By Colby Dunn • Correspondent

On a recent sunny afternoon, Deb Shalosky is standing in the kitchen pantry at the Fines Creek Community Center, a little autumnal sun glinting off the neatly labeled octagonal jar in her outstretched hand. 

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent

The legendary Rathskeller Coffee Haus and Pub, an institution and social mainstay in downtown Franklin, saw a generational changing of the guard this year after 15 years in the hands of its original founder and owner.

By Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent

A group of merchants in Sylva rallying their fellow shopkeepers and restaurateurs in the downtown area to jump on the buy local movement as a way to strengthen their own economy from the ground up.

Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent

A nearly decade-long dream to build an inpatient hospice house for the terminally ill and their families in Franklin is closer to becoming a reality.

By Paul Clark • Correspondent

In the old Imperial Hotel in Canton, Sid’s on Main is creating a little history of its own. 

Sid Truesdale, who owns the restaurant with his wife Page, is honoring the building’s place in local history by putting pecan pie on the menu. The original restaurant, which fed workers and executives at the then-new Champion paper plant nearby, served pecan pie, as well as the drop biscuits that Sid also offers.

Light rainfall over the weekend wasn’t enough to slow the Table Rock fire in Linville Gorge nor will this week’s expected weather help much either, a fire official said Monday. “[The rain] has helped, but a half inch is not going to put this fire out,” said Deborah Walker, fire information officer for the U.S. Forest Service.  Fire officials pulled firefighters off the line Sunday because of windy conditions and this week’s forecast of wind and warmer temperatures will continue to make it too risky for firefighters to access the uncontained areas. As of Monday morning, the fire had burned about 2.275 acres, closing a number of trails, and was about 40 percent contained. “We have an uncontained portion of fire on the original south line that’s in steep and rugged country. It’s very difficult to get in there.  We can’t put crews in there to put containment lines,” Walker said. Instead, firefighters will cut snags and do dozer line and hand line construction to bolster their containment lines on the east and south sides of the area. The fire was first detected on Tuesday, Nov. 12, in the Table Rock Picnic Area on the Grandfather Ranger District in the Pisgah National Forest. More than 190 personnel are involved with the firefighting effort. The cause of the fire is unknown. Fire investigators are asking the public to contact the Grandfather Ranger District at 828.652.2144 with any information about people in the Table Rock Picnic Area on Monday, Nov. 11, Veteran’s Day. 

www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

Portions of the popular Graveyard Fields Loop Trail are closed for upgrades, according to the U.S. Forest Service. The agency expects to complete the work by late December.  

The Forest Service will construct a board walk on the east end of the trail, which will be closed during the construction. Users can access the Upper and Second Falls via the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. Also, users can park in the Graveyard Fields Loop parking lot and start at the west end of the loop. 

 In addition, the Blue Ridge Parkway will make improvements at the parking area for the Graveyard Fields in the near future. The work will include increasing the parking capacity and construction of a restroom facility. Dates for repairs at the parking lot have yet to be determined.   Funding for the project comes from a Scenic Byway Grant awarded to the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation. The grant matching funds are provided by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation to pay for the trail work. 

www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

Talk about mission creep. What was supposed to be a simple, final project for his Blue Ridge Naturalist certificate of merit turned into a full blown illustrated hiking guide for Haywood County. And so much the better, says Ken Czarnomski, who combined his three greatest passions: hiking, cataloging and sketching into the illustrated Purchase Knob Hiking Guide.  

Have an idea for a project that will benefit the Appalachian Trail but have limited funds to make it happen? Apply for an Appalachian Trail Special License Tag Grant through the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. The deadline is Jan. 10, 2014.

By Doug Wingeier • Columnist

 The cover story in the Oct. 30-Nov. 5 issue of The Smoky Mountain News described divisions in the Haywood County Republican Party caused partly by differences in ideology and partly by conflict over strategy and approach.

All branches of the Haywood County Public Library are currently collecting food to help meet the needs of local residents through Dec. 18. 

