Local residents will have an opportunity to learn interesting and historical details about their family quilts during the Quilt Discovery Evening from 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

With new equipment secured from onsite craft brewing, Southwestern Community College will host a brewing program from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. every Thursday from Sept. 4-Nov. 20 in Sylva. 

Country megastar Tim McGraw will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 31, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

The 44th annual Smoky Mountain Folk Festival will be held Aug. 29-30 at the Stuart Auditorium in Lake Junaluska.

To the Editor:

Ah, August. Vacation time. Yeah!!  

Never mind that ISIS is beheading its way through Syria and Iraq. That Christians are being driven into death or despair. As our esteemed leader said a few weeks ago, referring to ISIS; “The analogy we use around here sometimes, and I think is accurate, is if a JV team puts on Laker uniforms that doesn’t make them Kobe Bryant.”  Surprise — looks like they put on Chicago Bears uniforms and need to be taken seriously.  

Can you imagine the State Department being surprised, with John Kerry at the helm? The same John Kerry who recently was ignored by diplomats from Egypt and Israel when cease-fire talks were held. A perfect moment to display his impotence as diplomatic spokesman for a country rapidly earning third-world status.

How I yearn for the days when Hilldebeast (Kerry’s predecessor) was “resetting” our relationship with Russia. Just push the reset button (“reset” was misspelled in Russian) and Putin will be our friend. Remember a couple of years ago when the commander-in-chief was heard through an open microphone appealing to Dmitry Medvedev to allow him space on the contentious European missile defense issue, claiming he could be more flexible after his reelection? I wonder how the folks in Eastern Europe feel about that.

We have every right to advise others how to manage their affairs and protect their borders. After all, we’re doing such a stellar job of protecting ours. With the cartels and coyotes running the show, killing our border agents and ushering in disease and drains on our already depleted treasuries, surely we are the go-to experts.

When the going gets rough, our president and Congress get going — on vacation, that is. After all, it is August.

Don Swanson

Franklin

To the Editor:

Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and other Republican state legislators voted not to expand Medicaid. Early studies showed this would be a costly mistake. However, a new study completed by the largest non-profit organization devoted entirely to advancing health care for the public, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, shows just how costly this would be for North Carolina. The state will lose $51 billion in federal funding between 2013-2022. The North Carolina portion of Medicaid expansion totals $3.1 billion. The report shows that for every $1 a state invests in Medicaid, it will receive $13.41 in federal funds.  

The governor and state legislature have put forward the “big lie” that the state Medicaid program is too broken to be expanded. The facts simply don’t show a broken system. Data from the Kaiser Foundation show that “the average annual growth in NC’s Medicaid program has declined for the last 20 years.” “Current annual cost growth for Medicaid in N.C. is actually the lowest in the nation and much lower than the national average.”  (http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2013/06/12/nc-medicaid-success-four-charts-and-one-letter/).

Our state simply cannot afford to give away $51 billion in revenue. This is an awful economic decision. In addition, the fact that we as a state are letting on average four of our citizens die every day starting Jan. 1, 2014, because we are denying 414,000 of our citizens adequate health care is morally appalling and simply wrong. Davis and other legislators can pass a bill tomorrow to change this disastrous decision. Please contact him to correct this travesty.

Ed Morris, MD, PhD

Franklin

To the Editor:

Western North Carolina is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The majestic mountains, the lush green forests and valleys, the small family farms, waterfalls, rivers, streams, along with the pristine sky all inspire us on a daily basis. We treasure this natural abundance, and like all inheritance, we must be wise stewards for our future generations.

Unfortunately, there is a fundamental threat to all of this:  hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking.” This could destroy it all. 

Fracking is an industrial process using millions of gallons of our pristine mountain water mixed with toxic chemicals pumped underground at extremely high pressure to break apart natural gas-infused shale rock thousands of feet below the surface.

Each well turns 3 to 5 million gallons of clean water into a poisonous stew. There is no “safe” treatment or disposal of the hundreds of millions of gallons of permanently-polluted water that return to the surface. 

