Western Carolina University announced an enrollment milestone this week — enrollment for the fall semester topped the 10,000 mark for the first time in school history.

University officials said the record-breaking enrollment was due in large part to a 5 percentage point increase in the freshmen retention rate. The freshmen retention rate — the percentage of first-time, full-time freshman in the fall of 2012 who returned to WCU as sophomores this fall — jumped to nearly 79 percent.

Enrollment figures are up across the board, however, with increases in the numbers of first-time freshmen, undergraduate transfers, graduate students, distance education students and students taking classes at the university’s instructional site at Biltmore Park, said Chancellor David Belcher.

Distance education enrollment has jumped 9 percent, from 1,747 last fall to 1,897 this year. Enrollment in WCU’s programs at Asheville’s Biltmore Park stands at 524 students this fall, up 3 percent over last year’s tally of 507.

The total number of continuing and returning students is 6,817, compared to 6,500 last year.

WCU’s first Open House of the fall semester will be Saturday, Sept. 14. Prospective students will have a chance to tour the campus, learn about the university’s wide array of academic programs, find out topics such as financial aid — and get free ticket to see WCU’s football team take on the Citadel that afternoon.

www.openhouse.wcu.edu or 828.227.7317.

State and local officials are advising people to avoid contact with Long Creek in Graham County after recent water quality sampling found wastewater.

The partially treated wastewater is making its way into the creek because of a malfunction at the Robbinsville treatment plant. An official with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources first discovered the problem while doing some routine water sampling two weeks ago downstream of the plant.

Tests revealed fecal coliform in the water exceeded levels considered safe by the state. High fecal coliform counts can indicate that disease-causing bacteria are present. 

Public water supplies appear to be safe, as there are no public drinking water sources in the affected area downstream of the plant. 

However, state officials are saying no one should fish, drink, swim in or otherwise come into contact with the water in Long Creek.

State and Graham County officials, meanwhile, continue to investigate the problem and seek a solution to better treat the wastewater before it is discharged into Long Creek. Long Creek flows into the Cheoah River in Western North Carolina, which in turn flows into Santeetlah Lake on the Tennessee border.    

A movie showing in Waynesville is asking folks to think hard about their food choices.

The documentary-style movie “Fresh: New Thinking About What We’re Eating” will be featured at 2 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, in the auditorium of the Waynesville Library. The film focuses on the woes of industrial food and meat production and the remedies provided by local and organic agriculture.

Discussion will continue afterward with Tina Masciarelli from the local food initiative “Buy Haywood,” who will be on hand to answer questions and engage in discussion about the importance of eating locally grown foods.

Popcorn will be provided; participants may bring their own drinks.

828.356.2507.

Time is running out for trail users to offer input on a regional trail plan for the seven western counties or simply offer up a wish list of future trail projects.

The trail plan maps out a long-range vision for new trails, connectors and improvements to the diverse trail and greenway systems in the region. Input is being sought through an online survey through Sept. 6.

To check out the trail plan, go to: www.regiona.org and click on “regional trail plan” on the left.

To take the survey, go to: www.surveymonkey.com/s/HDRS3ZN.

The regional trail plan was created by the Southwestern Commission with a grant from the N.C Division of Parks and Recreation.

Nearly $800,000 in grants will fund research in North Carolina that investigates threats to various aquatic species and habitats in the state.

Through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and matching resources from local partners, nearly $700,000 will go toward a project that seeks to study the effects of contaminants in the water and food of the robust redhorse. The large fish is found in only three river drainages in the Southeast, mostly in the piedmont and coastal plains areas, and is listed as an endangered species in North Carolina.

Another state project received nearly $100,000 in funding to analyze and map conservation opportunity areas based on habitat threats such as urban growth, pollution, and impacts from climate change. The information will be published online for the public.

The two projects were funded as part of a recent round of grants to help imperiled species. More than $8 million was awarded across 11 states through the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s competitive State Wildlife Grants program. The grants focus on large-scale conservation projects yielding measurable results.

Seed expert Keith Nicholson will cover the what, why and how of vegetable seeds and seed saving at 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 5, at the Macon County Public Library Meeting Room.

Community members are invited to attend upcoming public meetings to learn more about the use of the Hall Mountain Tract in Macon County as a public park and to submit input for potential uses of the land. 

