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Western Carolina University has a new free outreach program called WCU Road Works that will present theatrical, music, film and visual arts events to organizations and communities throughout the region.
Artist John Kenneth Melvin will break ground on a new site-specific sculpture at the entrance of The Bascom art center’s campus on Friday, April 15, in Highlands.
After long awaited anticipation Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) is excited to announce that the historic #1702 Steam Engine will return for the 2016 excursion season.
Going to the Mother Earth News (MEN) Fair – April 9th &10th at the NC Ag Center? Stop by the Ingles booths (2421 and 2422) to meet some of our local farmers and vendors, and sample! www.motherearthnewsfair.com
Spring is here, and facilities closed for the winter are opening up accordingly in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
• Clingmans Dome Visitor Information Center will open April 1.
• Round Bottom/Straight Fork Road will open April 1.
• The backcountry office at Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg will be open daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with reservations also available online at www.smokiespermits.nps.gov or 865.436.1297.
• Cataloochee Campground will open March 25; Big Creek and Deep Creek campgrounds will open April 8; and Balsam Mountain Campground will open May 27. Smokemont Campground is open year-round.
• LeConte Lodge, accessible by trail only, opened March 21.
• Cataloochee Horse Camp will open March 25, Round Bottom Horse Camp will open April 1 and Big Creek Horse Camp will open April 8.
Blue Ridge Parkway sets opening schedule
Facilities and visitor services along the Blue Ridge Parkway will soon be opening for 2016, a year that marks the 100th anniversary for the National Park Service.
• Pisgah Inn and Restaurant will open April 1.
• Mount Pisgah Picnic Area will open April 15.
• Waterrock Knob Visitor Center will open April 29.
• Mount Pisgah Campground will open May 6.
• The Folk Art Center and Asheville Visitor Center are open year-round.
Some sections of the southern end of the Parkway are still closed due to winter weather. For real-time updates on Parkway closures, visit www.nps.gov/maps/blri/road-closures.
Clingmans Dome Road opens early
The road to the highest peak in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park opened a tad early this year due to last week’s warm weather.
Clingmans Dome Road opened Saturday, March 26, a few days ahead of its usual March 31 opening. The 7-mile road typically closes Dec. 1 of each year.
At 6,643 feet, the dome is the park’s highest point and the third highest mountain east of the Mississippi, offering a 360-degree view at the top.
Current road closure information is posted at @SmokiesRoadsNPS on Twitter.
A proposed rule change allowing hunters to bait black bears with unprocessed food throughout the entire hunting season will be the focus of a public hearing at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at the Haywood Community College auditorium in Clyde.
Cataloochee Ski Area is a finalist for the I AM a Snowmaker Award, given annually by SAM Magazine and HKD Snowmakers — but it needs votes from the public to win.
Spring ranger programs have begun in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, giving visitors a chance to explore the Smokies with help from the park rangers.
A slate of challenging long-distance races will be coming to the Smokies this spring, meaning it’s time to get back on that training regimen and sign up to run.
Hatchery-Supported Trout Waters throughout Western North Carolina will open at 7 a.m. Saturday, April 2.
This Easter marked an important milestone for Jerry Parker, an Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who completed the 2,160-mile trail before it was cool.
By Dave Waldrop • Guest Columnist
The North Carolina legislature has abandoned its responsibilities to public education under the guise of school choice. The state Supreme Court has ruled once that the legislature’s ill-conceived voucher program is unconstitutional. Unfortunately that ruling was reversed on appeal.
By Chris Cooper • Guest Columnist
If I had to use one word to describe the North Carolina primary, it would be predictable. Boring, even. The very same pollsters who blew the Michigan Democratic primary hit the nail on the head in North Carolina. It’s almost impossible to find a pollster who did not predict that the top of the ticket would feature wins by Trump, Clinton, Burr, Ross, McCrory and Cooper. Even the turnout was, well, average for a presidential year (virtually identical to statewide voter turnout in 2008 and 2012).
