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Experience a “TASTE of LOCAL” at Ingles Markets in Asheville — 1865 Hendersonville Road. Thursday, August 13th 3:30 - 6:00
The Dillsboro Arts & Crafts Market will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, on Front Street in downtown.
The second annual Best of Controlled Chaos Film Festival will be held Saturday, Aug. 15, at the Martin Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands.
The Blueberry Festival will be held fro 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Cherokee Indian Fair Ground.
To the Editor:
Dear House and Senate national representatives:
Are you going to allow Obama to precipitate another constitutional crisis without some sort of consequences to himself?
As reported widely — only after it was a done deal — U.S. ambassador to the UN Samantha Power chose to raise the issue of Iran’s continuing human rights violations. These were avoided during the negotiations, when the U.S. had leverage. Now, like bringing the deal to Congress, this is all for show.
Mr. Representatives, from what has been reported widely, what Obama is doing is blatantly unconstitutional and illegal.
Obama can call this abomination an agreement all he wants. Poppycock! The bottom line is that it is a treaty between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran. Treaties between the U.S. and other countries MUST be ratified (or not) by the Congress.
These unconstitutional actions have been going on far too long by Obama. As reported widely in the media, both his administrations have been replete with one scandal after another and felonies too numerous to list,committed by himself or his henchmen.
Isn’t it time that he was removed from office for his numerous crimes? Isn’t it time that Obama and the other criminals in (and the ones who have resigned or been forced to resign) his administrations be brought before the bar of justice and the legal process ending in incarceration for their crimes against the American people begins? Or are we so far into the interregnum that the rule of law no longer applies and we are truly living under the rule of man? I demand to see some leadership on this issue — soon. Otherwise, there’s always “An Appeal to Heaven.”
Carl Iobst
Cullowhee
To the Editor:
I am a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee who has not lived in Cherokee since 2006. I now live in northwest Montana but am hoping the new leadership in Cherokee will bring transparency into Tribal government.
I appreciated your article about openness in Cherokee in last week’s edition.
I grew up in Cherokee and have been proud to be Tribal member. I moved home in 2006, and I bought a cabin in the woods off the main road. I went to work for the casino, and when I wasn’t working I stayed home, sewed and made jewelry. My motto was, “hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil!” Know that what you say in any small community can be misinterpreted, especially when you’re related to half the people there. Just wanted to count my blessings and enjoy my semi-retirement.
I am an advocate for animal rights and found out there is still a bear concession in Cherokee. Thought when PETA came in they shut them all down? Found out there is the “Cherokee Bear Zoo,” with the bears living in concrete pits. I am horrified and ashamed as a Tribal member. This is not part of our culture.
I have been blessed in my professional life working for the federal government and have visited tribes and tribal communities all over the U.S. in my position as a project specialist. I have never heard of another tribe or community that supported this kind of facility that houses wild animals. I am ashamed and embarrassed for my tribe.
Ann Sneed
Montana
To the Editor:
Since the proposed Shining Rock Classical Academy Charter School has been in the news lately, I would like to offer the following thoughts.
I truly believe that the parents and organizers of the school want what they consider best for their children. Children are indeed precious, and I think all of us who have children want to see them off to a good start, to succeed and to have happy and fulfilling lives. I also believe that the impetus for the school has been the concern that the public school may not provide enough enriching experiences for bright students.
My response to this concern is that my three children (all in college or beyond) have excelled academically in the public school system, the only limit to their achievements being the level of their desire. Moreover, I strongly feel they profited from their contact with the broad range of backgrounds of their classmates. They all developed friendships with students from quite diverse homes, and this has led them to become better citizens, and to develop more mature perspectives.
Of course my wife and I did our best to supplement what the public school provides, with travel, books, and a variety of educational experiences. These indeed are a responsibility and even a duty of all parents, but the Haywood County School System does have an obligation as well to provide enriched experiences for the gifted students that would profit from them. The current cutbacks in funding have hurt the ability to provide more than they currently do.