 There has been a huge increase in earthquakes since fracking began in Oklahoma, according to CNN. 

 Well water has been permanently poisoned in many areas that that have been fracked in Pennsylvania, where more than 100 cases of pollution were confirmed over the past five years. Also, radioactive radium levels were about 200 times greater in sediment from a creek where wastewater was discharged from a treatment plant than in sediment upstream from fracking, according to USA Today.

Expensive homes have become uninhabitable and worthless as a result of toxic air pollution caused by fracking in Texas, where nosebleeds, migraines, vision problems, nausea, rashes and vomiting were caused by a neighbor’s fracking wells, according to CNN.

We don’t need huge trucks rumbling by our homes at all hours, clear cutting for new roads and pipelines criss-crossing our fragile mountainsides over our state, federal and private property. We don’t need 20-foot-tall gas flare-offs lighting up the night sky and the whine of giant compressors keeping us up night after night.

 Proponents of fracking tell us that it is safe, if done correctly. In a perfect world, where cost-cutting, corrosion and human error don’t occur, fracking might be safe. 

There are no rules, no promises, no regulations, no penalties and no amount of money that can fix fracked groundwater. Once the ground water is contaminated, it is poisoned forever. That risk is unacceptable.

These are facts, and those of us who love this place don’t want fracking here.

 Our homes are our greatest investment, our greatest achievement, our greatest gift to our children. Let us preserve this gift for future generations. Tell our county commissioners. Tell our state legislators. Just say no to fracking.

 State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, now claims that fracking probably won’t come to WNC, yet the law he cosponsored was designed so that we local citizens can’t block it. In November, we need to retire Mr. Davis and the other legislators who voted for this. We need to outlaw fracking before it starts, before it’s too late. 

Dan Kowal

Franklin

To the Editor:

I’m really not surprised about the Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, quote, “I’m getting really frustrated with these people. You can never make them happy” in your recent article about the teacher pay raise. Sen. Davis has shown his disrespect towards teachers (“these people”) in so many ways.

He voted to eliminate longevity pay, an incentive for teachers with 10-plus years of experience to stay in the classroom. He voted to devalue educators who work on continuing their education by eliminating extra compensation for advanced degrees.  

He voted to make teaching much more difficult by cutting funding for teacher assistants, at-risk student services, textbooks and instructional supplies. He co-sponsored a Senate bill to eliminate public school teacher tenure. Anything which harms teachers also harms students.

In addition to his votes against teachers, Sen. Davis has shown his disrespect for public education in general. He voted to transfer public school funds to private schools, a law which has recently been declared unconstitutional. The Superior Court judge who ruled the law unconstitutional declared, “The General Assembly fails the children of North Carolina when they are sent with public taxpayer money to private schools that have no legal obligation to teach them anything.” It is clear that Sen. Davis does not think that public education in North Carolina is a priority.

If you think that public education in North Carolina is a priority, I urge you to learn about Sen. Davis’ opponent in this November election. Jane Hipps spent more than 38 years in public education. She knows firsthand what it means to be an educator and the actions required to restore quality public education to give our children a foundation for the rest of their lives. 

Learn about the specific actions she will take by visiting hippsforsenate.com.

Carole Larivee   

Waynesville

The Haywood Helps 2014 Gala Event will be from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 28. The event is a fundraiser for the Hazlewood prison project.

The gala will feature heavy hors d’oeuvres and entertainment. There will also be a live and silent auction of items donated from local artisans and merchants. 

Tickets to the gala are $100. Attire is business casual. The event will be held at the Laurel Ridge Country Club, located at 49 Cupp Lane in Waynesville.

The old Hazelwood prison is a defunct property on the cusp of reincarnation. A collective of organizations under the umbrella of Haywood Pathways Center — including Haywood Christian Emergency Shelter, The Open Door and Next Step — intends to transform the prison into a homeless shelter, soup kitchen and halfway house. 