Citizens can bring their contributions to the front desk and give it to library employees. 

The most-needed food items include canned items, such as meats, stews and chili, pasta, sauces, vegetables and fruits, juices, beans and canned or dry soups; peanut butter; jelly (no glass containers); hot and cold cereals, rice, packaged pasta, juice boxes, baby food and cereal (glass containers acceptable); baby formula; granola and cereal bars; diapers (all sizes); personal items, such as shampoo and soap; and paper goods, like toilet paper and paper towels. Dog and cat food will also be accepted.

828.452.5169.

The Board of County Commissioners is seeking applicants to fill three vacancies on the Haywood County Agriculture Advisory Board (Farmland Preservation) and three vacancies on the Tourism Development Authority Board.

The three positions on the Agriculture Advisory Board are at-large positions for three-year terms. The positions on the Tourism Development Authority are for three-year terms, for representatives of accommodations with more than 20 units; accommodations with 20 units or less; and a tourism-related business.

Application deadline is 5 p.m. Dec. 4. Download a form at www.haywoodnc.net and attach in an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Or pick up and drop off a form from the third floor of the Haywood County Courthouse, 215 North Main Street in Waynesville.

Canton biscuit maker finishes strong

Canton resident Chris Sellers competed recently in the final round of Bojangles’ 18th annual Master Biscuit Maker Challenge at the company’s Test Kitchen in Charlotte.

Sellers is a biscuit-maker at the Bojangles’ on Champion Drive in Canton. 

He was one of only nine biscuit-makers to advance to the final round of the competition to determine Bojangles’ top biscuit-maker of all Bojangles’ franchised restaurants. To make it to the final round, Sellers’ biscuits earned the highest scores in his restaurant, area and regional level buttermilk biscuit-making competition. 

Sellers didn’t win but took home a Master Biscuit Maker Finalist trophy, a $250 cash prize and bragging rights.

Jackson Chamber holds holiday reception

The Jackson County Chamber of Commerce held its Holiday Reception Nov. 20 at the Comfort Inn in Sylva. 

About 150 Jackson County Chamber of Commerce members, partners, friends, ambassadors and board members came out to celebrate another great year at the chamber. Everyone enjoyed socializing over drinks and tasty treats from member restaurants Half Past and Zaxby’s. Incoming and outgoing chamber board members were recognized, as were Ambassadors. Door prizes provided by members were given out and everyone made donations to the Jackson County Department on Aging’s Operation Christmas Box.

Cashiers chamber recognizes community leaders 

The Cashiers Chamber of Commerce has created a new community advisory board comprised of public sector, education and business leaders to address specific economic and community development efforts.

The Inaugural members are: Dr. David Belcher, Chancellor of Western Carolina University; Chief Randy Dillard of the Cashiers Glenville Volunteer Fire Department; Dan Harbaugh of the Tuckaseigee Water & Sewer Authority; Commissioner Mark Jones of Jackson County; Karen Sullivan of Remax/Summit Properties representing the Rotary Club of Cashiers Valley; and Chief Roy Taylor of Blue Ridge Public Safety.  

The Cashiers chamber dished out its annual awards at a recent banquet, including Businessperson of the Year to Jim Zoller of Zoller Hardware.

The Cashiers chamber has also installed its officers for the coming year. Robin Tindall-Taylor of the Highlands Cashiers Hospital Foundation will serve as president, Mary Alice Grant of Sounds Essential will serve as president-elect, and Will Madden of Macon Bank will serve as treasurer. Debby Hattler of Hattler Properties and Mountain Lake Rentals was installed as a newly-elected director.

Get your packing in ship shape

The Ship Haus, a one-stop shop for packing and shipping needs, is up and running in Waynesville and Sylva just in time for the holidays.

