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The race for the state’s 50th Senate District, a seat currently held by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Macon County, is shaping up as a potentially epic political battle next year in Western North Carolina.
The only question for Democrats is whether the party’s choice to try to dethrone Davis will be former Sen. John Snow, D-Murphy, or former Sen. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville.
Davis beat Snow in last year’s election; state political newcomer Ralph Hise, R-Spruce Pine, ousted Queen. Hise now represents the 47th Senate District, which currently includes Avery, Haywood, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell and Yancey counties.
Snow and Queen confirmed they each want to run, but the two friends said they would not compete directly against one another in a primary. Instead, it will be one man or the other, decided somehow in a yet-to-be-determined manner.
“That’s sort of the gist of it right now,” Queen said. “We are both willing to run, and are both available to run, but we have to come up with the best solution.”
Snow said he and Queen have agreed that “whichever way the decision is made, the other will help the other.”
Snow, however, a longtime judge whose district encompassed the exact political boundaries now comprising the 50th Senate District, is cautious about getting ahead of potential court challenges.
“Our district would be upheld without question, but if others are in contest, you won’t go forward on any of the changes,” Snow said. “It would revert us back to the old district. And that has happened before.”
In other words, the 2012 race could take place using current boundaries while court challenges play out.
Snow brightened when talking about the possibilities, however, of campaigning in this new Senate district.
“I think this does create a better district for me,” he said. “It is exactly the same district I held as a judge, and I’m familiar with the people.”
The former head of Swain County’s Department of Social Services won’t be getting her job back, members of the county’s DSS board decided in a called meeting on Monday.
The board had dismissed Cagle following a hearing last month, but she launched an appeal attempting to be reinstalled in the position.
The appeal triggered a second hearing before the board, where Cagle was allowed to plead her case again in closed session.
Now that the board has again voted to uphold her dismissal, Cagle has one final recourse, to appeal to the N.C. Office of State Personnel.
She was dismissed in the wake of a scandal sparked by the death of 15-month-old Aubrey Littlejohn who died in January. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating an alleged cover-up at the agency. A social worker claimed he had been directed by superiors to falsify records following the baby’s death.
However, Cagle was fired for reasons unrelated to that case. Reasons cited were insubordination and “conduct unbecoming of a state employee.”
Interim Director Jerry Smith, who came to the job from Brevard, will stay until a permanent replacement is found.
Western Carolina University recently unveiled a new webcam designed to provide visitors with a look at the newly redesigned central campus.
The new camera replaces an old unit that was located behind a glass window, which meant the image often was obscured by glare.
The new camera is located on Balsam Residence Hall and boasts an image size about 50 percent larger than the older model. Color and brightness have improved as well.
The webcam produces a snapshot of the central core area of campus, and the image is updated every 10 seconds. Visitors will need to refresh browsers to see the updated image.
The webcam can be found at uccam.wcu.edu.
Carolina West Sports Medicine will hold a free seminar on youth-sports related topics at 6 p.m. July 21 at the Swain County High School Center for the Arts.
Topics to be covered are: concussions, heat and hydration, lightning preparedness, basic first aid, and stretching and warming up exercises to prevent injury. 828.586.7934 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A physician with Carolina West Sports Medicine will discuss how to avoid sports injuries during the monthly pediatric wellness lecture series event at Harris Medical Park in Sylva from 6 to 7 p.m. on July 18.
Dr. Judson Garbarino will be the guest speaker. He has special training in ultrasound and conscious sedation and is skilled in medical acupuncture. He is a team physician for Western Carolina University Athletics and performs sports physicals and concussion evaluations. The session is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served.
828.586.9642.
PAWS Animal Shelter in Bryson City has won a $1,000 prize for getting the most votes in a second round of voting in The Animal Rescue Site’s $300,000 Challenge.
Sixty-seven shelters and rescue groups received grants in the second round of voting, ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 in various categories.
A third round of voting began earlier this month for a chance at an even larger grant. Supporters of PAWS Animal Shelter can vote once a day at www.theanimalrescuesite.com and help the cause.
PAWS Animal Shelter posts its adoptable pets online at www.petfinder.com/shelters/NC233.html.
Angel Medical Center will hold a series of health screenings in Macon County as part of a Live Smart event on Thursday, July 14, from 8 a.m. to noon. The health screenings will be from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. You must fast for 12 hours before participating in the screenings, and pre-register by calling 828.369.4166.
A complete heart-healthy breakfast will be included with educational booths, and Dr. Michael J. Kegan from Asheville Cardiology Associates will discuss heart disease at 9:15 a.m., 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.
Candidates who want to run in town elections have until at 12 p.m. on Friday, July 15, to sign up, except in Franklin and Highlands where filing won’t begin until July 25.
As of press time Tuesday, here’s who had signed up to run:
Waynesville
J. Wells Greeley, Gary Caldwell and Leroy Roberson, all sitting aldermen, will run. Alderwoman Libba Feichter is not running again. No new challengers have entered the race yet. Gavin Brown is currently unopposed for mayor.