While the prison project has given some nearby residents pause, it has also been hailed as valuable to the community. The project recently won $50,000 in a contest sponsored by the home loan company Guaranteed Rate; in addition to the $50,000, TV personality Ty Pennington will assist with the project. 

Haywood Helps is a non-profit organization that brings individuals, the private sector, educators and the faith community together to address issues of poverty.

A fracking forum has been scheduled for Sept. 2 in Franklin. The forum, moderated by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, will address shale energy rulemaking, exploration and development in North Carolina. 

1889 — Cullowhee Academy opens with 18 students and 1 teacher

By Randall Holcombe • WCU 

The little school that was the forerunner of Western Carolina University was called Cullowhee Academy. Its location is marked by a stone memorial, erected in 1934, that sits in a garden area between the university’s steam plant and Breese Gymnasium. The memorial honors Robert Lee Madison, who was 22 when he taught his first class of 18 students at the academy on Aug. 5, 1889. 

The streets of downtown Waynesville will soon receive a look-see from a group of folks who really care about the streets of downtowns. The North Carolina Main Street Program is hosting its fall Main Street Managers meeting in Waynesville Aug. 20-22.

Main Street managers — who oversee downtown revitalization and marketing efforts throughout the state as part of their individual Main Street Programs — will come to Waynesville to network and attend workshops. They’ll also be paying close attention to the host town. 

“They want to see what downtown Waynesville’s doing,” said Buffy Phillips, executive director of the Waynesville Downtown Association. “They definitely want to check us out.”

Liz Parham, director of the state Main Street Program, agrees. 

“We’re looking for all aspects of Main Street revitalization,” she said. “Building rehabs, that kind of thing.”

This is not the first time the Main Streeters have visited Waynesville. They’ve hosted meetings here twice before.

“We move it around, from the east to west,” said Parham. “And we have not been to Waynesville in a number of years and it’s a good chance to get back and see the changes.”

The Main Street managers will begin their stay in Waynesville with a reception at the Wells Event Center. Conveniently, the event center will serve as an easy conversation piece among the revitalization crowd, as the recently renovated property previously housed a newspaper printing press and before that, a pool hall. 

Work sessions will also be held at First Baptist Church. The managers will cover topics such as infrastructure and tourism, zoning and food trucks.

“A little bit of everything, really,” Parham said. 

 — Jeremy Morrison, News Editor

Paul Carlson, director of Land Trust for the Little Tennessee, will close out the six-week Tuckasegee Nature Series with a talk titled Conserving the Natural and Cultural Histories of the Southern Blue Ridge, 6:30 p.m. Aug 28 at the Jackson County Library’s community room.

The public will get a chance to paddle Lake Logan at 9:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Lake Logan boathouse. A tour of the lake will include information on its history and the varied ecosystems and species contained in the 300-acre preserve. 

 The three authors of Seasons in a Wildflower Refuge will be at Blue Ridge Books in Waynesville, 3 p.m. Aug. 23, to meet their readers, sign books and talk about native plants. They’ll cover which species flourish in this region, the importance of the 25-year-old Corneille Bryan Native Garden in Lake Junaluska and the need to include native plants in the landscape, while also sharing growing tips.

The book started as an attempt from long-time gardeners Janet Lilley and Linda McFarland to share prints by Dorothy Peacock of the native plants in the Corneille Bryan Native Garden, and they invited their friend and mentor Dan Pittillo, retired botany professor at Western Carolina University, to help. 

“This handsomely illustrated guide, enhanced by botanist Dan Pittillo’s insightful descriptions, has considerable value not only as a guide to this Garden but also to the native flora in the region as well,” George Ellison observed in his comments on the book.

Janet Manning, garden director, 828.778.5938.

The 20th annual Friends Across the Mountains telethon brought in $200,000 for Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park last week. The dollars will go toward the nearly $1.6 million the park needs this year to protect black bears, heal hemlock trees and preserve historic buildings. Since 1995, the telethon has raised $3 million to support the park. 