I think the public has several concerns about the charter school, some of which I share. The first of these is that it smacks of elitism, and that the students of the charter school are somehow superior. There is already so much polarization in our country that this is a dangerous idea to foster, and one which leads to hostility and misunderstanding.
Another concern is that the charter school will take desperately needed funds from the public schools and uses it in ways that may be inefficient and even experimental.
Finally, there is concern that by funneling off bright and well-prepared students, it impoverishes the public school experience for all. I would add that the quality of education is diminished as well for gifted students who are sequestered with other gifted students, as it deprives them of real world context for their learning. Rubbing shoulders with children that come from all walks of life can only give students from more advantaged homes a greater sense of the diversity of their community and their place in it.
In closing, it is apparent that the organizers of the Charter School have expended considerable activity and money on this project. I would venture that had they spent the same effort on enriching the public school experience, they would be further along toward their goals. I would hope to see them reconsider, and invest in the excellent school system we have now, and use their talent and energy to contribute, rather than to divide.
And if they should do so, I believe their children, and Haywood County, will do very well.”
Billy Dinwiddie
Waynesville
It’s that time again — get together your best garden produce and crafty handiwork to enter in the Haywood County Fair, this year scheduled for Aug. 25 to 31.
Several local teenagers were among those who recently completed a six-week internship in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Fears that the bird flu could spread to North Carolina have prompted the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to take measures to prevent that happening.
All poultry owners — even those who keep just a few chickens in the backyard — must register for an N.C. Farm I.D. number. The goal is to make it easier for the department to alert poultry owners in the event of an outbreak. Anyone who is already part of the National Poultry Improvement Plan is exempt from the requirement. www.ncagr.gov/ncfarmid/index.htm
No poultry shows, live bird sales or poultry swap meets will be allowed from Aug. 15 to Jan. 15, 2016. This includes county fairs, meaning that neither the Haywood nor the Macon County fairs will include poultry shows this year.
The flu, though not found to affect human health or food safety, has wreaked havoc on poultry farms in the 21 states where it’s been found so far. At this point it hasn’t reached the East Coast, but as it’s thought to be carried by migratory fowl, Officials are bracing for possible introduction during fall migration.
Emerald ash borers recently found in a Graham County trap mark the invasive insect’s first appearance in Western North Carolina since it was first discovered in the United States in 2002.
The finding triggered quarantine rules for the county: no hardwood firewood can be taken out of the county, nor can plant parts of ash trees. Only firewood treated by an approved method such as kiln heating can taken out of the county.
“This is a devastating pest to ash trees, eventually killing the trees where the insects are found,” said N.C. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler.
The emerald ash borer lays its eggs underneath the bark of ash trees, where the larvae then hatch and create tunnels in the living part of the tree before emerging as adults. Affected ash trees display a loss of leaves, increased woodpecker activity and clumps of shoots emerging from their trunks. The beetles have caused the decline and death of tens of millions of trees across the country.
The N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will put purple, triangle-shaped traps out during early August to monitor for the ash borer’s presence in other counties. While Graham is the first WNC county where it’s been found, it is present on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and in 11 other North Carolina counties down east.
Improvements to the crowded trailhead parking on the east side of Panthertown Valley, a recreation area in the Nantahala National Forest outside Cashiers, are underway.
The main trailhead on the Transylvania side of Panthertown is limited to make-shift parking along the side of a gravel road. The new parking area will create up to 12 designated spaces.
“On super peak days people are parked all along the shoulder of the road. This should relieve some of that pressure. It may not park everybody on peak times, but on normal days, it should provide adequate parking that doesn’t encumber the roadway like it does now,” said Matt McCombs, spokesperson for the national forests in Western North Carolina.
Parking on the road shoulder will still be a necessity on summer weekends given the volume of waterfall-seeking hikers.
The access road to the trailhead will be closed weekdays through Aug. 14.
The project is a cooperative effort between Friends of Panthertown and the U.S. Forest Service and uses a grant from the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Division of Parks and Recreation. 828.524.6441.
A plan to guide wildlife management in North Carolina for the next 10 years is being developed and public input sought.
