By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

Young drivers in North Carolina may no longer be required to take driver education to get their learner’s permit if a Senate subcommittee’s modifications to House Bill 97 are passed by the General Assembly.

QUESTION: Could I be sensitive to wheat because it has been genetically modified?

ANSWER:  NO! 

Registration is now open for the 2015 Cullowhee Native Plant Conference at Western Carolina University, a four-day event featuring more than a dozen plant walks and workshops and a demonstration of how drones can aid in environmental conservation mapping.

A much-used riverbank in the Canton Recreation Park is now a lot more stable, thanks to a protection project recently completed by Haywood Waterways Association and the town of Canton. 

A lineup of summer programs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give young park-lovers the chance to earn their credentials as Junior Rangers.

The N.C. League of Conservation Voters named Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, as its 2015 Representative of the Year in the organization’s annual Green Tie Awards.

The National Park Service is still waiting on the results of an autopsy looking into the cause of hiker Jenny Bennett’s death in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park earlier this month, but investigators have ruled out a bear attack and do not suspect foul play.

Registration is ongoing for Western Carolina University’s 16th annual Dulcimer U Summer Week, a gathering that brings mountain dulcimer virtuosos and students to the campus in Cullowhee for six days of classes and concerts.

The year’s conference, set for July 19-24, will feature an instructional staff of nationally recognized musicians and performers, including hosts Larry and Elaine Conger. A variety of classes will be held during the week, and participants will get to choose the group that is best for them based on their ability level and the skills they wish to improve. 

Special classes will include “Dulcimer Building” with Bob Magowan, “Caregiving and Comfort Using the Mountain Dulcimer” with Lorinda Jones, “Learning to Teach the Mountain Dulcimer” with Judy House and Joe Collins, “Exploring our Dulcimer Heritage” with Aubrey Atwater, and “Mountain Dulcimer Ensemble” with the Congers.

The schedule for July 23 includes a mountain dulcimer concert featuring the instructional staff playing “in the round.” The show, which is open to the public, begins at 7 p.m. in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center. Tickets, priced at $10 for the public and $5 for WCU faculty, staff and students, are available by calling the Bardo Arts Center box office at 828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. 

Registration that includes all confirmed classes, materials, staff concerts and other events is $350 per person. On-campus accommodations and meals packages are available for an additional $349 for single-occupancy rooms and $299 for double-occupancy rooms.

www.dulcimeru.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

The faculty of the Mountain Collegium Music Workshop will perform a recital of medieval, renaissance, baroque and contemporary music on early and folk instruments at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at the Cullowhee Baptist Church adjacent to the campus of Western Carolina University.

The musicians and their instruments include Lisle Kulbach, Holly Maurer, Gail Ann Schroeder (violas da gamba); Valerie Austin, Jody Miller, Patricia Petersen, Gwyn Roberts and Anne Timberlake (recorders); Erik Schmalz (sackbut); Lorraine Hammond and John Maschinot (harp and folk instruments); Robert Bolyard (voice and viola da gamba); and Jack Ashworth (harpsichord and viola da gamba).

The summer Mountain Collegium Early Music and Folk Music Workshop at WCU offers classes in recorder, viol, voice and other early instruments as well as classes in folk, Appalachian, Celtic, Sephardic and contemporary music. The teaching organization’s site can be found at www.mountaincollegium.org.

Admission to the concert is free, but donations to the Gerald R. Moore Mountain Collegium Scholarship are accepted.

404.314.1891 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians’ 40th annual Pow Wow will be held July 3-5 at the Acquoni Expo Center.

A state-of-the-art entertainment facility, Eaglenest will have its grand reopening at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, in Maggie Valley.

Country superstars Alabama will perform at 8 p.m. Thursday, July 2, at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort.

The “Week of Rock” celebration will run at 8 p.m. June 26-July 4 at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.

Join officials from the United States Mint and the National Park Service for the launch of the quarter honoring Blue Ridge Parkway at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 25, at Pack Square Park in Asheville.

Invited guests include Lt. Gov. Dan Forest and Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. Grammy award-winning musician and TV host David Holt will serve as master of ceremonies.