Online donations are still open at www.friendsofthesmokies.org. 

Students in Western Carolina University’s Introduction to Public History course will show off the fruits of their labor during the Big Birthday Bash 4 to 7 p.m. Aug. 26 at the A.K. Hinds University Center Lawn, an event celebrating 125 years of history at WCU. The students produced a historic walking trail and map of WCU’s points of interest, bringing meaning to the longtime structures that students pass by every day. 

A photography program featuring images by Clay Bolt will give an inside look to the small-scale world of plants and animals, 7 p.m. Aug. 25 at the Hudson Library in Highlands.

George Ellison’s response to Gwen Breese’s letter regarding his article on Horace Kephart and his condition when he arrived at Hazel Creek states, correctly, that as someone who is working on a biography of Horace Kephart, he is “obligated to examine, as best I can, each episode in Kephart’s life in the light of available evidence.” We wholeheartedly agree with that obligation. However, the information and supposed evidence which Ellison offers in an effort to describe Calhoun’s story of the meeting with and “drying out” of Kephart as nothing more than the equivalent of a “tall tale spun by Mark Twain” is at best open to serious question and at worst highly suspect. Here are some of the reasons why this rewriting of history is so fraught with problems.

To the Editor:

“Freedom, freedom is a hard won thing and every generation has to win it again.” This is a refrain from a civil rights song from the sixties. My generation marched, staged sit-ins, spoke out and some even died to achieve rights for minorities, women and future generations of Americans. 

Today we are old folks. We who fought so hard are tired, and what do we see happening? Young people are sitting on the sidelines while the voting rights, civil rights and women rights we fought and sacrificed for seem to be slipping away. Many of us are putting on our orthopedic shoes and marching again. We look around and see very few youthful faces. 

When the older generation of activists dies away, will hard-won gains in voting and civil rights disappear with us? Will this young generation be contented living in a world where elections are bought for the benefit of the few? Do they care if their voting rights are suppressed?

Past gains in minority and women’s rights are being eroded. Is this the future the younger generation wants to live in? Who will be left to carry freedom’s torch when we are gone?

Margery Abel

Franklin 

To the Editor:

Have you wondered why worldwide the leftists, environmentalists, and most media are waging a war against that new dirty word — fracking?

The answer is simple, and it has nothing to do with the hyperbole, misinformation and propaganda these anti-frackers use to scare the public.

The first commercial-scale use of fracking is generally credited with starting in 1947. After 67 years and the fracking of over one million oil and gas wells, anti-frackers abruptly started their war only three or four years ago. Why not 67 years ago if it is as devastating to the environment, health and safety as anti-frackers now claim? Why were some lukewarm fracking proponents prior to the war?

Over the past 10 years, the combination of fracking and directional drilling has opened up vast new sources of natural gas and oil in formerly unproductive shale formations in the U.S. and worldwide. These are resources potentially lasting up to 100 years.

Because of shale fracking, this year the U.S. is expected to become the number one producer of oil and natural gas in the world, surpassing Saudi Arabia and Russia. Fracking has resulted in substantial economic benefits and improved energy security for the U.S.

With this new supply of natural gas coming to market, the economics of supply and demand have come into play. Natural gas prices have fallen dramatically. Basic business sense has also come into play as companies generating electricity have begun utilizing the cheaper natural gas to replace more expensive fuels. This reduces both their generating costs and carbon dioxide emissions.

Suddenly the anti-frackers’ “green energy” agenda to replace electricity generated from fossil fuels and nuclear with expensive, unreliable and non-competitive wind, solar and biomass could be mortally in danger from the abundant and less expensive natural gas.

So there is the explanation. They must stop fracking for their own self-interests to save their “green energy” agenda from extinction by natural gas.

Some of the anti-frackers’ arguments against fracking could also be applied to their “green energy,” which has its own environmental, health and safety issues they avoid mentioning.