The plan outlines threats to species of concern and their habitats, as well as possible measures to address those threats.
The current North Carolina Wildlife Action Plan dates back to 2005, Federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, conservation stakeholders and members of the public were all involved in creating it.
Features of the revised plan that differ from the 2005 version include:
- Including global warming as a threat for species and habitats.
- A ranking proccess for conservation status, risk and needs of various species.
- Better access on varying electronic platforms.
- An evaluation process for prioritizing species for conservation, research and management. Some types of ocean species and insects that were not included in the last plan were added in this version.
- Improved habitat descriptions of 12 aquatic, eight wetland, 21 terrestrial and 17 river basin habitats.
- Specific threats for each habitat and recommendations for each.
The plan is online at www.ncwildlife.org/conserving/2015wildlifeactionplan.aspx. Send comments by Aug. 18. to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The body of a missing Haywood County man was found in Richland Creek near Lake Junaluska on Aug. 3.
Johnnie Rathbone, 67, of Mauney Cove Road in Waynesville, was reported missing by family members Monday morning after not having heard from him since Saturday. During routine patrol, a deputy found Rathbone’s car around 2:45 p.m. at a parking area off U.S. 19 near Lake Junaluska golf course.
Search and rescue personnel discovered Rathbone’s body around 5 p.m. in Richland Creek about 200 yards from his car. An autopsy will be performed to verify cause of death.
A child from Macon County has been diagnosed with La Crosse Viral Encephalitis according to Macon County Health Director Jim Bruckner.
The child is home and recovering from symptoms, but Bruckner said it is important for everyone to take necessary precautions to prevent mosquito-borne illnesses.
“La Crosse Encephalitis is actually the most common mosquito-borne illness in North Carolina, and is found predominantly in the western part of the state,” said Bruckner.
Two other mosquito-borne diseases, Eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus, are also found in North Carolina. While Eastern equine encephalitis is found largely in the eastern part of the state, West Nile virus is found statewide.
Donald Dewhurst, M.D. of Macon County Public Health said La Crosse symptoms occur from a few days up to two weeks after being bitten by an infected mosquito. These symptoms include fever, headache, nausea and vomiting. There may be neurologic symptoms such as confusion or loss of balance and in more severe cases, convulsions or coma may occur. Children and the elderly are the most susceptible to the disease.
A former Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstructing justice following an Oct. 25 party that involved underage drinking and led to charges of statutory rape against two other men.
A Jackson County detention officer was fired this summer after firing a Taser gun on a coworker.
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern
When Chad Arnold pulled into War Paint Kennels during fall bear season in 2011, Jerry Parker pegged him as just another flat-lander willing to fork out big dough to bag a bear.
QUESTION: Are chickens given steroids?
ANSWER: NO!
Despite what you may have heard from that TV celebrity doctor, the fearmongering food blogger, or even a well-intentioned neighbor; chickens in the United States are not given hormones (steroids) to promote their growth, and in fact it’s illegal.
A 1-mile race through downtown Waynesville on Friday, Aug. 21, will benefit the Shriners Hospitals for Children in Greenville, S.C.
Several Franklin property owners have made it a priority to garden with wildlife in mind, earning recognition from the National Wildlife Federation as Certified Wildlife Habitats.
Following in the footsteps of the Franklin Garden Club at Clock Tower and Rankin Square, the Historical Society Museum and Franklin Gem and Mineral Museum have attained certification along with the UPS Store at Franklin Plaza, which may be the tiniest and busiest little green space in the entire state.
To qualify, gardens must provide wildlife with food, water, cover and a place to raise their young. They must also employ sustainable gardening techniques, such as use of native plants an limited water consumption.
Easy to get started with a birdbath, some shrubbery for cover and food, hanging a birdfeeder and birdhouse and watch to see the little creatures arrive,” said Franklin resident Debby Boots. “This is a good project for any church or school group who wants to help and learn more about wildlife.”
www.nwf.org/How-to-Help/Garden-for-Wildlife/Certify-Your-Wildlife-Garden.aspx
The animals of Balsam Mountain Trust will make the rounds next week in a pair of library programs in Waynesville and Sylva.