There will be Catamount paw prints on the next edition of a calendar highlighting North Carolina’s African-American heritage as Western Carolina University joins The Heritage Calendar project.
From the beginning Cullowhee Mountain Arts (CMA) has been committed to hosting high-quality workshops taught by instructors with national and international reputations.
Whether you enjoy sipping a smooth golden ale, something hoppy or a dark IPA, Jackson County’s craft breweries have you covered for NC Beer Month this April.
Stomach bugs, possibly norovirus, have been reported among Appalachian Trail thru-hikers in Georgia and the Great Smoky Mountains this season.
Saturday dawned chilly and foggy at Pinnacle Park in Sylva, but that didn’t stop 73 people from completing the strenuous Assault on BlackRock, an annual race that covers 7 miles and more than 2,000 feet of elevation gain.
Friends of the Smokies has a new North Carolina director after Anna Lee Zanetti took the reins this week.
Every year, trail towns and businesses in Western North Carolina anticipate the influx of Appalachian Trail thru-hikers that stream through the area between late March and late April. Take a look at what’s planned to celebrate this year’s crop of thru-hikers.
By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist
Setting aside a modest portion of the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest as Wilderness and National Recreation Areas (NRAs) would deliver huge benefits for a wide variety of user groups and for our local economy. So it is baffling to witness county after county in western North Carolina passing resolutions opposing the idea.
To the editor:
I wonder:
• Why do people in the so-called “Bible belt” seem to trust guns more than God?
• Why does the “right to life” that protects babies in the womb disappear when these babies enter a classroom?
• Why does my freedom to carry a gun “trump” my brother’s freedom from the fear of gun violence?
• When did the playground ethic I learned as a child — that I had the right to swing my fist freely around in the air so long as it did not collide with another person’s nose — get “trumped” by the Second Amendment?
• Why were the citizens of Australia — where church attendance is among the lowest in the world — able to pass a National Firearms Agreement that banned the importation, sale and possession of automatic rifles, shotguns, and handguns, and to enact a compulsory gun buy-back scheme, while last year alone, here in the U.S. — where church attendance is high — mass shootings occurred 372 times, killing 475 and wounding 1,870?
• Why do “Bible-believing” churches put up signs, “Guns Welcome Here” and have pastors who carry guns into the pulpit, seemingly rejecting admonitions like “they that take the sword shall perish with the sword” (Mt.26:52); “the war horse is a vain hope for victory, and by its great might it cannot save” (Ps .33:17); and “thou shalt not kill” (Ex.20::13)?
• Why are politicians who preach hate and fear able to amass a following among people who believe in a Bible that proclaims: “there is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1Jn.4:18) and “God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind” (2 Tim.1:7)? Will wonders never cease?
Doug Wingeier,
Waynesville
In the spirit of celebrating Sunshine Week, the Macon County Commissioners announced a decision to support and encourage transparency and open government.
Jamie Lynn Swartz, 36, formerly of Sylva, will serve 70 months in prison followed by five years of supervised release on drug conspiracy charges.
Now that the North Carolina Department of Insurance issued the Canton Fire Department a Class 4 rating this week, Canton homeowners should see a little savings on their fire insurance premiums.
An interesting anomaly played out in the mountains in the Presidential primary last week.
The sticky wicket of food trucks and food carts have taken center stage in Waynesville, with a public debate in full swing on where food trucks should be allowed to set up shop and for how long.
If you have ever wondered what those giant, colorful blocks are on the sides of buildings and other structures throughout Haywood County, now is the perfect time to learn.
An open call for entries to the 17th annual Taste of Chocolate Plus is currently underway. The event will take place Saturday, April 23, at the Maggie Valley Country Club.
Thursday, Mar. 24th • Ingles Markets — Hendersonville, NC
Howard Gap Road — 3 to 6 p.m.