Fracking, like everything, has tradeoffs. Accidents and mistakes happen. Any actual safety, health and environmental issues should be addressed after fact-based and science-based study, not hysterical accusations. That 67 years of unchallenged fracking experience should allay the public’s fears. The public should also recognize fracking’s tremendous economic benefits.

Vic Drummond

Franklin

Penland School of Crafts has open spaces in a number of workshops in two upcoming sessions available at half tuition to residents of the following counties: Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Cherokee, Graham, Clay, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, and Yancey.

Penland’s final summer session runs Aug. 24-30 with openings in books, clay, hot glass, iron, jewelry, photography, and textiles. 

Looking ahead to fall, discounted spaces are available now in Penland’s eight-week session, which runs Sept. 21-Nov. 14. The workshop roster includes a pottery class focusing on innovative ceramic surfaces; a hot glass class; a class in the iron studio that will cover forging, welding, and fabrication; a jewelry class emphasizing the use of color on metal; a workshop in encaustic and mixed media painting; a class covering four fundamental printmaking techniques; and a natural dying workshop in the textiles studio. 

The Penland Standby Program offers discounts to area residents who take unfilled spaces in Penland classes shortly before the classes begin.Regular room and board charges apply, but students are not required to stay on campus. Most of these workshops are open to students of all skill levels. 

To enroll, call the Penland registrar at 828.765.2359, ext 15 or www.penland.org.

An open call for artisans is currently underway for the Shining Rock Riverfest that will be held from noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 13, at Camp Hope in Cruso.

All arts and crafts must be handmade, and can include sculptures, pottery, clothing, leather, etc. Send an artist bio, photographs and/or samples of your work to the Town of Canton, Attn: Shining Rock Riverfest, 58 Park Street, Canton, N.C. 28716. Entries must be submitted by 4 p.m. Aug. 29.

Live music at the festival will be provided by Soldier’s Heart, Bobby G, Indigo, Grits and Soul, Wilhelm Brothers, West Went, Shiloh Hill, Owner of the Sun, and special guests. Barbecue will be available onsite, with children’s activities also offered.

828.648.2363 or www.cantonnc.com. 

The Buy Haywood initiative will host the inaugural Uniquely Local Food Crawl around Haywood County Aug. 21-24 and 28-31.

A red carpet release party to celebrate the release of “Bigfoot Wars,” a major motion picture based on the novel written by Canton author Eric S. Brown, will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the RE/MAX Mountain Realty on Main Street in Waynesville. 

A botanical watercolor workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, at the Highlands Biological Station.

Acclaimed southern gospel groups The Whisnants and The Old Paths will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 29, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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Following Saturday morning’s fire on Main Street in downtown Sylva, Mayor Maurice Moody has scheduled an emergency meeting and work session for the Town of Sylva Board of Commissioners and local business owners for Monday at 4:00 p.m. in the board room of Municipal Hall, 83 Allen Street, Sylva.

The purpose of the meeting is to allow for an opportunity for merchants and the town board to discuss Saturday’s fire, the impact on businesses, and any updates as they become available.

Photos courtesy of Kristin Moore

By Chris Cooper

It’s not unusual in music circles for one’s sound to be recognizable but the name to be mostly unknown. Such is the case for bluegrass veteran Curly Seckler.

King of the Hill

I picked up a nasty rumor that Fox is planning to terminate my favorite cartoon show, “King of the Hill.” Shame, Fox! Shame! In my opinion, KOTH is not only the best cartoon show; it is also the best sitcom on TV. After six years, I know Hank and Peggy Hill far better than I know my own relatives. I worry about Hank’s secret shame (he has a small urethra) and Peggy’s qualifications as a substitute Spanish teacher at Arlen High School in Texas (and not too far from Crawford).

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Following a re-evaluation of Haywood County Arts Council programming, two of the organization’s mainstays have been cut from the roster — the Atlanta Ballet’s annual Mountain Homecoming and the Razzle Dazzle children’s arts festival.