A coin exchange, where the public can trade their cash for $10 rolls of new Blue Ridge Parkway quarters, will take place after the ceremony.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

A recurring theme emerged in a congressional oversight hearing last week aimed at shedding light on the questionable tactics and motives of wildlife agencies behind the now-infamous undercover poaching sting known as Operation Something Bruin: where is the line between personal freedoms and governmental oversight?

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern

No hitting, punching, elbowing or tripping people — and definitely no biting or yelling at the referees. Fourteen-year-old Autumn Pine, or “Fall Out Girl” as she’s known on the track, will quickly tell you there are rules to roller derby.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

When his restaurant doors are open, Chris Chagnon keeps busy, playing the role of owner, chef and greeter.

QUESTION: Should I be worried about arsenic in my food?  

ANSWER: There are two different types of arsenic, organic and inorganic. Inorganic arsenic is found naturally in rocks, especially in areas where there is or has been volcanic activity.

A pair of programs about Horace Kephart, an adopted son of the Smokies who captured the culture of mountaineers in the early 1900s in writing and championed the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, will explore the life of this giant of Smoky Mountain history at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 28, at the Western Office of the N.C. Department of Cultural Resources in Asheville. 

Naturalist and historian George Ellison, a columnist for The Smoky Mountain News who hails from Bryson City, will give a talk titled “A Room of One’s Own,” looking at the places in WNC most closely associated with Kephart.

Kephart’s great-granddaughter Libby Kephart Hargrave will present “Horace Kephart: His Way Back,” taking an intimate look into the life of Kephart and discussing his wife Laura, his parents and his children. 

The traveling exhibit “Horace Kephart in the Great Smoky Mountains,” created by the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University, will be on hand for visitors to view afterward. The free exhibit will be available at the office weekdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through June 30. 

Free, with RSVP required. 828.296.7230, ext. 221 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. 

The Swain County Farmers Market is branching out, this week launching a second market day 5 to 8 p.m. Tuesdays through Sept. 16. 

The market, located at the barn on Island Street in downtown Bryson City, sells produce, nursery plants, herbs, eggs, honey, trout and a variety of artisan crafts. Regular hours 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Fridays through October will continue along with the new Tuesday hours.

Christine Bredenkamp, 828.488.3848 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. www.swain.ces.ncsu.edu/swaincountyfarmersmarket/. 

Seven Cherokee cyclists from North Carolina are in the midst of a 950-mile bike ride to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, an annual ride commemorating the forced removal of the Cherokee people along the Trail of Tears in 1839. 

“The ‘Remember the Removal’ ride not only marks this important event in our people’s history, it is chance for our youth to learn more about our history,” said Principal Chief Michell Hicks of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indidans.

The riders joined 12 members of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, leaving Cherokee June 7 and scheduled to arrive in Tahlequah, capital of the Cherokee Nation, June 25. 

Riders were chosen in December and embarked on four months of training starting in February, preparing for the physical aspects of the trip as well as the cultural ones. Riders study leadership skills, Cherokee language and tribal history preceding their departure. Along the route, they’ll stop at historic sites such as graves of those who died along the way, stockades used as prisons and museums, and they’ll document the journey using video diaries. 

“In this way, ride participants become more deeply immersed in our culture and serve as ambassadors of the Eastern Band as they set out across the country,” Hicks said.

Follow the ride at www.facebook.com/removal.ride 

A program featuring scaly reptiles as the stars will return to the Jackson County Public Library at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Thursday, June 25.

Volunteers are needed for a summer monitoring project involving up-close contact with birds.

The Women’s Work Festival in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will give a glimpse into the historical roles rural women held in their families and communities from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20.

The live stage production of “Dancing With The Stars: Live!” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Following a sold-out winter tour and the 10th Anniversary Season of ABC’s hit show “Dancing with the Stars,” “Dancing with the Stars: Live!” is going back on the road giving fans the opportunity to see their favorite stars dance live in their hometowns, visiting over 40 cities across America. Hosted by Dancing with the Stars All-Stars champion Melissa Rycroft, the ‘Perfect Ten Tour’ presents a one-of-a-kind touring production.

For tickets, www.harrahscherokee.com.