A storied estate in Cashiers, preserved for future generations, will be the destination of an upcoming ecotour.

As children return to school this week, the joy of seeing their friends, sharing summer stories, wearing new shoes or clothes and hearing the laughter ring though the hallways of Haywood County Schools is all too familiar. However, this joyous time is overshadowed for many children, as they fear going hungry on the evenings and weekends.

According to a recent Map the Meal Gap Study, 28.2 percent — 3,240 children in Haywood County — are “Food Insecure.” This means those children live in households facing difficulty meeting basic food needs. Over half of the children attending school in Haywood County are on free or reduced lunch. For many, this is the only source of food all week.

Food insecurity in Haywood has become epidemic, and teachers and counselors have discovered that students are having trouble learning; their attention span is short; and their focus is on food rather than school. That’s why the Waynesville Rotary Club stepped forward to help fight this issue.

“It hurts in your heart to know that children are going hungry,” said Brandon Anderson, past president of the Waynesville Rotary Club. “We refuse to deny these children what they need, and the need is great. Children cannot learn when they are hungry.”

In the 2011-2012 school year, The Waynesville Rotary Club began an ambitious campaign they call Haywood’s Hungry Kids. This program developed out of a pilot program in Haywood County Schools in partnership with MANNA Food Bank where a qualifying child would receive a packaged meal to take home each Friday so they would have some nutrition over the weekend.

Due to lack of funding the program was to be cut, being able to serve only 267 children out of the 3,200 in need. Through the efforts of many generous people, organizations, civic clubs and churches, last year Haywood’s Hungry Kids was a great success. The program did not die and, in fact, increased by 50 percent, serving 387 students last year. In addition, The Waynesville Rotary Club Foundation funded a pilot program this summer with the help of MANNA Food Bank and was successful in feeding 107 children each week for 10 weeks.

“While last school year was a success, we have begun another year, another challenge, and we need donations and volunteers to insure the success of the program this year,” said Anderson. “This is not something that is just going to go away. The last thing we want to do is reduce the size of the program or have to cancel the program due to funding. Our children are counting on us.”

Currently, Haywood’s Hungry Kids — through the Waynesville Rotary Club Foundation — is in receipt of donations that will insure the 387 children participating in the program last year will receive food bags each week through mid-fall. “We need help,” said Anderson.

The Waynesville Rotary Foundation has several fundraisers planned throughout the year to attempt to sustain and grow the current program. A $128 donation will support one child for the entire school year in the MANNA Food Packs Program, but all donations of any amount are accepted and appreciated. All donations to Help Haywood’s Hungry Kids are tax-deductible and benefit the children of Haywood County directly. Checks can be made out to the Waynesville Rotary Foundation, P.O. Box 988, Waynesville, N.C., 28786. For further questions about the program or to volunteer call 828.452.1288.

(Submitted by the Waynesville Rotary Club)

To the Editor:

 I volunteer with Jackson County Meals on Wheels, and I also serve on the volunteer committee.  I would like to address some of the concerns raised in last week’s article (“Jackson Meals on Wheels leaves money on the table,” Aug. 21 SMN, smokymountainnews-.com/news/item/11553).

 The Department on Aging provides meals through both a congregate dining program and by home-delivered meals.  Congregate meals provide important benefits that go far beyond the meal itself.  The social and nutritional benefits of eating in community keep older adults in better health and allow them to remain more independent and active for a longer time. These congregate meals are funded through a Home & Community Care Block Grant (HCCBG), county funds, and through private donations, not by diverting funds from the Meals on Wheels budget. 

 Several factors come into play in adding clients for home-delivered meals. Funding does play a role, and most of the funding comes from HCCBG funding set each fiscal year. Clients must also be screened individually, including face-to-face interviews, and eligibility can change rapidly based on circumstances. These include a move to an assisted living or nursing facility, home health services, kinship care, or improved health of a client such that meal delivery is no longer needed.

These meals are delivered by volunteers. There is a limit to the number of clients who can be served on each route. Not only do we volunteers donate our time and gasoline, but the meals must be delivered in a timely manner for safety reasons. Food safety guidelines require foods to be delivered at certain temperatures. When new clients are added, there is often a need to change the delivery routes or to add a route to meet these guidelines. New routes require more volunteers.