Fans of solar are invited to toast the success of a solar energy initiative launched in the mountains this spring with a celebration beginning 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at Innovation Brewing in Sylva.
Solarize WNC has held seven community education forums in Jackson, Macon, Haywood and Swain counties in recent months, causing 53 people sign up for energy efficiency evaluations and contractor estimates, with some following through on solar installations. Innovation Brewing is one such business.
Solarize WNC, a collaboration of The Canary Coalition and Clean Energy for North Carolina, is an initiative to educate people on the hows, whys and wheres of solar energy and to bring them in contact with pre-vetted companies that provide those services. The initiative also negotiates lower installation prices and free estimates for its members.
The afternoon at Innovation Brewing will feature a beer specially brewed for the occasion by brewmaster Chip Owen, and members of Solarize WNC and Clean Energy for N.C. to supply printed materials and answer questions. Owen and co-owner Nichole Dexter will be around to show off the solar work being done to their business.
Innovation, 828.586.9678 or Solarize WNC, 828.631.3447 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.cleanenergyfor.us/clean-energy-for-wnc
Renowned storyteller Donald Davis will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, in Stuart Auditorium at Lake Junaluska.
The 10th annual Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation “Dog Walk” will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Haywood County Courthouse in Waynesville.
The seventh annual Mountain High BBQ Festival and Car Show will be held Aug. 7-8 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center in Franklin. Gates will be open from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday.
The second annual Richard’s Run 5K will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 1, at the Cataloochee Guest Ranch in Maggie Valley.
The event is named in memory of Richard Coker, a beloved member of the ranch family, who lost his battle with brain cancer in December 2013 at the age of 55. The trail run will cross the ranch grounds near the border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, with Hemphill Bald, one of Coker’s favorite places, as a dramatic backdrop.
There will be awards for the winners, with live music by the Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass). Nicholson is the mandolinist for Balsam Range, the 2014 IBMA “Entertainer of the Year.”
Registration is $25.
Americana/bluegrass act Through the Hills will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Legendary group The Charlie Daniels Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
Merlefest songwriting contest winners Zoe & Cloyd will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 30, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.
To the Editor:
House Speaker John Boehner boasted in a mass e-mail that he had gotten ahead of President Obama in ordering flags at the Capitol to be flown at half-staff in memory of the four Marines and a sailor who were murdered by a lone terrorist at Chattanooga.
It was an appropriate gesture, considering that the killer targeted them for the flag they served, but it was still only a gesture. Should Boehner care to do something meaningful, he would confront the gun lobby over assault weapons like the one that left the corpses strewn at Chattanooga.
The slaughter at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut ought to have prompted the overdue passage of a ban on such weapons. But since the only results were a nearly nationwide display of political cowardice and the sale of more, not fewer, of those firearms, it isn’t likely this loss will make a difference.
Still, one can always hope, and call out the poltroons who pimp themselves for the gun lobby’s votes and money rather than stand up for the rest of us.
Congress has the power to regulate strictly or even ban such weapons of mass destruction. Even the Supreme Court’s misreading of the Second Amendment in 2008 voided only a prohibition on gun ownership per se.
Historian Joseph Ellis, an authority on the origins of our republic, writes in his new book, The Quartet, about the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, which he credits to the concerted efforts of George Washington, John Jay, Alexander Hamilton and James Madison.
In drafting what became the Second Amendment, says Ellis, Madison was “responding to recommended amendments from five states, calling for the prohibition of a permanent standing army on the grounds that it had historically proven to be an enduring threat to Republican values.”
So Madison’s intention was “to assure those skeptical souls that the defense of the United States would depend on state militias rather than a professional, federal army.”
That accounts for the predicate clause about a “well regulated militia,” which the courts respected for two centuries as the sole reason for the Second Amendment.
“The right to bear arms derived from the need to make state militias the core pillar of national defense,” Ellis explains. Justice Antonin Scalia’s contrary finding “is an elegant example of legalistic legerdemain masquerading as erudition” and Madison “is rolling over in his grave.”