There will be a summer art camp held June 22-26 at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

Ages 4-6 will be 10 a.m. to noon, with ages 7-10 at 1 to 3 p.m. Campers will explore various creative techniques in drawing, painting and sculpture. Using professional and age-appropriate techniques, campers will create original works of art. Possibilities are endless, and include nature studies, paper mache, animal portraits, masks, fairy houses, self-portraits and landscape painting. 

Instructor will be Julie Jacobson, a master artist with over a decade of teaching experience. She is a certified North Carolina k-12 art teacher, occasional college professor, and enjoys sharing her love of art with people of all ages from pre-K to college.  

To sign up or for more information, contact Jacobson at 828.575.0270 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

“An Appalachian Evening,” a summer bluegrass/Americana weekly concert series, will return to the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.

The 2015 series will include The Snyder Family Band July 19, The Walking Roots Band July 25, Balsam Range Aug. 1, Mac Arnold & Plate Full O’Blues Aug. 8, The Jeff Little Trio Aug. 15, Henhouse Prowlers Aug. 22 and The Kruger Brothers Aug. 29. Season tickets are $150, with separate show ticket prices varying. 

www.stecoahvalleycenter.com or 828.479.3364.

The stage production of the classic Alfred Hitchcock thriller “The 39 Steps” will held at 3 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

A “BBQ & Brews Dinner Train” will be departing at 7 p.m. Saturday, June 27, at the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad depot in Bryson City.

The 109th Canton Labor Day Festival will be held Sept 5-7 at Sorrells Street Park in downtown.

Americana fiddler Alma Russ will perform at 7 p.m. Thursday, June 25, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City.

To the Editor:

Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the scientific discoveries made on almost a daily basis, some of which are jaw dropping.

Earlier, we learned about the goat that was put in jail for car theft in Nigeria after they found out that he was in fact a human witch doctor who disguised himself as a goat to avoid prosecution. The last I heard the goat was still in jail and being obstinate by refusing to revert back to his human form. Certainly the FBI can utilize this information and may provide some clues as to the whereabouts of many criminals on the most wanted list.

In another earth-shaking (no pun intended) discovery, a politician in Pakistan has revealed that earthquakes in Pakistan are caused by women who wear jeans instead of gunnysacks to cover themselves. The discovery was announced at a press conference by one Maulana Rehman, a respected politician, and reported in the New Indian Express newspaper.

He went on to ascribe not only earthquakes to immodest women but the cause of inflation and power shortages. Just to demonstrate he is serious, he has called on the military to launch an operation against women.

Hmm, wonder how that new movie “San Andreas” would have turned out had the producers consulted with Mr. Rehman first. I haven’t seen the movie, but I must wonder just how many women in blue jeans were in the movie. All these years geologists believed that earthquakes were caused by underground faults and frankly, until now, I went along with their explanation. I now know better and attribute my new wisdom to a politician in Pakistan.

No doubt economists will be flocking to his door to learn about inflation and what to do about it. Even Duke Energy may consult with him about unexplained power outages.

But wait, have we forgotten the discoveries Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell revealed to us when they announced that the tsunami that killed some 230,000 south Asians years ago was a demonstration of God’s wrath at us folks in America. They also pointed out that the Twin Towers attack was God’s revenge on us, although they didn’t make it clear as to whether American women wearing blue jeans was the cause. Proof that God will kill folks in one tribe to get even with another tribe. So what’s new? ISIS is well known for killing each other or committing suicide in the Middle East to get even with us folks in America, all at God’s command.

I must admit to missing out on some of these learned new discoveries. Had I known that big pharma was preventing people from learning about the power of garlic to kill cancer cells, I might have saved the lives of a few friends of mine who died of cancer.

Just shows that we all must keep up with the latest scientific discoveries and maybe have second thoughts about letting your wife wear blue jeans.

Bob Wilson   

Franklin

To the Editor:

As a pediatrician, it has been my privilege to serve the families of Western North Carolina for over 20 years. My colleagues and I are honored to be invited into your lives, to share your greatest joys, and sometimes your worst fears as we work together to ensure the health and safety of your children.

The climate of medicine has changed both nationally and locally. Our practice has adapted in order to continue to provide the excellent quality healthcare our patients expect and deserve. 

In 2013, we became a part of Mission Health System. This allows us to bring the expertise and resources of Mission Children’s Hospital to our community. By partnering with other medical providers in the region to form Mission Health Partners, we have become part of a movement to ensure all patients in the region continue to receive exceptional high-quality care.  