Volunteering is easy and enjoyable. The clients and staff are wonderful. The whole process takes from one to two hours a week, depending on the route. All of us volunteers have times we need to be out of town. Don’t let that stop you from volunteering. There are people who substitute on routes, and you are not expected to find your own sub. 

Funds are available. Support from the county commissioners is there. All we’re missing is some wheels for those meals. If you are able to volunteer for a route or as a substitute, call Debbie Baird at 828.631.8044.

Lisa Bacon

Sylva

The Coats for Kids clothing drive in Jackson County is accepting donations of clothing and shoes starting Sept. 1. Drop-off sites will be at the Cullowhee United Methodist Church, Walmart, Sylva First Presbyterian Church, Pathways thrift store, The Sylva Herald office and the Jackson County Public Library through Sept. 30.

The mission is to help ensure children stay warm this fall and winter with donations of new and used coats, hats, gloves, winter clothing and shoes. All sizes are accepted.

Distribution day for Coats for Kids will be held 9 a.m. until noon, Saturday, Oct. 5 at the Sylva First Presbyterian Church. Children will need to be present to receive items.

Money donations are also accepted and volunteers are needed.

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The Open Air Indian Art Market will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual in Cherokee.

With dozens of authentic Cherokee artisans, the event offers traditional food and crafts, such as beadwork, basket weaving, sculpture and woodworking. Artwork at the market and inside the gallery will be available for purchase.

Free.

828.497.3103 or www.quallaartsandcrafts.com.

Champion mountain dulcimer players Lois Hornbostel and Ehukai Teves will perform at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 8, at the Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. A reception will follow the performance, which is free and open to the public.

Mountain dulcimer player Neal Hellman will host a workshop from 1 to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 10, at the United Methodist Church in Bryson City. Hellman is a nationally acclaimed performer and teacher of the mountain dulcimer. His latest recording, “Emma’s Waltz,” is a colorful dance through traditional and contemporary acoustic music styles. Hellman will teach two sessions of workshops: 1 to 2:20 p.m. and 2:35 to 3:50 p.m. He will also perform a one-hour set for the public, following the workshops. Donations accepted.

828.488.6697.

Artist, writer and speaker Doreyl Ammons Cain will do a demonstration and presentation on the four-step process of creating a historical mural, at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. 

Cain is currently creating a historical mural for Jackson County. She will describe her materials, resources, working process and final placement of the mural.  She’ll have images of her murals available for viewing and will demonstrate some of her painting techniques. Her four-step process includes rough concept sketches based on research, transfer of art sketches using the grid method, the painting of the mural using high-quality mural paint that resists fading, and the protection and placement of the mural.  

Cain cofounded Catch the Spirit of Appalachia, Inc., a not-for-profit organization dedicated to honoring the heritage and creativity of all people (www.spiritofappalachia.org). In 2010, she received a commission from the Jackson County Library Complex to paint a mural based on the heritage of the area during the time the Courthouse was built. Her concept was “Cakewalks.” The mural took a year to complete and is now on permanent display on the first floor of the Jackson County Library. 

The presentation is sponsored by Swain County Center for the Arts and Swain County Schools. Free.

828.488.7843 or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

The editors of Food & Wine magazine honored Waynesville’s Copper Pot & Wooden Spoon in the September issue. The artisan food company received an Editors’ Top Ten list nod for its Roasted Red Pepper & Peach Jam.

Labor Day LakeAlooza at Fontana Village

The 4th annual Labor Day Weekend LakeAlooza celebration will be Aug. 30 to Sept. 1, at Fontana Village Resort, with an array of family activities, live entertainment, food and fireworks.

Legendary outlaw country singer Hank Williams Jr. will play at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 1, at Harrah’s Cherokee Event Center.

The 43rd annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be Aug. 30-31 at Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.

Western Carolina University’s first couple will team up with other WCU performers, including recent Tony Award-nominated Broadway star Terrence Mann, for “Belchers and Friends,” an evening of music and dance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 3, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WCU.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park raised more than $200,000 through its “Friends Across the Mountains” telethon this year, thanks to hundreds of callers and help from sponsors.