Complaints about overcrowding on the Nantahala River have led the U.S. Forest Service to consider limiting fishing permits for outfitters and guides.
Duke Energy Progress’s plan to replace its coal-fired power plant in Asheville with natural gas has garnered partial approval from the N.C. Utilities Commission.
As the green season inches closer and visitation ramps up, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is looking for volunteers to engage with visitors and show off the park’s assets.
It was a year-and-a-half ago that Western Carolina University’s director of athletic bands, David Starnes, was asked by United Sound founder Julie Duty to help put together a board for her nonprofit organization, which provides musical performance experiences for students with special needs.
A public meeting will gauge support for a plan to give Jackson County’s Savannah community its first public park at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at the Savannah Community Building.
Preliminary results are current as of March 15. Look for more in-depth coverage of the local and state races online Wednesday, March 16.
CULLOWHEE – The Western Carolina University Police Department is asking for assistance in an ongoing investigation into recent property damage around the soccer field and track at the Catamount Athletic Complex on campus.
Eggs are one of the least expensive and most versatile sources of protein that you can find in the supermarket. Think about it, you can cook or bake with eggs. You can eat eggs for breakfast, lunch or dinner or use them in a dessert. You can scramble, fry, poach, soft or hard boil eggs!
The forest floor surrounding Jackson County comes alive as wildflower season dawns — and a six-week course on spring wildflowers will give participants the knowledge to put names to flowery faces.
Defenders of Wildlife has walked off the Red Wolf Recovery Team, claiming it’s headed for a “dead end,” meeting only once in the past five months.
The Shelton House, which houses the Museum of North Carolina Handicrafts in Waynesville, is in need of people interested in a number of rewarding volunteer opportunities including docents, gardening assistants, helpers for special events, and individuals interested in perpetuating the craft collection.
To the Editor;
Many people do not have enough information about Bernie Sanders to decide, on a rational basis, whether or not to support him. Much of what you read and hear on the news is misleading. Luckily, Sanders supplies incredible detail about all his programs on his website. But I do business research for a living, so I look up everything. Here are some of the facts that swayed me:
• The Economy. Zero wage growth in 20 years, while the cost of everything — especially health care and education — has skyrocketed. In our consumer economy, if consumers are too broke to spend, everything grinds to a halt. A lot of folks have been fooled by center-right politicians into believing that the ultra-wealthy need more tax cuts, and that the poor, the elderly and veterans should take benefits cuts. Yet International Business Times, Forbes and The Economist have featured studies (for example, U. of Chicago/National Bureau of Econ. Research) showing that tax cuts for the lower middle class and working poor create more jobs and more economic growth.
Sanders’ plan to raise the minimum wage and create millions of jobs by investing in our failing infrastructure would mean a surge in basic spending. Unless you make over $500,000 a year — and only a tiny fraction of Americans do — Bernie’s plan would put more in your pocket.
• Health Care. We have ruinously expensive health care, the most expensive in the world. Medical bills are the leading cause of personal bankruptcy in the U.S. High deductibles are the norm. Americans live in constant terror of an accident or illness that can take away everything. It doesn’t have to be this way. And in Canada, Australia, Japan, Europe … it isn’t. They have systems similar to Medicare (“single-payer”) that everyone, not just the elderly, can enroll in. “Isn’t that expensive?” Yes, but less expensive than what you are probably spending now; and it would also save money for employers who provide insurance! “Isn’t that socialist?” Well, Reagan said Medicare was a socialist program that was going to destroy America. Ask your mother if she hates that nasty socialist Medicare.
• War, Terror, and the Military. Sanders voted against Iraq in 2002, which he rightly said was going to drag us into a quagmire and breed terrorists. Then, he aggressively fought for increased veterans benefits. His largest group of donors? Combat veterans and active-duty military.
