowment, The Fund for Haywood County has reached a milestone goal by surpassing the $1 million mark.
“In two decades, our Advisory Board has recommended 84 grants to 47 different organizations, totaling just over $690,000,” said George Ivey, the chairman of the Fund’s advisory board, during a recent celebration at Twigs and Leaves Gallery in downtown Waynesville. “These funds have made a difference in Haywood County.”
The endowment consists of the Prevost Fund — funded by his estate and now totaling $631,000 — and The Fund for Haywood County, which now stands at $378,000 and has 192 donors to date. The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina (CFWNC) manages both funds.
“In Haywood County, we can recognize the tremendous impact that one person’s generosity can have. Aaron Prevost understood the value of endowed funds and invested in his community by making a substantial planned gift,” said Elizabeth Brazas, CFWNC President. “These grants, made in partnership with The Community Foundation, support nonprofits working to support people in need, protect our cultural and natural resources, educate children and more.”
Grants from The Fund for Haywood address a wide variety of topics:
• People in Need, including grants to organizations like Mountain Projects, the Habitat Re-Store, and Kids at Work.
• Education projects, including recent funding to help a leadership program for students at Hazelwood Elementary School.
• Cultural resources, including recent improvements to the Folkmoot Friendship Center.
• Food and farming projects, including a Farm-to-School program launched in partnership with the Haywood County School System.
• Natural resources and recreation, like the recent improvements to Graveyard Fields.
For more information about The Fund for Haywood County, contact Chair George Ivey at 828.648.2710. To make a tax-deductible contribution to The Fund for Haywood County, donate on-line at www.cfwnc.org, with a stock gift, or by mail to The Fund for Haywood County, P.O. Box 627, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. Contributions of any size are welcome and will enable the Fund to support more programs with local dollars.
The Community Foundation is a nonprofit serving eighteen counties in Western North Carolina. To learn more about The Community Foundation, call 828.254.4960 or visit www.cfwnc.org.
Jerry Monroe Berry and his son, Joshua Monroe Berry, of Swain County have been charged with growing marijuana in the Nantahala National Forest.
According to Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran, a North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations aircraft was conducting a routine flyover in Swain County when the plants were spotted. The drug operation was located in the Nantahala National Forest. Afterward, the site was monitored for several weeks by law enforcement authorities
Officers and agents from the Swain County Sheriff’s Office, Cherokee Police Department, U.S. Forest Service, SBI, DEA, Cherokee ALE, Cherokee NRE, BATF, U.S. Park Service and North Carolina State Highway Patrol took part in the bust.
Cochran stated that the estimated street value of the plants is approximately $1million.
The Town of Sylva is celebrating its 125th year since incorporation. To mark the occasion, a slate of activities are planned for Oct. 10-11. The celebration pays homage to the history of the town.
“The activities are all things that would have happened in 1889,” explained Sylva Town Manager Paige Roberson.
About the race: This used to be a toss-up district, but clever redrawing of voting boundaries by the Republican-led legislature in Raleigh two years ago tipped the scales to the right. The liberal stronghold of Asheville was carved out and shunted it into a different Congressional seat.
N.C. House of Representatives, seat 118
Is this my state rep? Yes, if you live in Madison and Yancey counties and part of Haywood — namely Canton, Clyde, Bethel, Cruso, Maggie Valley, Jonathan Creek and Crabtree areas.
Do I vote in this race? Yes, if you live anywhere in the seven western counties.
A pair of grants from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources will help improve water resources in Haywood County. State-wide, $2.2 million was given to 37 projects.
The big one for the Haywood County Soil and Water Conservation District was a $23,948 grant to install a cistern at Open Door Ministries, a soup kitchen and outreach center for the needy located at Frog Level in Waynesville.
“The patrons can reuse the roof water to grow vegetables which can then be used in the kitchen there,” explained Leslie Smathers, director of Haywood County Soil and Water.
The district also received $1,500 to work on streambank stabilization along Raccoon Creek.
• Ball Creek Road, a U.S. Forest Service road that begins at Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory and ends at Upper Nantahala Road in Macon County, will be closed through late October for repairs. Storm events in January 2013 caused the need to fix two roadway slides and replace two culverts.
• Chimney Tops Trail will continue to be closed periodically through Dec. 11 as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park works to finish a three-year trail rehabilitation. The trail will be closed Monday through Thursday until work finishes. The rehabilitation effort is focused on rebuilding the trail with durable stone and rot-resistant black locust to combat erosion damage.