Canton
Current aldermen Jimmy Flynn, Kenneth Holland and Ed Underwood are running. Stanley Metcalf, Patrick Willis, Cecil Patton and Phil Smathers have also filed. No one is yet running for mayor.
Maggie Valley
Alderman Phil Aldridge is running for re-election, joined by Phillip Wight. Alderwoman Danya Vanhook is up for election but has not yet filed. Alderwoman Saralyn Price is running for mayor, along with challenger Ron DeSimone. Current Mayor Roger McElroy is not yet running.
Sylva
Ray Lewis, Chris Matheson and Harold Hensley have filed for re-election, along with challenger John Bubacz.
Forest Hills
Only Alan Begley has registered to run for mayor.
This year’s Downtown Waynesville Dog Walk will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, with sign-up at 9 a.m. The Dog Walk is hosted by Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation and the Youth for Sarge group will lead the dog walk with the Sarge banner.
Doyle Teague, president of the board of directors, said, “The Dog Walk is Sarge’s biggest fundraiser of the year. Individuals and teams raising donations for Sarge’s is critical to offset the costs of medical supplies, boarding dogs and cats… and opening the new adoption center.”
Teams that collect the most money in the form of donations to Sarge’s will win a prize. First- and second-place prizes will also be awarded to individuals for the most money collected. Tammy Watford, news anchor at WLOS-TV and Eddie Foxx and Sharon Green, morning hosts at 99 Kiss County Radio will judge the contests for the Best Tail Wagger, Best Dressed, Most Talented and Best Owner/Dog look-alike. Jeanne Naber will return as the emcee for the day and for the contests.
Registration forms are available online at www.sargeandfriends.org. Pre-registration will be held from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Thursday and Friday, August 4 and 5 at Sarge’s Adoption Center in Waynesville.
Registration fee is $15 per person and children under 10 are free. 828.246.9050 or www.sargeandfriends.org or Sarge’s Facebook page.
A state teacher-training center based in Cullowhee has slashed half its workforce in the fallout of a nearly 50-percent budget cut by the General Assembly.
The N.C. Center for the Advancement of Teaching went from a state-funded budget of $6.1 million to $3.1 million.
The 25-year institution, which is credited with helping the state to retain teachers by inspiring them through professional development, had 82 full and part-time workers. Thirteen of those are based at NCCAT’s smaller campus in Ocracoke. The final stay-or-leave numbers for that campus are still in flux.
But in Cullowhee, 22 fulltime positions and 11 hourly-contracted positions were eliminated. Additionally, three workers opted to go from fulltime positions to three-quarter time positions, and eight vacant positions are not being filled. Total, including Ocracoke, 35 to 40 positions are being eliminated.
Linda Suggs, chair of NCCAT’s board of trustees, said in a news release that NCCAT will be reorganizing and shifting resources to best serve the teachers and schools of North Carolina.
“This is an opportunity for us to reinvent ourselves while remaining true to our vision of advancing teaching as an art and a profession,” Suggs said at a recent joint meeting of the NCCAT Board of Trustees and the Development Foundation of NCCAT. “We can still impact a large number of teachers with this budget.”
Elaine Franklin, executive director of NCCAT, said a budget cut of this magnitude made a reduction in the size of the organization unavoidable. The organization hopes to raise more in private funds and grants to help offset the losses. NCCAT’s new model will be characterized by a move toward greater diversity in terms of programming content, sources of funding and use of resources, she said.
“During this fiscal year, we will be transitioning to a new model for delivering NCCAT’s mission,” Franklin said.
By reducing the number of week-long residential seminars, where teachers from around the state travel to NCCAT to participate, the center will bring training directly to schools to provide a greater degree of outreach, Franklin said.
“Our goal is to maintain NCCAT’s reputation for high-quality professional development programs and services,” Suggs said, “but to do so in a way that is fiscally sound and supported by educational policy in the twenty-first century.”
— By Quintin Ellison
Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice and Palliative Care will hold a volunteer training series from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on July 25, 26, 27 and 28 at Balsam Mountain Inn.
This 12-hour program will help volunteers find their niche in hospice volunteerism. Volunteer opportunities include: patient and family support, companionship visits, respite care for caregivers, errands, bereavement support, delivering a rose to the family after death, office assistance, chaplaincy and other professional services, and events planning.
Pre-registration is required. 828.452.8578 for an application and more information.
Maggie Valley is now taking bids for improvements at Parham Park. Licensed grading contractors are welcome to submit construction bids for the project. The work will include grading, construction of a parking lot, and a walking trail.
Bids must be received by the town clerk at the Maggie Valley Town Hall until 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 20, at which time the bids will be publicly opened and read aloud. The envelopes with the bids must be sealed and addressed to the Town of Maggie Valley and designated as a “Construction Bid for Parham Park Improvements.”
The scope of the work and construction documents can be viewed at Town Hall or at www.townofmaggievalley.com. Performance and payment bonds are not required. No bids may be withdrawn after the scheduled closing time for the receipt of bid for a period of 60 days.
Farmers seeking assistance for crops damaged in 2009 have until Friday, July 29, to apply for help under the Revenue Assistance Payments Program (SURE).