The Ship Haus stores offer convenient packing and shipping from one location. Their seasonal motto: “Get your ship together for the holidays.” The Ship Haus will offer the full range of FedEx services. It is a division of The Print Haus, which recently joined forces with Old Style Printing. With the addition of The Ship Haus, they will now be providing an even wider range of services including full service printing, copying, on-site design services, signs and banners, faxing, laminating, coilbinding and direct mail.

The Ship Haus is located at 641 N. Main St. in Waynesville (828.456.4287) and 509 Asheville Hwy., Suite B, Sylva (828.586.4287) or www.theprinthaus.com.

Help shape Haywood’s economic development blueprint

The Haywood County Chamber and Economic Development Council have created an industry and business survey for evaluating the Haywood County business environment. 

The results and recommendations will be used to assist in developing long-range business retention and expansion planning for the Haywood County business community. It will provide a blueprint and action plan for the chamber as it takes over the lead role of economic development functions from county government.

The survey only takes a few minutes and can be found at www.surveymonkey.com/s/haywoodchmbredc. 

Over the next few weeks, Southwestern Community College will host a pair of information sessions for anyone interested in pursuing a career in one of Western North Carolina’s fastest-growing industries. Jobs are available now in the field of table gaming, and SCC currently offers the state’s only certification in the field. Including tips, these jobs typically pay $20 or more per hour.

The first upcoming information session will be Nov. 21 at the SCC Macon Annex. A second session is set for Dec. 5 at the college’s Jackson Campus. Each session runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“By attending one of these sessions, you’ll gain valuable information on career options,” said Scott Sutton, SCC’s director of occupational training. “You’ll also learn about industry requirements as well as training opportunities, and you’ll get the chance to interact with an instructor to get a feel for what the training entails.”

New classes begin in January. Information session attendees will get the first opportunity for enrollment.

For more information or to schedule a time and location for your visit, contact Latresa Downs at 828.339.4426 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The 26th annual “Hard Candy Christmas Arts & Craft Show” will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29-30 at the Ramsey Center at Western Carolina University.

This popular event features the original work of over 100 regional artisans. Customers line up early for the first selection of pottery, woodcrafts, jewelry, folk art, glass art, and specialty sweets and breads. Collectors of Old World Santa’s, heirloom ornaments and miniatures always find something new. You can even purchase a fresh mountain greenery wreath or scented dried fruit rope for your house.

Admission is $4 for an adult weekend pass, with children under 12 free.

www.mountainartisans.net or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.524.3405.

“Ring of Fire — The Music of Johnny Cash” comes to life at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 24, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

Joe Moore, author of the Santa Claus Trilogy, will make a special appearance from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 29 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 30 at Santa’s Gift Shop at the Macon County Community Facilities Building in Franklin.

Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt will perform at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 29, at the Martin Lipscomb Performing Arts Center in Highlands. Holt will be joined by musician Josh Goforth. 

Asheville blues/rock group Mojomatic will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 23, at Swain County Center for the Arts Bryson City. Following the concert there will be a meet and greet reception for the musicians and exhibiting artist, Vickie S. Beck, whose baskets and realistic acrylic landscape and still life paintings will be on exhibit and for sale through mid-January. 

The Macon County Commissioners received the 2013 Robert and Virginia Ramsey Brunner Land Conservationist of the Year Award during LTLT’s annual Fall Celebration Nov. 2 at the Cowee School in Franklin. The award recognizes the Macon County Commissioners’ essential role in conserving the historic Cowee School, which is now being repurposed as a community and heritage center, home now to a new Bluegrass concert series.  Former classrooms are now being used by various groups, including the Macon County Historical Society and the Eastern Band of Cherokee.  The Macon Heritage Center also houses the Cowee Pottery School and Cowee Textiles. The Brunner Award was established in 2004 to honor the Brunners’ vision and generosity, which were instrumental in the founding of LTLT. “Without the Macon County Commissioners this project could not have happened,” said LTLT Board President Ken Murphy. “The Macon County Commissioners, our elected officials, not only approved the repurposing of this facility, they provided critical support including financial support. Their approval and support was evidence of their real vision for the future, and we recognize that they made their decisions in light of many competing considerations and alternative uses of the funding provided.”