The money will fund more than $1 million of park improvements this year, to protect black bears, heal hemlock trees, and preserve historic log cabins and churches from Cades Cove to Cataloochee Valley.

Since 1995, Friends of the Smokies telethons have raised more than $2.9 million.

During the broadcast, Sugarland Cellars owner Don Collier presented a $20,000 check to the organization. Other sponsors include Dollywood, Mast General Store, Pilot Corporation and SmartBank. 

“The generous response to this year’s ‘Friends Across the Mountains’ telethon is a continuing testimony to the love that people have for the Smokies and how very important it is to our region,” says Friends of the Smokies President Jim Hart.

Telethon donations can still be made online at www.friendsofthesmokies.org.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park has found its next deputy superintendent in Patricia M. Wissinger. She replaces Kevin Fitzgerald, who retired earlier this year. Wissinger currently is the superintendent of Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area in Atlanta, one of the busiest recreation areas in the United States. She is scheduled to start her new assignment in mid-September.

She is a North Carolina native and holds a master’s degree from Western Carolina University. She began her career with the National Park Service in 1980 as a seasonal campground ranger on the Blue Ridge Parkway and moved up the ranks from there.  She has served in management positions on the parkway, at Shenandoah National Park, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Wright Brothers National Memorial and Fort Raleigh National Historic Site.

Wissinger has experience in major museum design and construction, land acquisition planning, view shed management, road and bridge projects, exhibit design, educational outreach, and managing visitor services.

“Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is an exhibition that displays Cherokee language, culture and history through images, text and sound recordings.

The exhibit runs through Sept. 19 in the Balsam Building Lobby on the campus of Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Also, the exhibit team will solicit community input from noon until 3 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 22.

Slated to travel to ten sites in the region, the exhibit places cultural interpretation in locations frequented by the public. Using recordings made by Native speakers, the exhibit focuses on Cherokee language and culture and is sponsored by a grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. It is also done in partnership with Cherokee Central Schools, SCC, and the Cherokee Center and Cherokee Language Program at Western Carolina University.  

Fall showings include Western Carolina University, Health and Human Services Building on the Millennial Campus, Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center in Asheville and the Cherokee Central Schools Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee.

The Haywood County Fair will feature a newly expanded zoo this year.

Tuscola senior Allie Dinwiddie won a $500 scholarship and $100 cash for making the top score on an exam during the Resource Conservation Workshop in Wake County. Dinwiddie and Maggie Rogers, also a Tuscola senior, recently joined 91 high school students from across the state at the workshop.

North Carolina’s lookout towers once stood watch over our mountain forests. Now, they run the risk of becoming forgotten monuments to the value of our wild lands.

One of the wettest summers in Western North Carolina may mean less colorful fall foliage this year, unless autumn brings vastly drier conditions, predicts Kathy Mathews, Western Carolina University’s fall foliage forecaster.

Photographer Dr. Rick Cary will have a reception for his exhibit “Credo: Documentary Photographs of Signs Following Believers” from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in the Star Atrium at the Western Carolina University Fine Art Museum. An artist talk will be at 5 p.m. in room BAC 130.

Cary practices what he terms “photo-ethnography.” His work as a documentary photographer is rooted in his academic training in both photography and in the psychology of art. He presents the exhibition Credo after 12 years of research with the Rev. Jimmy Morrow at the Church of God in Jesus’ Name Only in the Southern Appalachian Mountains. 

Cary is a professor of art and chairman of the Division of Professional Programs at Mars Hill College. 

Free. www.wcu.edu.

In order to introduce area residents to the potential of a voice acting career path, Voice Coaches presents “Getting Paid to Talk,” an introduction to the world of voiceovers, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 29, at Southwestern Community College’s Macon Campus in Franklin.

Attendees will learn the basics of getting started, working in the studio, effective demo production methods, and industry pros and cons. They’ll also get insight on where to look for employment opportunities in and around the community as well as tips on how to land a job. Attendees will also have the opportunity to record a mock commercial under the direction of a Voice Coaches producer.

Class is $35 per person. Registration at least a week in advance is required. Enrollment is limited to 25. 