SURE provides crop disaster assistance to eligible Swain and Jackson County producers on farms that lost crop production or quality.
To be eligible, producers must have suffered at least a 10 percent production loss on a crop of economic significance and have insurance under the Federal Crop Insurance Act or the Noninsured Crop Disaster Assistance Program.
The farm must also be in a county that was declared a primary disaster county or contiguous county by the Secretary of Agriculture or have actual production on a farm that was less than 50 percent of the normal production on the farm because of a natural disaster. For more information, visit the Swain/Jackson County FSA office or disaster.fsa.usda.gov.
Linda Seestedt-Stanford, who has been serving as Western Carolina University’s interim provost since last summer, is returning to her previous position as dean of the College of Health and Human Science to help the college make the transition into its new four-story, 160,000-square-foot building, a $46 million project featuring clinical and laboratory spaces, and offices and meeting areas for College of Health and Human Sciences programs that are currently located across four buildings.
New WCU Chancellor David O. Belcher appointed Beth Tyson Lofquist, associate provost, to serve as the new interim provost.
The Office of the Provost oversees every aspect of academics at WCU. The provost position has been held open in anticipation of a new chancellor taking the helm, with the job of hiring a permanent provost being deferred to the new administration. With Belcher now in place, the university will soon launch a national search for a permanent provost.
Lofquist became the university’s associate provost in 2008, She had been associate vice chancellor for academic affairs since 2005 and before that the head of the department of birth through kindergarten, elementary and middle grades education from 2002 to 2005.
She holds three degrees from WCU – a bachelor’s degree in early childhood education, a master’s degree in early childhood education and an educational specialist degree in intermediate education.
Middle and high school students can experience various digital media through Southwestern Community College with a week-long series July 18-21 in Cashiers. Students will learn about digital photography and videography, audio capture and editing, and web media, and develop several projects using free and easily available software.
The class meets from 10 a.m. until noon and costs $55. 828.339.4497.
Macon County’s first move after buying a canary-colored bright yellow building in downtown Franklin will be to paint it, probably an inoffensive brown, Commissioner Kevin Corbin said.
The building, appraised in value for more than $700,000 was purchased for about $300,000. It is located on the corner of Palmer and Patton streets.
United Community Bank ended up with the 10,000-square-foot building as the result of foreclosure proceedings.
“They were willing to make a good deal on it to get it off their books,” Corbin said this week. “Less than 50 cents on the dollar, and we had the available funds.”
The money will come from savings.
Initially, the plan is to house sheriff’s department detectives in the downtown property. They are currently working out of rented space, Corbin said. The county will be able to save on rent money and come out ahead in the long run.
There will still be space left over, but the county has not yet figured out what else it might put in the building.
There will be some wiring and other work needed to finish the building. The building is located next to the Macon County Emergency Medical Services building.
— By Quintin Ellison
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy recently announced that Asheville resident Lenny Bernstein, plus two other North Carolinians, have been elected to the group’s board of directors.
Bernstein, an active member and past president of the Carolina Mountain Club, is an Appalachian Trail 2000-miler (someone who has hiked the entire trail), and has been a trail maintainer for more than 20 years. He is a life member of the ATC. He currently chairs the Stewardship Council’s Land and Resource Protection Committee, which advises the board of directors on trail-management policies and programs. He has a Ph.D. in chemical engineering and had a 40-year career in the petroleum industry.
Clark Wright, a lawyer in New Bern, and Rich Daileader, a vice-president with Wells Fargo in Charlotte, have also been elected to the ATC’s 15-member board, whose members are elected to two-year terms.
A guided float down the Little Tennessee River will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, July 21, as part of the Highlands Biological Foundation’s “Think About Thursdays” summer event series.
Jenny Sanders of the Little Tennessee Watershed Association and Brent Martin of the Wilderness Society will guide the canoe trip. Learn about various aspects of the river, from the diverse flora and fauna of the Little Tennessee to its rich history and deep connections to the Cherokee.
The canoe trip will begin at Jerry Anselmo’s Great Smokey Mountains Fish Camp, and take out near the Rickman General Store in Cowee. Registration required; lunch is included in the $35 fee.
828.526.2221.
After 21 years of monitoring the health of the Little Tennessee Watershed, the group most responsible for that work will release a “State of the Streams” report.
The unveiling of this report by the Little Tennessee Watershed Association will take place Thursday, July 14, at a League of Women Voters of Macon County luncheon in Franklin.
The first edition of this report covered the years 1990-2002, and contained information about each major tributary in the watershed.
Jenny Sanders, executive director of LTWA, will present highlights from the report and explain how citizens can be involved in watershed protection.
The program will be held at Tartan Hall in Franklin and will begin at 12:15 p.m. Lunch is available at noon by reservation, for $5. The public is invited.
828.371.0527 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Want to give your daughter a taste of what it means to be an archaeologist?
Girls ages nine through 14 can participate in an upcoming SciGirls program called “Digging Archaeology: Techniques for Finding and Preserving the Past” at The Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in the Pisgah Forest from 6 to 8 p.m Tuesday, July 26.
It is part of the monthly SciGirls series at PARI, and is affiliated with a national effort to engage girls in science sponsored by Twin Cities Public Television.