The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission has upgraded its Green Growth Toolbox to better equip communities to deal with wildlife and natural resource conservation in developing areas. In addition to a handbook, a GIS data package and a website, the Commission’s second edition of the toolbox contains additional detailed information about the amount of habitat that wildlife need in developing landscapes; more step-by-step guidance on conserving wildlife habitat through land use and development planning; visual examples of how to use the conservation mapping data and how to design wildlife-friendly developments; and more than 60 articles on the economic and societal benefits of a green-growth approach. “A good example is in Apex, where homes in the Shepherd’s Vineyard development adjacent to the American Tobacco Trail sold for $5,000 more than comparable homes in a nearby neighborhood,” said Land Conservation biologist Kacy Cook. 

The toolbox handbook, first released in 2009, was updated based on feedback from more than 200 planners, developers and local governments who attended Green Growth Toolbox workshops.

The Wildlife Commission provides the Green Growth Toolbox and technical guidance at no cost.

www.ncwildlife.org/conserving/programs/greengrowthtoolbox.aspx or 910.638.4887.

Rural preservation leaders in the Bethel community of Haywood County have announced the permanent protection of 29 acres through two separate conservation easements. 

You know winter is just around the corner when Great Smoky Mountains National Park starts shutting down. Here is a list of the Park’s closures and change in hours: 

Dr. Randall Provost walked the walk—or more accurately ran the run—when he competed in the Mountain Jug Run for Research, a 175-mile relay from Cullowhee to Boone, last month to raise money for athletic training research and scholarships.

So, what does one do when a sedated bear wakes up in the back seat of a helicopter mid-flight or in your office while you’re on the phone or in your car while you’re driving down the highway?

A section of Blue Ridge Parkway from Milepost 376 at Ox Creek Road to Milepost 355, near the entrance to Mount Mitchell State Park, will close Nov. 12 to allow workers to stabilize a failed slope just north of Tanbark Ridge Tunnel at Milepost 374. 

While alternate routes are available, the detour route marked with road signs directs traffic from Asheville, along Interstate 40 to U.S. 221, back to the Parkway at Spruce Pine, and alternately from Spruce Pine south to Asheville via U.S. 221 and Interstate 40. Mount Mitchell State Park will remain open and accessible from the northern approach along the Blue Ridge Parkway at Milepost 330, near Spruce Pine, or from N.C. 80.  

Parkway managers said the slope stabilization project was just too dangerous to allow motorists, pedestrians and bicyclists on the road.  They ask that motorists stay alert, be aware of barrier signs and follow the signed detour to ensure optimal visitor safety.  

The project is expected to be completed by late spring, with the Parkway open to all traffic during the 2014 summer visitor season.

www.nps.gov.

The last couple of weeks have been filled with a lot of news about Haywood Regional Medical Center and its potential partnership with Duke LifePoint Healthcare. 

Understandably, many people in the communities served by this hospital have questions about the proposed partnership with Duke LifePoint and what this means to everyone who relies on the hospital for quality health care services close to home.    

The process for exploring this potential partnership is just beginning, and we have a lot of work to do to learn more about one another and examine how we can best work together.

While we are not able to provide specific information about our proposal at this stage, we can share some information about Duke LifePoint and why we are interested in acquiring Haywood Regional Medical Center.  

Duke LifePoint works with community hospitals to strengthen their ability to provide the best possible health care to meet the needs of their communities. We provide support and resources to help these hospitals weather the changing healthcare environment, expand the services they provide, recruit new physicians to their facilities, offer new opportunities for their employees and find better ways to serve their communities. We make long-term investments of capital and other resources to help our hospitals succeed, and we are focused on keeping care local.  We strive to give our hospitals’ employees outstanding opportunities for professional and personal growth.

We recognize the importance of collaborating with local and regional providers for the best possible outcomes for our patients. Improving the quality care provided within each of our communities is our top priority. 