To better focus our time and resources, my colleagues and I have made the difficult decision to stop seeing patients at Harris Regional Hospital after Aug. 1. We will improve patient access in our Sylva and Bryson City offices with extended office hours and designated walk-in times. We will also provide newborn care for babies at Angel Medical Center in Franklin. Our patients will have access to the hospital-based pediatricians and pediatric subspecialists at Mission Children’s Hospital should they require hospitalization. Being a part of the larger Mission Health team has allowed Eestern North Carolina to leverage the training and broad expertise of one of North Carolina’s premier healthcare systems to promote women’s and children’s health.

As always, we remain committed to the care of our patients and access to a provider for after-hour emergencies is just a phone call away. We look forward to continuing to care for your families for many years to come.

Dr. Penny O’Neill

Pediatrician

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

The Canton Planning Board is considering a building maintenance ordinance that would regulate downtown commercial properties and hold owners to certain standards.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

The North Carolina State Board of Elections held a public hearing last Thursday to allow people to comment on the proposed rules for North Carolina’s new voter identification laws. The hearing was the seventh of nine meetings held across the state.

QUESTION: What kinds of things do you do as the dietitian for Ingles? 

ANSWER: My job is primarily to inform consumers and our Ingles Markets associates about nutrition and food-related issues. I have been the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets for almost 15 years!

Summer is here at the Highlands Nature Center, with a variety of summer day camps and half-day camps. Look through the offerings to find one that will fit your family:

• Amazing Animals, aimed at children 7 to 10, will feature hands-on activities and field observations to study different animal groups. July 28-31. 

• WOW! — Worlds of Wonder, aimed at children 4 to 6, will feature plenty of time outside with nature games, hikes through the woods, critter searches and exploration in the pond and stream. Aug. 4-7. 

• NatureWorks, aimed at children 8 to 11, will showcase the inner workings of “Mother Nature” through interactive games and activities, covering everything from the different parts of a forest to the adaptations of predators. July 14-17. 

828.526.2623 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

See the special camp category in the calendar of The Smoky Mountain News for more day camps around the region.

James Veteto has a theory that seeds are a link to the past, connecting one generation to the other, not merely little packets of DNA but also shared human heritage.

It’s official: North Carolina Appalachian Trail license plates sales have crossed the $1 million mark.

The Blue Ridge Parkway will take its place on U.S. currency with a special quarter design this summer, as part of the the U.S. Mint’s America the Beautiful Quarters Program, a series honoring one site or park in each state.

A ranger-guided hike along the Blue Ridge Parkway this Friday will mark the beginning of summer for the high-elevation road as its ranger-led programs for the public gear up for the season.

The Front Street Arts & Crafts Show will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20, in downtown Dillsboro.

The Taste of Scotland & Celtic Festival will be held from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 20, in downtown Franklin.

Jazz performance planned in Waynesville

Jazz pianist Marquita Someliana will perform at 3 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. Someliana is a singer-songwriter who enjoys performing jazz, Americana and other genres. 

Free. 

www.haywoodarts.org. 

Acclaimed bluegrass act Darin & Brooke Aldridge will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, June 19, at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

To the Editor:

There has been recent news coverage and public discussion about the plans for the new Haywood County animal shelter, the need for a new shelter, and the impact of a new shelter on the county budget. We have been informed that the budgetary impact of the new shelter will not become a reality in the 2015-16 budget year.  

The planning for the shelter is being done by the Animal Services Advisory Committee, county commissioners and selected experts, but it is mostly behind the scenes. A needs assessment needs to done before the planners grapple with designing the basics. When there is a more firmly framed plan, a public hearing will be scheduled.

The needs assessment is a critical piece in the planning for a new shelter and must include facts, which include the numbers of animals, the pattern of ebb and flow of animals entering, staying, leaving, and being euthanized, how the work of (or lack of work) animal welfare nonprofits impacts the shelter past, present and future. It also needs to consider such pragmatic issues as current legal minimum standards of building a shelter in the 21st century, availability of water, sewer and power utilities. And it should include future needs that will allow our new shelter to operate for 20 to 30 years and will assure the health and safety of the animals and the people who work in the shelter.    