The July SciGirls program will explore the documentation process for archaeology. Girls will examine tools and techniques used in archaeology, and have the opportunity to explore a citizen science project headed by National Geographic.
PARI hosts a SciGirls event the last Tuesday of each month. $10 per student.
Jason Mehler of Asheville crossed the finish line as the overall winner during the MedWest Triathlon held Saturday, July 9, at the Haywood Regional Medical Center Health and Fitness Center. Nicole Crane of Asheville was the overall female winner as more than 90 racers from as far away as Florida and Iowa took part in the 300-yard swim, 10.6-mile bike ride and 5K foot race.
COMPLETE RESULTS: www.leetiming.com/HT2011OPEN_OA.HTM
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Explore Balsam Mountain Preserve with two hikes this month, including to Jackson County’s most iconic and distinctive mountaintops. The 4,400-acre private eco-development between Waynesville and Sylva has 3,500 acres in conservation and a team of staff naturalists, who occasionally offer guided hikes and programs for the public.
• The first is the Double Top Mountain hike from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. July 23.
The Double Top hike is a 1.2-mile jaunt that begins at 4,700 feet and ends on the peak of Double Top at 5,481 feet. This moderately strenuous hike is less than 3 miles round trip, but includes frequent nature interpretive stops and time for lunch at the summit. The hike is limited to 20 participants, and costs $5 per person. Bring drinking water, lunch and raingear. A high-clearance vehicle is suggested if carpooling to the trailhead is needed.
• The second is a Balsam Mountain Trust Tour showcasing trees from 10 a.m. until noon on July 30. The “Magnificent Trees” survey highlights the 75 or so tree species in Balsam Mountain Preserve. This will be a combination walking/auto expedition to learn about native trees, led by Ron Lance, a botanical author and forest ecologist. The group will see some record-setting tree giants, including a 78-foot serviceberry. Ages 10 and older. The trip is limited to 20 participants, and costs $5 per person.
828.631.1060.
There are opportunities abound for amateur photographers in the region, from the very youngest to those more advanced in years. Here’s a quick roundup of what’s going on:
• Monday, July 18: An outdoor photography for beginners’ class will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., covering the basics of nature photography, including how to use effective composition. The program is free and open to ages 12 and up. Spaces are limited, however, and pre-registration is required. 828.877.4423 or www.ncwildlife.org for more information and directions.
• Tuesday, July 19: Youth photography workshop from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. through the Carolinas Nature Photographers Association at the Forest Discovery Center at the Cradle of Forestry for ages eight through 12. Workshop leaders will coach participants on composition, close-up, and animal photography. They will also discuss depth of field, f-stops, lighting and landscape photography.
The workshop is limited to 12 children and will be held rain or shine. The cost is $4 per child. Bring a packed snack or lunch is welcome.
• Friday, July 29: A close-up outdoor photography class will be presented from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Designed for the advanced beginner, this class focuses on equipment and techniques. The program is free and open to ages 12 and up. Spaces are limited, and pre-registration is required. Call 828.877.4423 or www.ncwildlife.org for more information and directions.
• Once you’ve gotten all those skills, show them off through “The Wildlife in North Carolina” magazine annual photo competition. Entries are being accepted until Sept. 1.
Photos will be judged in 10 categories: birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians, invertebrates, wild landscapes, wild plants including fungi, outdoor recreation, animal behavior, youth photographer 13-17, and youth photographer 12 and under. Last year’s competition included 1,270 photographers and 5,511 entries.
Winners will be published in the January/February issue of “Wildlife in North Carolina,” with the grand prize image appearing on the cover. The winners will also be exhibited at the Museum of Natural Sciences and at other science museums and wildlife education centers across the state.
Western Carolina University has won a $5,000 grant from a bicycle parts manufacturer to support construction of a multi-use, community trail system on campus.
Motion Makers Bicycle Shop in Sylva helped WCU land the grant from Specialized Bicycle Components based in California, which supports “advocacy initiatives” endorsed by its retail dealers.
“The grant from Specialized is significant because it will not only go toward the construction costs for the trail system, but also provide seed money to help us qualify for other grants,” said Josh Whitmore, director of outdoor programs at WCU.
The first phase of the project is construction of a five-mile loop trail to be built near (and connect to) WCU’s nearly completed Health and Human Sciences Building. In total, the trail will cost $80,000 to construct.
“This trail — and any new trails in Jackson County — will increase accessibility to trails right here in our community and attract walkers, hikers, mountain bikers and other trail uses,” said Kent Cranford, owner of Motion Makers Bicycle Shop.
Whitmore cited the recent formation of the Nantahala Area chapter of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association, a nonprofit organization committed to promoting land access, trail preservation and new trail development, as important for helping win financial support. The new chapter is focused on enhancing trails in far Western North Carolina, including the WCU area.
Creating a master plan for the WCU multi-use trail project was funded with a $14,440 grant from the Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation. As part of the initiative, the trail system ultimately would link to the planned Jackson County Greenway along the Tuckasegee River.