828.339.4426.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 21

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. Open to the Public

6:00 p.m. Opening Ceremonies Followed ByApple Orchard Community Concert Apple Orchard

6:00 p.m. Animal Viewing Zoo

THURSDAY, AUGUST 22

9:00 a.m.-10:00p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

9:00 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Senior Citizens DayApple Orchard

10:00 a.m.-noon Children’s Day Care Day-Head Start

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m. Variety ShowApple Orchard

6:00 p.m. Firemen’s CompetitionGreat Smokies Arena

7:00 p.m. BingoApple Orchard

FRIDAY, AUGUST 23

9:00 a.m.-10:00p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. School Day for 4^th Graders

4:00 p.m. Fish Fry-$10.00 per person, kids under 8 freeApple Orchard

5:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

5:00 p.m. New Generation JamboreeApple Orchard

5:30 p.m. Special Persons Livestock ShowBurley Livestock Barn

6:00 p.m. HCC Timber Sports TeamGreat Smokies Arena

6:30 p.m. Sheep ShowBurley Livestock Barn

SATURDAY, AUGUST 24

9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

APPLE ORCHARD EVENT CENTER

10:00 a.m. Spelling Bee

1:00 p.m. Pumpkin Decorating Contest

1:00 p.m. Natural Beauty Pageant

1:00 p.m. Cornhole Game

2:00 p.m. Ice Cream Eating Contest

3:00 p.m. Haywood County FFA BBQ

3:00 p.m. Youth Talent Show

5:00 p.m. Heritage Hoedown

DOGWOOD EVENT CENTER

10:15 a.m. Cake Entries

11:00 a.m. Cake Judging and Cake Walk

GREAT SMOKIES ARENA

8:30 a.m. Horse Show Registration

9:00 a.m. Horse Show

12:00 p.m. Horse Pull Registration

12:30 p.m. Horse Pull & Horse Drawn Equipment Show

3:00 p.m. “Fun Day With Fido” Kids Dog Show (Registration Begins at 2:00 p.m.)

BURLEY LIVESTOCK BARN

9:00 a.m. Goat Show

11:00 a.m. Feeder Calves Pen-of-Three

12:00 p.m. Beef Show Conclusion of Beef Show-Costume Class

4:00 p.m. Dairy Show

RICHLAND CREEK MEADOW

9:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

11:00 a.m. Cowboy Church                         

1:00 p.m. Open to the Public, Animal Viewing Zoo

1:00 p.m. Carnival Rides Open

1:00 p.m. Truck PullGreat Smokies Arena

1:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Horseshoes (1^st and 2^nd Prizes)Great Smokies Arena

1:30 p.m.-5:00 p.m. Smoky Mountain Jubilee Apple Orchard emceed by Joe Sam Queen

2:00 p.m. Swine ShowBurley Livestock Barn

OTHER ATTRACTIONS

Tuesday-Sunday-Farm Animal Exhibit (Burley Livestock Barn)

Mechanical Bull

SCHEDULE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

The Cherokee exhibit “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future” is on display through Sept. 19 in the Balsam Building Lobby at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. A community input session will be held from noon until 3 p.m. Thursday, Aug 22, at SCC.

The inaugural Waynesville Craft Beer Festival will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 31, at the American Legion baseball field in Waynesville.

Local jazz guitarist Chad Hallyburton will present a musical program at 7 p.m. Tuesday, August 27, at the Jackson County Public Library Complex in Sylva.

To the Editor: 

Since the radical cabal of Republican reactionaries has taken control of our state government, much has been reported about the Republican “War on Cities,” with the theft of Asheville’s airport and water systems and Charlotte’s airport. But now they have expanded this to the “War on Rural Areas,” with the defunding of the Rural Center and, specifically, a “War on WNC” with the defunding of AdvantageWest. They also started a “War on Local Governments,” redrawing district lines for Buncombe County commissioners and the school boards of several counties.

And just to make sure that we all respect their power and arrogance, they have declared “War on the Middle Class” with new taxation and budget policies. According to NC Policy Watch, taxes will increase for the 80 percent of us with lower incomes to finance tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations.  

There is also a “War on Voters.” Look forward to long lines come future election days. Voting will take much longer as early voting time is reduced, judges must check IDs, voters must mark their preferred candidate in each race because of the elimination of straight party voting, and vigilantes challenging voters will be allowed to cause trouble at the polls.  