• Electability. Clinton’s unfavorability rating hit an all-time high last Tuesday and she is under imminent threat of indictment. In national polls, Sanders (unlike Clinton) beats all possible Republican challengers by a hefty margin. Why? Because for most of his career he was an Independent, and Independents now comprise nearly 40 percent of our electorate. Plus, he has a long career of working with Congress to get things done (just Google “Amendment King”).
Vote Bernie Sanders on March 15.
Jeannette Cabanis-Brewin
Tuckasegee
To the Editor:
Presidential candidates for both parties have been on the political or public dole for years even decades. All except Donald Trump.
Our country has some serious problems that need fixing. We are debt-ridden, spending is out of control, our borders are not secure, the numbers of illegal immigrants increases every day, unvetted refugees are about to enter the country, our military personnel is at the lowest in years while terrorist enemies kill innocent people here and throughout the world and our reputation in the world is greatly diminished.
It seems logical that now the President of the United States should be unlike any of the candidates who have been or are now a part of government. Trump is a successful businessman who solves problems. He is a negotiator and strong decision maker. He owes no lobbyist or big money donors as his campaign is self-funded. It seems logical that he has what we need as President in this country now.
Bill Adams
Glenville
To the Editor:
I consider myself to be a natural-born, modern rebel!
I grew up in a family very proud and humble,to be Southerners. According to my mother I was born rebellious, questioning why I was to do something when told. I still am this way and thankfully so because it causes me to pause, to listen, and to critically analyze new information, experiences, and people.
We, as American citizens, are in dire need of a rebellious leader. There is no other way to change the varied courses of destruction we have been following for longer than I have been alive. We need a leader who has the strength of character to choose to be civil, to be respectful of us as their constituents, and of the peoples of all nations.
There is only one candidate for president of the United States who lives up to this, and his name is Bernie Sanders. His ideas are bold, well thought out, and well explained. His vision is one that I believe in for us, and matches what I was taught, and understand, our great nation to be about. As Thomas Jefferson stated, “What country ever existed a century and a half without a rebellion? And what country can preserve its liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?”
I encourage you to support Bernie Sanders this March 15 in our state’s primary.
Christian Curtis Collins Jr.
Sylva
By Mark Jamison • Guest Columnist
I had planned to call this commentary “Dirty Money.” I would begin by quoting Teddy Roosevelt, “No amount of charity in spending such fortunes can compensate in any way for misconduct in acquiring them,” setting the stage for the argument that the grant from the Koch Foundation to fund a Center for Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University, a proposal which is problematic on its merits, also suffers from the fact that its source is tainted.
By Kristen Hammett • Guest Columnist
Our current Haywood County Animal Shelter is overcrowded, outdated, and unsafe for staff and the animals. Its present location in a residential district is no longer in accordance with Waynesville’s zoning, is far from the county center, and has traffic and parking limitations. Changes to the current structure would require zoning variances from the town — an unlikely event.
When I was growing up, it seemed that I spent most of my time at Mark Dozier’s place. Mark was my best friend. His parents were divorced, and his father, Gary, had an apartment in town just below the high school. I thought Gary was about the coolest father ever.
With the North Carolina primary election just days away on March 15, Donald Trump continues his march toward the Republican nomination and, dare we imagine, perhaps the presidency. What was a bad joke six months ago now seems a very real possibility.
This much we know: Trump is most probably not a total racist and bigot, but he is at the very least a xenophobic jerk, he’s pompous, crass, egotistical, a comfortable liar, and more-than-a-little lewd. He seems to take real joy in constantly being disrespectful to those he is competing against and makes bizarre statements (“I love the poorly educated”) that reveal a deep obliviousness to this country’s problems.
Only 200,000 people in the United States have their birthdays fall on Feb. 29, and one of those lucky babies was born at Haywood Regional Medical Center this year.
A full-service restaurant, an outdoor equipment outfitter, a combination bookstore and coffee cafe, a popular convenience store and a nationally known sandwich shop are among the expected occupants of Noble Hall, the mixed-use facility being constructed on the site of a structure damaged by fire in 2013 at Western Carolina University.