Before you go gallivanting about hunting or fishing on private property, be aware that a new law passed by the N.C. General Assembly requires hunters and anglers to carry written permission from a landowner or leaseholder when on posted property.
This includes private land, waters, ponds or legally established waterfowl blinds.
The new law also provides a new and perhaps easier way for landowners to post their land: vertical purple paint marks on posts or trees. Landowners can still use signs or posters declaring the land off limits to trespassing or hunting.
Written consent to hunt, fish or trap on posted lands (dated within the past 12 months and signed by the landowner, leaseholder or agent of that land) must be carried. If a hunting club is involved, you need to carry a copy of the club membership and a copy of the landowner permission granted to that hunting club.
The Landowner Protection Act goes into effect Oct. 1. View www.ncwildlife.org/HotTopics/documents/Landowner_Ad.pdf for detailed instructions on posting property with signs or purple paint.
Learn to float your boat safely at a July 18-19 boating safety course at Haywood Community College.
The program is through the college’s Natural Resources Division and the North
Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. They will take place from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. in Room 309 on the HCC campus. Participants must attend two consecutive evenings to receive certification.
These courses are offered as a community service and are free of charge. There are no age limits, but pre-registration is required.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.627.4560.
The novel A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons is the next book up for discussion in the series Discovering the Literary South from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on July 14 at the Waynesville Library. The book is available free of charge at the library and the scholar who will lead the discussion is Dr. Merritt Moseley of UNC-A.
Dr. Moseley’s teaching interests include English and American literature as well as the art of the novel. The discussions will be held in the library auditorium. Refreshments will be served.
For more information call 828.456.5311 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Bob Graham, former U.S. senator and former Florida governor will be in Sylva next week to promote his first novel, Keys to the Kingdom. Graham will present the new book, a political thriller, at 4 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library Complex.
The novel follows the murder of a fictional senator on the Sept. 11 congressional inquiry commission and subsequent hunt for justice by an ex-Special Forces operative the senator confided in.
The reading is co-sponsored by City Lights Bookstore and the Jackson County Public Library and is free and open to the public. 828.586.9499.
Cherokee cookbook author and Native American food expert Johnnie Sue Myers will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville at 3 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, signing her new book, The Gathering Place: Traditional Cherokee Dishes, Wild Game Recipes & Preparation Tips and Southern Appalachian Cooking.
Myers’ cookbook contains recipes for traditional dishes such as Cherokee bean bread, apple stack cake and Indian tacos with fry bread. Myers also includes instructions on how to prepare bear, rabbit, raccoon, squirrel, groundhog and wild turkey.
828.456.6000.
Whittier resident and author Patricia Graham will read from her book, Hillbilly Tales from the Smoky Mountains, at 7 p.m. on Friday, July 15 at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva.
The book includes several short stories based on the folklore of the Appalachian Mountains. The book offers hillbilly sayings and proverbs that go hand-in-hand with mountain medicine. Part two includes “The Return to Green Cove,” a short but dramatic story written by one of the original descendants of the Crowe family, Ms. Verna Humphrey. A discussion and signing will follow the reading.
The sale features DVDs, CDs, vinyl, puzzles, books on tape/CDs, and of course books in every category. More than 50,000 books will be on sale. In addition to some specially priced higher quality, rare or unique books, most hardcover, soft covers and trade paperbacks cost $1. The children’s books range from 50 cents up. Hours of the sale are: Thursday, July 28, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Friday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Saturday, July 30, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
As hard as the Friends works to try to sell everything, there are usually several thousand books left. The Friends of the Library invites non-profit groups to contact it about books they might like for their causes. Donations of gently used books may be made at any time until the first of July. Transportation may be arranged for pick up of large donations by calling Sandy Denman at 828.627.2370.
To the Editor:
American students still aren’t learning their country’s history. In the latest National Assessment of Educational Programs, only 12 percent of high school seniors knew what they should. Even with the text before them, barely 2 percent understood that Brown v. Board of Education dealt with segregated schools. Most didn’t know that we fought against China during the Korean War.
Ignorant students make ignorant voters. Worse, some of them grow up to run for public office. One is even a candidate for president.
Some of Michelle Bachmann’s oft-reported historical flubs — such as claiming to share a hometown with John Wayne or placing Concord and Lexington in New Hampshire instead of Massachusetts — might appear to be harmless. They are not. They show her not to care whether what she says is true and unwilling to admit that she might have been wrong. This is beyond ignorance; it’s a character flaw.
The worst was her claim that the founding fathers “worked tirelessly until slavery was no more.”
The reverse was true. Some founders detested slavery but the majority either approved it or went along. They even embedded it into the Constitution, which the abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison called “a convenant with death and an agreement with hell.” It took the Civil War to end slavery, more than a generation after the last of the founders had died.
People who do not know this history comprehend nothing of how the United States came to be what it is. They tend to cling to the fiction that slavery was somehow incidental to the Civil War rather than the cause of it. And thus they fail to understand the racism that rationalized slavery and haunts the nation even today. The White House is no place for such ignorance.
Confronted with the facts, on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Bachmann refused to face them. She cited John Quincy Adams as a “founding father” who fought slavery. He opposed it, yes, but he wasn’t a founder. He was a youth when his father, John Adams, became a founder.