We also pride ourselves on being a good community partner. We have maintained or increased charity care levels at every hospital with which we have partnered, and we work to support important community causes. 

Duke LifePoint chose to submit a proposal to acquire Haywood Regional Medical Center because we believe that this hospital has tremendous promise. We like that its communities are committed to the hospital’s success, and we see great opportunity to strengthen the hospital for the future.  

The Duke LifePoint team is very excited at the prospect of being part of Haywood Regional and the hospital’s communities. We look forward to getting to know you all in the weeks to come and hope that you are looking forward to getting to know us. We believe that, together, we can make a big difference, and we are eager to move forward with next steps.

Willaim F. Carpenter

Chief Executive Officer

LifePoint Hospitals

William J. Fulkerson Jr., M.D.

Executive Vice President

Duke University Health System

To the Editor:

As a retort to the concerned citizen who wrote a letter to the editor about the intent of the Cullowhee planning committee to supposedly steal the property rights and money of the people of Cullowhee, I would like to inform you that there is no such conspiracy. In fact, it was not the county planner who suddenly decided to start a planning effort within Cullowhee; it was a coalition of property owners who decided they had enough of having the views from their houses destroyed by yet another apartment complex. 

They were tired of the lack of community and cohesiveness in Cullowhee and having a downtrodden “downtown” on Old Cullowhee Road. They were tired of not being able to walk or bike along the back roads around Cullowhee without the threat of being hit by a car due to lack of sidewalks, something which has already happened several times on Ledbetter Road. These are the things that the  Cullowhee planning effort is meant to address. It is to benefit the property owners and residents of Cullowhee instead of the wealthy developers that would build where ever they wish and decimate the property values of adjacent home owners. 

As of now, without any zoning in the Cullowhee area, it would be completely possible for, say, an asphalt plant to be plopped down right next to your home.

And finally, you say that we have some of the most stringent county ordinances and regulations in the state? Obviously you have never been to Raleigh, Chapel Hill or Charlotte and their surrounding areas. There you couldn’t find a smidgeon of wiggle room for developing your property or doing what you wished with it. 

In contrast, our county, similar to most other mountain counties in North Carolina, has some of the least stringent standards and fewest zoning laws in the state. And it is this lack of standards and ordinances that has led to uncontrollable and damaging (environmentally, socially, and economically) growth in rural areas like Cullowhee. 

So please, instead of spurting knocked up conspiracy theories designed to inspire fear in the citizens of Jackson County, think about how the Cullowhee planning effort might actually benefit you and the community.

Anja Nothdurft

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

I attended last week’s open forum sponsored by the newly formed Cullowhee community planning group where local citizens are discussing and considering our community’s growth. In the face of record university enrollment and multiple apartment construction, a head-in-the-sand approach is of no benefit to anyone. Each of these new students and each of these new buildings require roads, parking, water, and sewer, not to mention amenities like additional sidewalks, bikepaths, and recreation areas. This growth, although welcome, impacts our county’s infrastructure. 

This effort at community-based planning is a long time in coming. For over two years, Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor hosted open meetings where citizens overwhelmingly voted to ask county commissioners to establish a planning council, similar to one formed in Cashiers. This process has begun with the formation of a formalized planning group and the appointment of citizens who represent a wide range of viewpoints. 

In light of the progress made, it was particularly disappointing to read Mike Clark’s letter to the editor in last week’s paper. After all, Clark is one of those who serves on the planning group, but his letter appears to negate any interest in planning whatsoever. He raises a call of alarm, citing “ordinances, regulations, fees, fines and new taxes,” and warns against a “roomful of people who think they just have to control the property rights of others.”

Come on, Mr. Clark, aren’t you one of the people in the room? With such opposition, how can you hope to contribute to a process you appear to detest?

I only hope that other residents who are serving their community on the planning group are more open minded. As I said at the start of this letter, Western Carolina University seems poised for growth. Just as you would not accept more students without instructors to teach them, our county cannot encourage growth without planning (and building) the infrastructure necessary to accommodate them.