If you don’t get there early, you may not even get to vote since county elections boards may no longer keep the polls open an extra hour to accommodate voters standing in line when the polls close. As reported in your Aug. 14 issue, the “War on Taxpayers” of Haywood and Jackson counties will require these counties (plus 29 others) to pony up $1 million in Haywood and half that in Jackson to replace touch-screen voting machines with paper ballots, even though the touch-screen machines have a paper trail. Wonder who will get campaign contributions from the companies supplying scanners and paper ballots?

There’s also a “War on the Unemployed” with a law to reduce the benefits and eligibility for unemployment assistance and a “War on the Poor” with the refusal to provide federally funded Medicaid for 500,000 poor North Carolina families. Associated with the “War on the Poor” is the “War on Hospitals,” which requires hospitals to keep eating the cost of indigent care for these 500,000 families. The “War on the Poor” also phases out the Earned Income Tax Credit, impacting 970,000 low-wage workers, including 67,000 military families.

They have also declared a “War on Teachers and Public Education,” cutting more than $100,000 from what the state budget office said was needed to keep the schools running at last year’s levels. Teachers yet again will see no pay raise, and tenure and incentive pay for teachers earning a master’s degree will be eliminated. The “War on Young Children” reduces the number of children from low-income families who are eligible for subsidized pre-K programs. There is also a “War on College Students” with funding cuts to the state university system. In addition, the Republican-run Board of Elections of Watauga County eliminated the early voting site at App State University and combined three Boone precincts into one with 9,340 registered voters and 35 parking spaces. The Board in Pasquotank County is also challenging the residency of students at Elizabeth City State University.

They have also declared “War on Clean Water” with legislation gutting landfill regulations, threatening our groundwater with contamination. And with Rep. Michelle Presnell’s bill for a state religion, they have declared “War on the Constitution.”

Who are the Republican allies in all these wars? The wealthiest 1 percent and large corporations which finance their re-elections.

If you are a casualty of any of these wars, all is not lost. We can vote them out in 2014. Sure it will be difficult because of the gerrymandering and their unlimited supply of dark money, but not impossible. They may have the money, but we can get the votes.

Carole Larivee

Waynesville

To the Editor:

All I want is an honest election. Is that too much to ask?

Why are some Democrats, like Sen. Kay Hagan, D-N.C., so opposed to an attempt to have honest elections? OK, the answer is obvious, but who do they think buys that drivel? OK, the answer is also obvious.

Being guaranteed the right to vote does not mean you are guaranteed to be coddled, carried and pampered without exerting an iota of effort or personal responsibility on your part to vote. It also does not mean you get to vote if you’re dead, or vote twice or more in different precincts, or vote for your sister, aunt, cousin, or comatose nursing patient. 

It also does not mean you can walk across the state line or be bussed in and register to vote on Election Day, giving the address of a local motel. All of these things have been done in recent elections. I’m betting Democrats would have a hard time actually coming up with any individuals who are “minorities, seniors, students, the disabled, and low and middle incomes citizens” who do not have an ID or who can’t easily get one.

Larry Wright

Maggie Valley

To the Editor:

It’s time to speak the truth about the gains for North Carolina citizens made by the state legislature in its 2013 session just completed. Here is a summary of some of the bills passed. You will find that fiscal responsibility, parental and citizen choice, economic and job recovery and freedom from excessive regulation are the threads that weave through this 2013 legislation. Slanted news reports and editorials have neglected to report the advantages these new laws bring to N.C. citizens. Here are a few example of how the Republican legislature chose to govern in favor of citizens.

Education: 2013-14 education appropriations increase $361 million over the previous year, with 38 percent being money for K-12 public schools; tenure reform allows local school districts to have the option of renewing contracts based on performance; teacher assistants are funded with $450.8 million, giving school districts the flexibility to fund additional assistants; scholarships, grants and vouchers totaling $13 million are provided for federal  free and reduced lunch programs, special needs students and can be used for public school students tuition and expenses for private school; $5.1 million dollars to attract, hire and train more teachers for high need districts.