By Michael Beadle

Even with the holidays over, traffic safety is still a major priority for public safety agencies and law enforcement.

A snapshot of other incubators across the state offer models of how the incubator in Waynesville could be revamped.

By Lee Shelton

The town limits of Maggie Valley encompass only 1.8 square miles, and there is only one commercial strip, which also serves as the sole access road for many of the residents in the area. It is also a U.S. highway. Even with adding in the Extra Territorial Jurisdiction (ETJ) together with the incorporated limits, 83 percent of what is identified as Maggie Valley falls outside that area. Thus, there are a lot of folks affected by actions taking place in the very small incorporated area of Maggie Valley.

By Michael Beadle

Once again Cataloochee Ski Area will be hosting a series of once-a-week skiing and snowboarding classes this season designed exclusively for women. It’s called Women on Wednesdays, or WOW, and it targets women of all ages and abilities who are interested in learning to ski or snowboard or who want to improve their skills on the slopes.

By Sarah Kucharski

John Nickerson is a very exacting man. Tall and solidly built, he moves with efficiency, his speech measured and pointed as he explains how he came into being a glassblower.

“I don’t do this to make tons of money. I do this because I can’t stand working for anybody else,” he said.

“Firefly”

As a proud member of the Star Wars generation, I enjoy a healthy dose of otherworldly sci-fi plots and special effects. Enter the world of “Firefly.” Five centuries into the future, the totalitarian Alliance regime rules an outer space colonized by humans from Earth.

By Joe Hooten

When it seems like you’ve heard all there is to hear from our Carolina troubadour Mr. Ryan Adams, he follows through with his promise and comes out with his third release in one year. The album 29 is a relatively short nine-track disc that symbolically recounts a year of his life during his 20’s.

By Sarah Kucharski

Students at Fairview Elementary School in Sylva have a unique opportunity to experience the benefits of reading through three signature programs that encourage literacy development.

The Rockin’ Readers program offers students in grades Kindergarten through second grade a chance to partner up with an adult volunteer who will read to them for 15 minutes each week. Readers meet with their assigned child in the school’s lobby where two sets of double rocking chairs are located.

It’s 11 a.m. on Friday at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville, and that means Story Time, a regular date for parents and their children to have some fun reading.

The children, who range in age from 2 to 5 years old, sit on carpet mats in a corner just outside the children’s library area and settle around Youth Services Librarian Jennifer Prince. Prince has a collection of colorful books to read, but before reading, she invites parents and kids to join in a brief sing-along.

By Michael Beadle

Remember when Mom or Dad read you your favorite bedtime story? Maybe it was a book like “Where the Wild Things Are” or “Guess How Much I Love You”? Even if you knew the ending of the story, each book became a magical journey before a new night of dreams.

• Read with your child everyday. Make it part of the daily routine.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

In his first month as the newly elected mayor of Highlands, Don Mullen has already earned a reputation as a service-oriented, civic-minded, friend of the environment.

Macon County officials have contested the legality of a moratorium Highlands enacted on commercial building within the town’s extra-territorial jurisdictions this November.

Controversy over proposed changes to the mission of the National Park Service has landed at the doorstep of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Approximately 70 families are in limbo as Jean’s Kids Palace, a daycare in Whittier, faces possible closure.

The privately run daycare is located in the Old Whittier School near the Jackson-Swain county line and services children ages birth to 12 years old. The building was owned by Doug Revis of Revis Hardware in Whittier and has been for sale for several years. However, the $500,000 price tag — more than $160,000 over tax value — was too expensive for daycare director Jean Cochran to purchase.

By Michael Beadle

Darfur may seem a world away from Bryson City, but a group of Swain County High School students is raising awareness about the horrific refugee crisis going on in the east African country of Sudan.

The Save Darfur Student Coalition, a group of about 15 Swain County High School students, will be raising money for the hundreds of thousands of refugees starving and at risk of disease in west Sudan in what world aid agencies are calling an overwhelming humanitarian crisis.