If Scalia and certain cohorts on the court were truly as originalist as they claim to be, they would have read the Second Amendment in the context of its times. There wasn’t a firearm on earth from which an expert could manage more than three rounds a minute. The Connecticut and Chattanooga massacres would have been inconceivable.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern
All Chad Crisp took with him was his Bible as he headed into Elkton Federal Correctional Institute in Ohio last week. For a rural mountain boy who’d never left home, 20 months of federal prison would be a long, hard road.
SEE ALSO:
• Cast of characters
“I felt that my heart would burst as I hugged him and told him I loved him and everything would be all right and that we would be back soon,” Linda Crisp, his mother, said. “For a mother, her son – no matter how old he is – is still in some ways a child in her eyes, and she wants to always protect him.”
Davey Webb (alias Davey Williams): an agent with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who first started hunting with the Crisps in the fall of 2010.
Three grants have been awarded by The Fund for Haywood County, totaling about $7,000.
This fund is an affiliate of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and is a permanent endowment intended to meet the needs of local nonprofits. These awards included a $2,050 grant to Girls on the Run of Western North-Carolina-Haywood-County. As an afterschool program that aims to integrate self-confidence and running for health, the grant will help to sustain and expand their efforts in Haywood County Schools.
“The value of the program is to help young girls gain respect and feel empowered to be the best they can,” said head coach Nicole Foster.
Teams of girls, third to eighth grade, participate and, due to the grant, this is the first year for a team from Meadowbrook Elementary. Haywood Waterways Association also received $3,360 for the Lake Junaluska greenway project. This project has plans to slow the erosion of the shoreline in order to maintain the lake for continued use. Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation was granted $1,500 by Haywood County, as well. With the extra funds, Sarge’s — an organization dedicated to the rescue and adoption of pets — will be able to “save several cats and dogs who would otherwise have been left behind out of financial necessity,” said Executive Director Laura Parrott Ivey.
The grant is already showing its fruitfulness in the rescue story of Breezy, “a lovely Staffordshire terrier who was heartworm positive and now is cured and recovering in the comfort of her foster home.” More animals like Breezy will now have the opportunity to be treated, saved and hopefully adopted.
Francis “Jack” James was recognized on June 26 by the “We Honor Veterans” program for his years of military service.
He served overseas in the Army from 1944 to 1946. This program is a partnership of the Veteran’s Administration and Haywood Regional Medical Center Hospice and serves to honor veterans under Hospice care. The ceremony took place in his home on June 26 and he received a pin, a certificate, and a red, white and blue quilt in appreciation for his service.
Candidates for the two chief offices up for election this year will square off in a pair of debates at the Chief Joyce Dugan Cultural Arts Center in Cherokee next week.
Sponsored by the Junaluska Leadership Council and the Cherokee One Feather, the debates will cover topics including freedom of the press, separation of powers, government transparency, economic development, addiction issues, alcohol sales on the reservation, the minors fund and land use. One Feather editor Robert Jumper will moderate.
• Vice chief candidates Larry Blythe (incumbent) and Richie Sneed will take the stage at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4.
• Principal chief candidates Tunney Crowe and Patrick Lambert will debate at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 6.
Official write-in candidates are encouraged to participate with an RSVP to The One Feather. Both debates are free and open to the public. The Cultural Arts Center is located at Cherokee Central Schools on Ravensford Drive.
828.359.6261.
QUESTION: What should I be looking at when I buy cereal? Fiber? Calories? Fat? Sugar....I'm so confused!
ANSWER: Eating cereal is a good way to get fiber in your breakfast meal. You can also have cereal as a snack with milk or use it to top plain Greek yogurt. Since the main goal of cereal is the fiber , that should definitely be something you look for.
To the Editor:
I have an idea for reducing the cost of the footbridge at the end of the Cullowhee Greenway. Use the I-beams from the old U.S. 23/74 highway bridge in Willets. They were good enough to handle loaded dump trucks, so any crew of equipment operators could cook up a way to use those monsters for a people-bridge; and it would save the cost of disposal.