Anna Fariello 

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

Cullowhee is the fastest growing community in Jackson County. After several years of effort and well-attended community meetings sponsored by CuRvE (Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavor), the Jackson County Commissioners wisely established the Cullowhee Community Planning Advisory Council. Mike Clark, whose letters appeared in the Sylva Herald and The Smoky Mountain News last week, is a member of the Council.   

On Nov. 5, the Council, along with the County Planning Department, sponsored a meeting for the community to participate in developing a vision for Cullowhee. This meeting was widely advertised, open to the public and well-attended. Once again, the community showed its support for planning to help Cullowhee reach its potential to become a beautiful town that takes advantage of its surrounding natural resources.  

As Mr. Clark says in his letter, historically, the community has been opposed to zoning. But today is not yesterday. We need to move beyond past history and help Cullowhee become a livable town where residents, businesses and the university co-exist in what could be the most beautiful town in the state. Just imagine the Old Cullowhee Road business district with a river park, a greenway, a new bridge with bike paths, sidewalks and street lamps guiding pedestrians from the campus to the downtown. Just imagine student apartments and well-maintained mobile home parks with good roads and safe access for emergency vehicles. Just imagine residential areas with homes that are not devalued by unbridled development.  

I agree with Mr. Clark that we should contact our county commissioners. The best thing property owners and residents can do right now is to let them know we have had enough of unbridled development, and the time has long since passed for smart growth and planning. You can find contact information for all the county commissioners at this link: www.jacksonnc.org/county-commisioners.html  For information on the Planning Council: www.sites.google-.com/a/jacksonnc.org/cullowhee-community-planning-advisory-committee/home

Mary Jean Herzog

Chair, CuRvE

Cullowhee

Jacob Flannick • SMN Correspondent

Hundreds of high school students from across the state and beyond toured the campus of Western Carolina University last Saturday morning, trying to envision whether their next step might lead to Cullowhee in what has emerged as a crucial part of the university’s recruiting efforts.

“Telling Your Story,” a workshop that combines business management, marketing, entrepreneurial activity and economic strategies with the art of storytelling, will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, in the Cordelia Camp Building at Western Carolina University.

Participants will learn how storytelling is one of the most important tools that entrepreneurs and nonprofit managers have at their disposal. The workshop will emphasize participant interaction, and assignments and activities will be designed to strengthen students’ researching, reading, presenting, communication and writing skills.

The session will be led by Tim Hall, director of the Storytelling Center in Bryson City, who has been involved in theater, writing and storytelling for more than 50 years.

Cost is $59 per person, which includes a networking lunch. 

learn.wcu.edu or 828.227.7397.

The Balsam Mountain Roller Girls want you. A flat track female roller derby league based out of Haywood County, the team is looking to grow its team at the Smoky Mountain Sk8way & Fun Zone in Waynesville.

The team holds two practices per week from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sundays and Thursdays. Skating trainees, referees and players will learn through physical training. Both skating and non-skating trainees will learn rules through instruction and watching the game. 

The junior’s team, Balsam Mountain Junior Roller Girls, for girls ages 11 to 17, practices from 6 to 8:30 p.m. on Mondays. Girls and their parents are invited any Monday night to learn more about this confidence- and muscle-building sport.

League members will explain the game of roller derby, show video clips of the game in action, talk about the league and team opportunities, and then let participants try out skates. The event is not just for women who want to play, but for anyone who would like to learn more about roller derby or would be interested in joining the world’s fastest growing sport. 

Requirements are that all trainees must be 18 years old or older, pay $40 a month dues and sign a waiver. Referees, non-skating trainees and volunteers are exempt from dues but will have attendance requirements while in training. All skaters must pass a skills test and purchase USARS insurance (an annual fee of  $55) before they are put into full contact play. Skates will be provided.

828.246.9124.