Given the indifference to history in American schools — a neglect fostered by the overemphasis on standardized — it is not surprising to find politicians who couldn’t pass an immigrant’s citizenship exam.
So let’s test the politicians too. In every campaign, one debate should be reserved for questions on American history, with professors rather than pundits comprising the panel. Who knows? Bachmann might not be the only candidate who flunks.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
To the Editor:
As the saying goes, “if you repeat a lie often enough people will begin to believe it.” Such is the case with the fears being raised about Social Security going bankrupt because the boomer generation (born 1946-1964) will place too heavy demands on the system as they retire.
Here are the facts:
• The boomers have been paying into the system since they started working in the early 1960s. Much of the money they draw from Social Security is and will be their own money, and they are entitled to it.
• Social Security costs are funded out of its own dedicated revenue stream. It does not and by law cannot borrow money to finance its operations. There is no deficit financing. Social Security is the epitome of old fashioned American frugality!
• Social Security is extremely well managed. The administrative cost is .09 percent. That is, it returns more than 99 cents to beneficiaries on every dollar collected. What private retirement plan can boast of that? Beware of efforts to privatize Social Security!
• At the end of 2010 the Social Security trust fund had a positive balance of $2.6 trillion. From interest earned on the trust fund, its surplus will continue to expand to about $3.67 trillion at the end of 2022. Only then will the balance begin to decline.
• But reserves will still be enough to pay full benefits through 2036, and 77 percent of benefits thereafter. Since when is a program that is completely solvent for 25 years bad news?
• Thus, Social Security is decidedly not going broke! It is the most effective and most responsible government program we have. Contrast it, for example, with the waste, inefficiency and failure to care adequately for our veterans of the Department of Defense!
Doug Wingeier
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Some contrarian commentary is in order about Colby Dunn’s news and opinion piece (and it was both) in the July 6 issue of The Smoky Mountain News concerning Pastor Daniel “Cowboy” Stewart’s graduation speech at the Nantahala School’s commencement ceremony (“Cowboy preacher delivers maverick graduation speech,” www.smokymountainnews.com/news/item/4345.)
First, while I have no problem with a reporter expressing an opinion in print, I would submit that if he or she does so the article needs to explicitly be designated “opinion” or “analysis,” or alternatively that the writer make clear her or his political/ philosophical/religious convictions to enable the reader more easily to evaluate the content. By way of example, I am a fiscally and socially conservative Christian of orthodox Catholic confession who believes that the Constitution (1) both prohibits the state establishment of religion and the suppression of religiously-based speech and (2) that it contains no protection for those human touch-me-nots who can’t deal with being made uncomfortable by what someone else has to say. Such a self-identification may save fiscally and socially liberal people of unorthodox religious persuasion who believe in a “living constitution” from a rise in blood pressure caused by reading what follows, which could result in a premature and unprepared confrontation with ultimate reality.
Second, as noted in the story, Pastor Stewart was chosen by the students themselves to be their graduation speaker. Arguably, this makes him their agent rather than an “outside speaker” imposing his views on them without their consent either on his own behalf or on behalf of another external agency (such as the school administration). If so, the argument against his speech is an argument against the speech of those who engaged him, to the extent that prohibiting him from speaking would be a restraint not only of his right to free speech, but of the graduates’ right as well.
Third, the citation of former Justice O’Connor’s dictum that “we do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment” is rather ironic, given that under current jurisprudence that is exactly what we do in determining what constitutes obscenity (another First Amendment issue). It seems that while “community standards” (invariably ascertained by some sort of majority) are determinative in obscenity cases, they are to allowed no weight at all when religious expression on government property (maintained by the tax dollars of all citizens of whatever religion) is concerned. One might be forgiven for thinking that, on this reading, some rights recognized in the First Amendment are more equal than others.
Fourth, the article uses, both by composition and quotation, several “spin words” that go a long way from converting a straight news report into an undesignated opinion piece. For example, Pastor Stewart is represented as having been selected, not “to speak,” but rather “to pontificate.” The speakers at Macon County’s other high school graduations are described as “benign secular appointments,” which both (1) implies – I suspect intentionally – that Pastor Stewart’s was malign and sectarian and (2) associates the concept of benignity with that of secularity without bothering to examine the content of the other speeches to see if, indeed, they were “benign” (which here seems to mean “a decent speech” whose “pleasant advice fades quickly into the background”).
Fifth, it would not be outside the realm of possibility that the uproar in the local journalistic subculture — and, let’s face it, it does seem to be largely confined to that segment of the regional community — is really rooted in an objection to the implications of what Pastor Stewart said and that SMN’s editors thought outrageous enough to highlight on the page: “The devil is out to destroy you, to tie you up.” This implies something that the functionally atheistic secularist mind cannot bear even to consider, in spite of all the evidence that supports it: namely, that humanity as a whole and each member of it has a malicious, highly intelligent and personal enemy who from the beginning has been out to destroy it, usually by representing himself as the one who lights the way out what he defines as bondage into what he persuades us is untrammeled freedom and self-actualization — one who invites us to a dinner at which, only after we arrive, we realize that we are not guests but items on the menu — trussed up like a roast shoat with the apple in its teeth.