Chris Bogardus
Cullowhee
To the Editor:
To get past the emotionality regarding the Virginia Battle Flag, we need to examine its history and use through time. The reality is that the flag was created as a symbol to support the fight for slavery.
To argue that slavery was not a core issue of the Civil War is to ignore the historical facts. One economic analysis estimated that the dollar value of the slaves in the South was greater than the value of all the industries of the North. Even a gradual phasing out of slavery would have been a huge economic loss for slaveholders. The articles of secession issued by the states from South Carolina to Texas prominently mentioned slavery as a core reason for secession. After the war, the flag became a symbol for continued suppression of African-Americans.
Later, the Battle Flag was prominently installed in capitols and other locations in southern states in the 1960s during the desegregation and civil rights movements. The flag was a symbol for continued segregation and opposition to civil rights.
What is undeniable is that throughout its history the flag was the symbol for white supremacy — a core belief supporting slavery. The flag continues to be used as a symbol for the doctrine of white supremacy through to the present day. Skinheads and other extremist groups consistently display the Battle Flag as a symbol of their cause. It is no coincidence that the Battle Flag is often presented with the Nazi swastika by white supremacists since both flags are symbols for white supremacy.
The Battle Flag has no obvious relationship to Southern music, dance, food, dress, customs or any other aspects of Southern heritage. It is a symbol for opposition to racial equality and maybe general defiance. The Battle Flag is no more a symbol of Southern heritage than the swastika is a symbol of German heritage. Both are symbols from sad periods in history and should be relegated to museums. There they can remind us of chapters in history that should not be repeated.
Norman Hoffman
Waynesville
To the Editor:
When Bill Clinton was president, Hillary assumed authority over health care reform. Even after threats, she couldn't get a vote in a Democratic congress. The cost to taxpayers was $13 million.
Clinton gave Hillary authority over selecting a female attorney general. Her first two selections were Zoe Baird and Kimba Wood — both were forced to remove their names from consideration. Next was Janet Reno — Bill described her selection as “my worst mistake.” Reno made the decision to gas David Koresh and the Branch Davidian sect, resulting in dozens of deaths of women and children.
Bill then allowed Hillary to make more recommendations. She chose former law partners Web Hubble for the Justice Department, Vince Foster for the White House staff and William Kennedy for Treasury Department. Her selections went well: Hubble went to prison, Foster (presumably) committed suicide and Kennedy was forced to resign.
Hillary then recommended a friend, Craig Livingstone, for Director of White House security. When Livingstone was investigated for improper access of 900 FBI files of Clinton enemies (Filegate) and widespread use of drugs by White House staff, Hillary and the president denied knowing Livingstone, and denied knowledge of drug use in the White House. Following this, the FBI closed its White House Liaison Office.
Hillary was in charge of the "bimbo eruption" and scandal defense. Some of her decisions were:
• She urged Bill not to settle with Paula Jones. They settled.
• This led to the appointment of Ken Starr as Special Prosecutor. And $80 million of taxpayer money was spent, Starr’s investigation led to Monica, which led to Bill lying about his affairs.
• Hillary’s game plan resulted in the impeachment by the House of Representatives.
• Repeating, “I do not recall,” “I have no recollection,” and “I don't know” a total of 56 times while under oath kept her from being indicted.
• After leaving the White House, Hillary was forced to return $200,000 in White House furniture, china and artwork that she had stolen.
Then there’s Whitewater, Travelgate, Rose law firm billing records, and The Clinton Foundation
Three hundred and fifty words can’t cover it all.
Bruce Gardner
Waynesville
To the Editor:
The problem of how to fund driver's ed could be easily solved. Since when did it become the responsibility of schools to teach our children to drive? Give that duty back to parents where it belongs and end the discussion.
My father taught me to drive beginning at age 9, so by the time I was 16 and old enough to have a license my father drove the family's 1948 Chevrolet to meet the inspector. I sat behind the wheel, the inspector sat beside me. My dad sat (shaking) in the backseat.