Election process: VIVA, the Voter Information Verification Act, ensures all voters are treated the same when the votes are counted by requiring photo ID that is already necessary for everyone at banks, doctor’s offices, hospitals, for licenses, loans, check cashing etc.; that all voter registration must be completed at least 25 days prior to election day; that voters vote in their precinct of residence; that all voting systems must provide paper ballots, a back-up for vote checks; and increases donation limits to help candidates that do not fund their own campaigns.

Tax Reform: Personal income tax reduction to a flat rate of 5.75 percent by 2015; a greater standard reduction of $7,500 for singles and $15,000 for married filers; Social Security remains fully exempt;  repeal of the state estate tax; reduces the corporate income tax rate to 5 percent by 2015. The tax reform bill is expected greatly to increase investment and job opportunities.

Individual Rights: Protects the safety and health of women by requiring common sense and reasonable safety standards for abortion facilities; expanded places where citizens who have undergone required special training may carry a concealed weapon; enables Gov. McCrory’s office to make the Medicaid system more patient-oriented and fiscally responsible; places a cap on state “special indebtedness,” requiring voter approval to increase debt; regulatory reform requires that agencies review regulations every 10 years and that any not reviewed automatically expire. 

No doubt the spend, tax and regulate crowd … also known as liberals and Democrats … finds much to criticize when government seeks to control spending, restore individual rights and decrease the money grab from hard-working citizens. Fair-thinking voters will see that they made the correct choice in electing a majority Republican legislature.

Carol Adams

Glenville

To the Editor:

I was pleased to see in my most recent issue of The Smoky Mountain News that Dr. Doug Gates has joined Sylva Orthopedics. I worked with Doug over many years of his training in surgery and in orthopedics. He is a good doctor and a fine gentleman.

William G. Sullivan, MD

Raleigh

Southwestern Community College exceeded the North Carolina Community College System’s mean in seven of the eight measures used to gauge annual performance — one of only three community colleges statewide to rank that well in the state’s “Performance Measures for Student Success.”

“We’re extremely pleased, but not surprised, by the findings in this report,” said Dr. Don Tomas, SCC president. “The performance measures are evidence of just how dedicated and diligent our faculty and staff are.”

SCC is currently accepting applications for fall. www.southwesterncc.edu.

Drake Software, a national leader in professional tax preparation software headquartered in Franklin, is expanding their call center in Hayesville and will hire about 50 new customer service representatives to man it.

A new 10,000-square-foot facility will be constructed in the Clay County Industrial/Technology Park and is expected to open in January 2014. The new building will be linked to the already established call centers in Franklin and Sylva and provide access to the same benefits and resources.

Customer service representatives for Drake Software provide technical assistance to users of the software programs Drake develops, including their award-wining tax and accounting software suites. Last year, customer service representatives were able to assist more than 37,000 tax preparers in a matter of seconds during tax season.

Haywood Community College is strengthening ties to the community through industry training with the arrival of a new Industry Training Coordinator Doug Burchfield. After 19 years at Borg Warner, Burchfield understands the industrial workplace and will draw on this knowledge as a liaison to local businesses and industries to determine their employee training needs.

HCC’s customized training services for industries range from job profiling and pre-employment training and assessment to post-hire technical and critical soft skills training.

Customized training is offered to new, expanding and existing businesses and industries providing they meet the following criteria: job growth, technology investment and productivity enhancements. The training is funded by the state and free to qualified industries.

828.564.5128 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Ellen Walker has a passion for giving dolls new life and sending them on to their next home. For the past two and a half years, she’s put her that passion to work raising money for the Harris Regional Hospital Auxiliary through its thrift store.

Walker started buying dolls from the thrift shop when it first opened and was given a doll to refurbish. Since then, she’s fixed up more than 1,000 dolls to be sold in the hospital thrift store. The dolls usually cost between $2 and $5.

“It enriches your life to be doing something for somebody else and knowing what you’re doing makes someone happy and helps people on their way to wellness,” said Walker, a retired MedWest-Harris nurse.

The Harris Regional Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop is located on Skyland Drive and is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays. 828.631.8893.

All lanes of Interstate 40 West in Haywood County have reopened following a rockslide that occurred Monday evening, Aug. 19.

Initial reports from county emergency workers claimed that all four lanes of Interstate 40 at Exit 7 (Harmon’s Den) in Haywood County were blocked by a rockslide around 7:45 p.m.