Samuel L. Edwards
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Duke Energy Carolinas (DEC) ignited a firestorm over its request to the North Carolina Utilities Commission (NCUC) to raise electric rates an average of 15 percent in order to collect an additional $646 million from customers to pay for investments in power plants and infrastructure.
Instead of being upset with DEC, customers should be upset with President Obama and his zealotry against carbon-based energy sources like coal and oil. In January 2008, then-presidential candidate Obama told the San Francisco Chronicle, “under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket.” That prediction is starting to come true.
Cap and trade didn’t pass Congress, but Obama’s 17,000 bureaucrats in the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) are accomplishing the same result by generating thousands of pages of new regulations based on new interpretations of the 1970 Clean Air Act. These new regulations add billions of dollars in additional costs for companies like DEC that generate nearly half their electricity from coal-fired plants.
For example, DEC’s new Cliffside #6 coal-fired plant, which goes on-line in 2012, has taken four years to construct and cost $2.4 billion in order to meet EPA’s stringent air quality standards. DEC is also building two new gas-fired generating plants at a cost of $1.4 billion.
So DEC has spent $3.8 billion over just four years to replace generating units which couldn’t be economically updated to meet the EPA’s new standards. This cost can be paid from one source — customers’ pockets.
Customers should also be upset with the state of North Carolina which has mandated, that by 2021 all power companies must generate 12.5 percent of their electricity from “green” sources — wind, solar, hog and chicken waste, etc. This mandate will add additional generation costs.
DEC has been a responsible corporate citizen. Its electric rates are determined by the N.C. Utilities Commission to return a state-mandated 10 to 12 percent profit. DEC’s current electric rate is 18 percent below the Southeast’s average, and considerably below the average in many other states. In 2007, DEC lowered its rates by 6 percent. In 2009, DEC requested a 12.6 percent increase and was granted a 7 percent increase over two years. That was their first hike since 1991.
The NCUC will determine over the next six months what DEC’s rates will be through public hearings and examination of DEC’s financial data. If you don’t want your electric rates continuing to soar over the coming years, I suggest you convince your state and federal legislators, and the president, that you want regulations mandating “green” sources, and excessive EPA air quality standards be changed to make economic sense.
I have no relationship with DEC, but I will defend its right to recover legitimate costs.
Vic Drummond
Franklin
To the Editor:
In response to “Strange at best – tacky at worst” (Smoky Mountain News, June 22 edition), I was confused by the statement that read “When it was done, Democrats William Shelton, Tom Massie and Brian McMahan were gone; Elders, Cody and Debnam were in.”
I took that to mean that Shelton, Massie and McMahan were no longer on the plaque. A misreading on my part that is indicative of the confusion that can occur over these sensitive issues.
So I called County Manager Chuck Wooten this morning to ask for clarification on the plaque. The plaque will list all five commissioners who were on board in 2010 and all five who are currently serving.
I do find all of these plaques troubling, however. To me there should be one plaque only. It should read “Dedicated to the Citizens of Jackson County: Past, Present, and Future” with the date of the dedication ceremony.
This would get rid of all political connotations and give credit where credit is due.
Linda Watson
Cullowhee
The Basulto Academy of Defense in downtown Waynesville has expanded its schedule of its Brazilian Jiu Jitsu program to include more classes in the sport of Vale Tudo. Also known as No-Holds-Barred or as Mixed-Martial Arts, the term Vale Tudo means “anything goes” and its roots are part of the Brazilian fight culture from which the world-reknown martial art of Gracie Jiu Jitsu spawned in Rio de Janiero. MMA has evolved into one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. The academy is located at 218 Branner Avenue, Waynesville, NC. www.wncbjj.com or 828.230.5056.
A new bed and breakfast has opened in downtown Waynesville. Twin Maples Farm house is located two blocks off of downtown at 65 North Hill Street. Nestled on three acres of lush country land, yet located just two blocks off historic downtown Waynesville, Twin Maples features a 1908 Farmhouse and a separate renovated stable that is the perfect backdrop for any special event. Twin Maples is available for weddings, receptions, family reunions, luncheons, corporate meetings and retreats. 828.452.4228 or www.twinmaplesfarmhouse.com
Harrah’s Casino has partnered with Southwestern Community College to provide free GED training to Harrah’s employees.
Classes are taught at the casino from 2-9 p.m. Thursdays and from 3-8 p.m. Mondays at SCC’s Cherokee Center.
Travis Boisclair, a table games host, dropped out of high school in the 10th grade.
“At Harrah’s they give you the chance to move up with the corporation, but you can’t if you don’t have your GED,” he explained. He said that he is getting his GED to set an example for his son. “Mainly what I want him to learn is don’t give up,” said Boisclair.