The inspector then proceeded to determine whether I knew how to drive and was qualified to have a license. When he thought my father had had enough he told me to drive back to the police station, handed me my temporary license, and said ... "You did good, kid, drive safely, enjoy yourself."
Here I am, still driving 60 years later, one speeding ticket collected over 40 years ago on the left coast.
Let’s end this nonsense about fees and professionals and classrooms. Place the responsibility (and accountability) where it belongs, on the parents; we'll all be the richer for it.
David L. Snell
Franklin
To the Editor:
USA Today has reported that on average there were 96 cases of a white police officer killing a black person each year between 2006 and 2012. At least 392 people have been killed by U.S. police so far in 2015; at least 1,101 in 2014; at least 2,260 since May 1, 2013. Between 2003 and 2009, the Justice Department reported that 4,813 people died while in the process of arrest or in police custody.
These are not just numbers. Each represents a living, breathing American citizen, a member of the human family, a brother or sister. In the midst of all the otherwise deserved celebration of "liberty and justice for all" this Independence Day season, these numbers — and the snuffed-out lives they stand for — cause one to wonder how we can be "proud to be an American."
Doug Wingeier
Waynesville
By Gibbs Knotts & Chris Cooper
A longstanding social science finding holds that collective public opinion is fairly sticky on most issues. In other words, the public’s views do not change very much — and when opinions do shift, the movement tends to be fairly slow. Public opinion does not change over the course of a day, week or month, but rather occurs over years or decades, if it moves at all.
The recent debate over the Confederate flag might seem to challenge this narrative. A little more than two weeks ago, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory’s press secretary, Josh Ellis, said that the governor supported a ban on specialty license plates featuring the Confederate battle flag. According to Ellis, this change was “due to the recent Supreme Court ruling and the tragedy in Charleston.”
The new agritourism guide for Haywood County is out, highlighting farmers markets, plant nurseries, pick-your-own farms, roadside produce stands, Christmas tree farms, farm-to-table restaurants and shops that sell products made from locally-grown items.
“The 2015 Agritourism Guide has been designed to appeal to a vibrant and diverse traveler, from empty-nesters to modern families, while highlighting the rich farming and agricultural heritage of our county,” said Tina Masciarelli, Buy Haywood Project Coordinator.
The new guide even includes a hand-illustrated hiking map, panoramic photograph of Purchase Knob and never-before-published recipe for grilled sirloin with fresh fig salsa.
Buy Haywood, a project of the Haywood Advancement Foundation, puts the guide out each year as a way to promote all that Haywood has to offer those interested in the growing sector of agritourism. Hailed as a “primary force” in the modern economy, this kind of tourism focused on agriculture and local products draws millions of visitors to North Carolina each year.
The free guide is distributed at all Haywood County Visitor Centers, the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce, and many sites throughout the county listed at www.buyhaywood.com.
The tally of people who have hiked the entire 1,150-mile Mountains-to-Sea Trail reached 50 when Lorie Hansen, of Hendersonville, took her final step along the trail.
The “Smokin’ in the Valley” Western North Carolina BBQ Festival will be from noon to 9 p.m. July 24 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 25 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.
Americana ensemble Steph Stewart and the Boyfriends will perform as part of the “Summer Concert Series” at 7 p.m. Thursday, July 30, in the Central Plaza at Western Carolina University.
The 6th Annual Hillbilly Woodstock will be 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 31-Aug. 1 at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds.
Trails in the Forney Creek area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park outside Bryson City will be closed this summer for a trail rehabilitation project.
The work will use mechanized equipment to re-establish trail surface, install drainage features and build log structures.
Lakeshore Trail from the Tunnel Trailhead to White Oak Branch Trail will be closed through July 23; White Oak Branch Trail will be closed from July 27 through Aug. 20; Forney Creek Trail, from White Oak Branch Trail to Jonas Creek Trail, will be closed Mondays through Thursdays only, Aug. 24 through Sept. 24.
865.436.1297.
A newly completed greenhouse project in Cherokee earned the tribe recognition from the Environmental Protection Agency this summer.