Cataloochee hike to feature elk and history
A full-day hike Tuesday, Oct. 14, in the Cataloochee Valley area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give hikers a chance to experience the mountain roads of 80 years ago — winding routes through thick tree canopy and rhododendron — and finish up the day by viewing a herd of elk.
This Friends of the Smokies Classic Hike will be lead by hiking guide author Danny Bernstein and will cover 8.7 miles of trail, with a total elevation gain of 1,300 feet. It’s an out-and-back route on Pretty Hollow Gap Trail along Palmer and Pretty Hollow creeks.
Along with stops to enjoy the scenery of flowing mountain streams, hikers will learn about the history of Cataloochee settlers through historical buildings, cemeteries and stories of the annual family reunions honoring the first homesteading families in the Cataloochee area. Friends of the Smokies uses donations to help maintain many of the buildings there.
$10 for Friends members or free for those who bring a friend; $35 for non-members with one-year membership included. Registration dollars benefit Smokies Trails Forever program. Carpools will leave from Asheville and Maggie Valley. Register with Anna Lee Zanetti, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.452.0720.
Dinner with elk
It will be dinner and a show in the Cataloochee area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park when the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust embarks on its annual Elk Excursion Thursday, Oct. 9.
The outing will include a 45-minute presentation from an Elk Bugle Corp volunteer about the elk, which were reintroduced to the area in 2001. Guests will then have a chance to explore the valley for a bit before meeting back up for a tailgate dinner while watching the elk engage in their dramatic mating ritual, known as “the rut.”
During the rut, male elk bugle to attract females and to challenge other bulls, an eerie yet enchanting sound that echoes throughout the valley.
$10 HCLT member; $35 non-members with one-year membership included. Dinner included in price. Space is limited — reservations required. 828.526.1111 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A lineup of fall interpretive programs is underway in Great Smoky Mountains National Park will run through the end of October. From black bears to berries to carbon footprints, the fall programs cover plenty of ground.
Sundays
• Longing for the “Good Ol’ Days.” Join a ranger for a walk on the Mountain Farm Museum and learn what life may have been like on an Appalachian mountain farm. 2 p.m., adjacent to Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
• Junior Ranger: Smoky Mountain Elk. . Learn about the history of the elk through “show and tell” activities, and then stay and watch the elk come into in the fields. 5:30 p.m., Palmer House in Cataloochee Valley.
Mondays
Welcome Back to the Smokies!
Join a ranger to hear the stories of reintroduced species within the park, including peregrine falcons, river otters and elk. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch.
Tuesdays
• Do You Have Power? Join a Ranger to learn how to leave a light carbon footprint and help protect the park and planet for future generations. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center porch.
Wednesdays
• Forecasting the Future with Mother Nature. Nuts were fair, berries late, with several morning fogs and moon rings in August. Join a ranger to learn what this might mean for the upcoming winter and how people in the past used nature to forecast the seasons. 11 a.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
Thursdays
• Black Bears: Big, Smelly and Smart. Discover the ways black bears adapt to their environment and how they prepare for winter. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
Fridays
• Myths and Legends of the Cherokee. The lands of the Cherokee once extended through several states within the southeast and included all of the Great Smoky Mountains. Join a ranger to explore the culture, history and mythology of the Cherokee through storytelling. 1 p.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
Saturdays
• Smoky Mountain Elk. A ranger will take questions about elk and dish on the best places to see them in the park. Hands-on components will reveal how elk stay warm and what it feels like to carry those heavy antlers on your head. 11:30 a.m., Oconaluftee Visitor Center.
828.497.1904
There’s a new specialty license plate coming soon: the brook trout plate.
White-nosed bat syndrome is marching west, and as a result the Great Smoky Mountains National Park has closed the Whiteoak Sink area between Cades Cove and Townsend through March to keep people from spreading the disease to bats hibernating there.
Cambodia and Thailand might be on the other side of the world from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but they deal with similar resource issues — including plant and wildlife poaching — so the Smokies is reaching out to provide a week of training to 10 female park officials from those southeast Asia countries.
The outlook for a bright leaf season is improving, as Western Carolina University fearless fall foliage forecaster Kathy Mathews has updated her prediction about the quality of the annual color show, based on changing conditions in the mountains.
The Franklin Chamber of Commerce and Main Street Bakery will offer a How To Create A Gingerbread House seminar at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 7, at the Underground Franklin Event Center below the bakery.
The 24th annual Bryson City Chili Cook-Off will be held Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad Depot.