“It’s not your traditional classroom,” said SCC Instructor Jean Bockstahler. “Here, everyone operates on their own strengths and weaknesses — and at their own pace.” 828.497.8886
The Mountain View Garden Club held its third biannual “A Celebration of Herbs” at the Laurel Ridge Country Club on June 20. Proceeds that were raised from the event will be donated to The Homestead, an inpatient hospice center currently under construction on property adjacent to the MedWest-Haywood hospital campus in Clyde. A total of about $7,000 was raised through the brunch and the auction. The money will be used to purchase plants, shrubs and trees for the gardens at The Homestead, which will allow residents to continue to experience nature by utilizing French doors to access an outdoor patio with perennial and annual flowers and plants as well as deciduous and evergreen shrubs and trees.
The Rye Holler Boys will perform a concert of bluegrass, old-time country and gospel music at 3 p.m. on Sunday, July 17, at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Immediately following the concert there will be a reception for 16 members of Blue Ridge Watermedia Society who have artwork on exhibit at the Center for the Arts. Both the concert and the reception free of charge.
The Rye Holler Boys is a group of four young men who have risen to local and regional fame. They will perform a concert of some of their favorite mountain music inspired by older bluegrass traditions, as well as newer sounds.
Following the concert, everyone is invited for light refreshments in the lobby of Swain County Center for the Arts provided by the 16 exhibiting members of Blue Ridge Watermedia Society. The 47 works of art on exhibit includes watercolor, acrylic, oil and mixed media paintings, several baskets and graphite drawings.
The concert and exhibit are free and open to the public. 828.488.7843 or visit www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.
A cowgirl, a diva and a shameless hussy, a trio of performing songwriters, bring their combination of humor and original country, jazz, blues and pop to the Balsam Mountain Inn at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 21.
Many will recognize their singles, performed by country legends such as Garth Brooks and Alabama. These three ladies will inspire, empower and entertain with their music, wit and stories about men, love and dating, surviving cancer and the power of the spirit.
800.224.9498.
Beau Bristow, a singer-songwriter native to rural Alabama, will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 14, at Western Carolina University. Bristow seeks to connect with members of the audience through candid, powerful lyrics and guitar performance. The show takes place on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center and is part of WCU’s 2011 Summer Concert Series.
828.227.3622 or visit events.wcu.edu.
Country music star Trace Adkins will perform at 9 p.m on Friday, July 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino.
Adkins debuted in 1996 with the album “Dreamin’ Out Loud.” Since then, he has released seven more studio albums and two greatest hits compilations. In addition, he has charted more than 20 singles on the Billboard country music charts.
Adkins will perform tunes from his latest album, “Cowboy’s Back in Town,” as well as his well-known numbers.
Tickets are available at www.ticketmaster.com or 800.745.3000. Must be 21 years of age or older to attend.
The second show of the Highlands Playhouse’s 73rd season is set to open on Thursday, July 17.
“Harvey,” a play about Elwood P. Dowd, who claims to have an unseen — and presumably imaginary — friend named Harvey, a six-foot-tall rabbit. The play won a Pulitzer Prize for drama, and was made into a film starring James Stewart.
Frank Collison is starring as Elwood. Collison has been seen in recent films including “The Happening,” “The Village,” and “O Brother, Where Art Thou.”
Tickets are on sale now for this limited run, July 14 to 17 and July 19 to 24. 828.526.2695.
Come tour the Ogilvie Home, a multi-million dollar home with spectacular mountain vistas, in Highlands from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Friday to Sunday, July 15 to 17.
Tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and include a tour, raffle and door prizes.
Proceeds will benefit the Highlands Playhouse.
Jim Curry, performing the music of the late John Denver, will take the stage of the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, July 15.
“Take Me Home: The Music of John Denver Starring Jim Curry” is a tribute performance. Curry captures the essence of Denver’s music, featuring many former John Denver band members and back-up singers. He will perform many of Denver’s multi-platinum hits like “Rocky Mountain High,” “Annie’s Song” and “Country Roads.”
Tickets are $20. 866.273.4615 or visit GreatMountainMusic.com.
The Patton String Band is set to perform at 7 p.m. on July 14, at the Macon County Public Library. The group will play old-time traditional mountain tunes, as well as country and gospel songs.
Thursdays at the Library is an eclectic mixture of programs by authors and musicians. For more information, call 828.524.3600 or visit www.fontanalib.org.
The Farewell Drifters will perform at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center. The Farewell Drifters combine elements of bluegrass with classic folk and acoustic American music.
The concert is preceded by two dinner seatings at 5 and 6:15 p.m. served family style at the Stecoah Kitchen.
828.479.3364 or visit www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.
The Haywood Community Band will present its third performance in the Maggie Valley Concert Series at 6:30 p.m. on July 17 in the pavilion adjacent to the Maggie Valley Town Hall.
The concert is sponsored by the Maggie Valley Civic Association and the theme for this concert will be “Patriotic Tunes,” and will feature popular melodies such as America the Beautiful, Armed Forces Salute, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boys, and God Bless America.
In addition, the band will play music written by band member Mike McDonald, Pickett’s Charge, commemorating a Confederate Infantry assault on Union forces at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Concerts are free. For more information, visit www.haywoodcommunityband.org or call Rhonda Wilson Kram at 828.456.4880 or Bob Hill at 828.452.7530.