However, the picture quickly got brighter. Only one lane — the right lane of I-40 westbound — was covered by rock debris, according to a North Carolina Department of Transportation news release issued Monday night.

N.C. DOT crews worked overnight to clear the debris, and the road was completely reopened by Tuesday morning. In a DOT news release, department officials reminded motorists to watch signs for construction information, stay alert and obey the posted speed limit.

For real-time travel information, call 511 or visit www.ncdot.gov/travel.

A “Stand Up for Education” rally will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 26, on the front lawn of the Haywood County historic courthouse.

The event will express appreciation for teachers, support for public education and dissatisfaction with recent legislation enacted by N.C. General Assembly that affects teacher pay and public education funding.

Featured speakers include N.C. Senate Minority leader Martin Nesbitt, D-Buncombe, who chairs the Senate Education Committee; N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville; and Haywood County Commissioner Bill Upton, a former school superintendent.

The Haywood County Democratic Party, Public Schools First N.C. and the N.C. Association of Educators are organizing the event, but all are welcome. Attendees are encouraged to make signs and wear red.

Plants are most commonly harvested for their food or appreciated for their beauty, however many plants in the Southern Appalachians have important medicinal qualities.

Herbal expert Patricia Kyritsi Howell will give a lecture titled “The Southern Appalachians: Apothecary of North America” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 22, in the Highlands Nature Center.

Howell has been a student of herbal studies since she was a teenager and attended the California School of Herbal Studies. She has opened two schools of her own for herbal studies and published a book, Medical Plants of the Southern Appalachians, which stands as the foremost resource on regional native plant medicines.

The talk is part of the Zahner Conservation Lectures, a summer tradition in Highlands that brings experts in the field of science and conservation to give free talks. Howell’s presentation is dedicated to Joseph Gatins, the Highlands Biological Foundation Trustee who died last September of a heart attack while on vacation.  

www.highlandsbiological.org or 828.526.2221.

Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park is expanding the park’s high school science internship program with the help of a $25,000 grant.

The grant will fund science programs including internships for high school students from Swain, Graham and Haywood counties. It also will support a local teacher’s work with the interns, allowing the teacher to pick up instructional ideas to take back to the classroom.

The grant was awarded through the Ribbon of Hope program, which provides one-time awards of $25,000 to a variety of causes across the state. The program is administered by the North Carolina GlaxoSmithKline Foundation. Since 2008, the foundation has awarded 84 such grants, in the areas of health, science and education.

“This grant allows students to get hands-on experience with real science projects in the Smokies, including a chance to work directly with scientists from inside and outside the park,” North Carolina Director Holly Demuth said. “This gives them a valuable lesson that can’t be learned in the classroom.”

Moonshine tasting, auctions, hikes, talks, hunts, barbecue, dancing and star gazing are just a few of the activities planned for Great Smoky Mountains Association’s Membership Appreciation Weekend Sept. 13-15 in Townsend, Tenn.

The organization is celebrating its 60th anniversary with a party to honor its 19,000-strong members. GSMA supports the national park through funds raised primarily from sales of publications for the park and from its membership program.

Beginning Friday, Sept. 13, there will be a barbecue dinner, birthday cake, a cakewalk, moonshine samples and music by strings musicians Michael Searcy and Darrell Acuff. Sam Venable, storyteller, humorist and columnist for the Knoxville News Sentinel, will close the evening.

Saturday, Sept. 14, features hikes, Civil War and black bear educational talks, mountain crafts activities, geocaching in the Townsend area, and a star gazing party in the evening. Children’s activities will be available throughout the day. Sunday’s activities include  a volunteers meeting, a bike ride around Townsend, a hike and a driving tour of Cades Cove.

The deadline to register is Aug. 31. Registration can be done online, by phone or email. New members are also welcome to join.

www.smokiesInformation.org or 888.898.9102 x222 or x254.

Friends of Panthertown is hosting their annual picnic and concert this year Tuesday, Aug. 20, on Lake Fairfield at Camp Merrie-Woode in Sapphire Valley.

Friends of the Smokies will host a telethon to benefit the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Residents of Highlands established the Highlands Botanical Garden in 1962, to display the diverse array of Southern Appalachian plants. But the survival of the garden depends largely on a once-a-year fundraising event.