I’ve been advised that the needs assessment will not take place until late July, so now is the time for the public to let commissioners know what we expect to see, what we expect will change and what we want to be in place when the new shelter becomes a reality. Our taxpayer dollars will be paying for the new shelter, so it is only right that the resulting plans provide the services we believe will benefit the animals in our community.

Our current shelter is physically inadequate for the animals and the staff and has been for many years.

• High noise levels stress animals and people. (I’d be willing to bet OSHA noise standards for workers are not met.)

• There is not enough space to process animal intakes.

• There is no privacy for management and human resources work which makes for poor personnel management.

• Space to quarantine sick animals is non-existent. This practically assures that euthanasia is the go-to option for sick animals.

• Animal housing spaces, particularly for cats, are inadequate by modern standards and cause stress; which leads to illness; which becomes yet another reason to euthanize animals.

Although most households in the county have at least one domestic pet and there are large numbers of households that have many (all of whom can call on the department’s services), the budget for Animal Services is less than 1 percent of the county budget.

Our shelter staff is paid poorly and we get the service equivalent. This is evidenced by a high staff turnover of the shelter staff. The most recent open position has a salary of less than $24,000 per year. And the staff is supposed to be available 24/7!

County commissioners have refused for the last several years to hire an administrative person for the shelter. That means the phones aren’t answered for a large number of calls. It also means that shelter must be closed during the standard work day if animal services calls require all officers to be in the field. Some-thing must be done to keep the shelter open and responsive to the public during regular business hours. Volunteers?

The public does not get the service it expects because the staff is too poorly trained and there are too few of them.

We should be demanding that these issues be addressed at the same time the new shelter is planned because:

• Veterinary science, shelter management procedures and public awareness of animal welfare (particularly on abuse and euthanasia) issues has changed drastically in the last 20 years.

• Shelters around the country have evolved from the post-war dog pounds to true shelters where abandoned and stray animals can be cared for and released alive through adoption and/or foster care.  

• Shelters throughout the country are using innovative tools and public/private partnerships to address problems to increase live release rates.

• We need to have qualified animal services and operations staff in place who are committed to a humane approach in dealing with the community, the animals, and the owners and those who report problems, and who are willing to serve the community by finding non-lethal solutions to animal welfare issues.

Here is where government of, by and for the people begins. Let county commissioners know what you want for a new shelter, share your ideas and concerns at the twice-monthly meetings, at public hearings, or write to or email them. There are many of you who have volunteered at the shelter here or in our jurisdictions or have dealt with them as volunteers for animal welfare organizations who can use your experience to influence the ultimate product. 

Even our human services professionals should weigh in because they have knowledge on the impacts of animal/family abuse that should feed into policies and procedures. Without the benefit of the whole community's collective wisdom the county commissioners may not get a big enough picture to assure that we get our tax money’s worth in 2016-17 and beyond.  

Penny Wallace

Waynesville

To the Editor:

It has appeared for a long time that the American people have turned into a flock of sheep being led where ever our leaders wish to take us. The headline on page 16 of this The Smoky Mountain News last week indicates that Macon residents are no different than the balance of the country.

The headline "Lower Values Lead to Higher Taxes in Macon" is simply astonishing. That a lowering of the value of real estate in a county should automatically mean higher taxes means the politicians have finally got their constituents where they want them. Our leaders no longer need to worry if their policies lead to the wealth of their constituents being reduced. They just raise the taxes when that happens! This is unbelievable.

Ordinary citizens have to tighten their belts when times get hard. Apparently, that is not to be expected from politicians. They will simply raise taxes by 28 cents to 35 cents (an astounding 25 percent increase) to support a budget increase of 2.5 percent.

A strong case can be made that the governments at all levels in the country has spent us into deep trouble as well as promoting policies (sending the bulk of manufacturing overseas) that have set the middle class back 20 years or more. Apparently, the politicians will not have to even bother apologizing. Just move on to greater spending!

Bart McPherson

Glenville

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

Whether it is teaching a Pilates or karate class or performing massage therapy, much of the work at Abel Wellness revolves around restoring balance to the body.

By Katie Reeder • SMN Intern 

Relaxing through methods such as massages and skin care treatments is not just a luxury. Rather, it is part of taking care of the body and pursuing wellness.