The craft beer bottling line launch party will be a 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 22, at Nantahala Brewing Company in Bryson City.

A reception for the opening of a new mural in the children’s room of the Canton Branch Library will be held at 2 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 14, at the library.

Tickets are now available for iconic rockers REO Speedwagon and pop star Robin Thicke who will perform at Harrah’s Cherokee. REO Speedwagon plays at 9 p.m. Feb. 14, with Thicke at 8 p.m. Feb. 25.

The Highlands Biological Station (HBS) is trying to raise money to buy furnishings for its newly renovated Reinke Library and Seminar Room. “We came to the end of our funding before we could purchase the furnishings,” said Sonya Carpenter, director of the Highlands Biological Foundation, which initiated the $15,000 campaign. The research center has already received a $2,500 donation from the Garden Club of America. The money will be used to purchase tables, chairs, lamps and other furnishings to give students a space where they can “feel comfortable to study and to communicate their findings,” Carpenter said.  “We teach college level classes during the summer for college students from all over the United States and internationally. And we have a group of students who come primarily from [the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill] to spend a semester in residence here in the fall. Biology students spend a lot of time in the classroom. We give them opportunities to do field work.”

  The Reinke Library has a vast collection of scientific journals relevant to regional organisms and ecological systems. The library houses more than 100 master’s degree theses and doctoral dissertations based on work conducted at the HBS. “We feel the library and the laboratory are the heart of what we do here,” Carpenter said. 

The storied research center, now owned by the University of North Carolina, was founded in 1927 and is also home to a nature center and a botanical garden. 

www.highlandsbiological.org/rally-for-reinke or 828.526.2221.

Thanks to a new partnership, travelers along the Blue Ridge Parkway can access real time current road and weather conditions from one end of the historic roadway to the other, using BRPweather.com and BRPwebcams.org, newly installed weather stations and webcams. 

Renowned hiking expert and author Danny Bernstein will lead the next Friends of the Smokies Classic Hike on Tuesday, Nov. 19, along Lakeshore Trail at Fontana Lake. 

Smoke could be heavy in the Cades Cove area this month due to a series of controlled burns in the area by fire officials at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Dillsboro Mayor

Mike Fitzgerald: 18

Dillsboro Town Board 

(five seats available)

Tim Parris: 22

David Jones: 21

David Gates: 20

Beauford Riddle: 19

Jimmy Cabe: 15

Forest Hills Mayor

Kolleen Begley: 30

Forest Hills Town Board 

(three seats available)

Carl Hooper: 27

Clark Corwin: 26

Ron Mau: 25

Webster Mayor

Nick Breedlove (write-in): 61

Webster Town Board 

(five seats open, top three get four-year terms; bottow two get two-year terms)

Tracy Rodes: 53

Danell Moses: 52

Allan Grant: 51

Janice Blanton: 42

Billie Jo Bryson: 37

Highlands Mayor

Patrick Taylor: 260

Brian Stiehler: 174

Highlands Town Board 

(two open seats)

Amy Patterson: 294

Donnie Calloway: 270

David Rogers: 121

Gary Drake: 106

Bryson City Town Board 

(two seats open)

Janine Crisp: 105

Frederick “Rick” Bryson: 85

Brad Walker: 57

Matthew Kirkland: 52

Tom Wilmot: 26

Clyde Town Board 

(two seats available)

Jim Trantham: 22

Carroll Mease: 21

To the Editor:

It’s that time of year again. The Maggie Valley Lodging Association is making plans for its 16th annual Turkey Drive to benefit Haywood County’s disadvantaged residents. 

When the Turkey Drive first started in 1997, we delivered turkey dinners to 45 families. In 1998, we were able to bring Thanksgiving dinners to 75 families. From 1999 through 2007, we have helped 150 families per year. In 2008, 2009 and 2010 we were able to increase that to meals for 200 families. In 2011 and 2012 we reached an all time high of 250 families!

Thanks to the continuing generosity of residents and businesses in the area, we are aiming for a goal of helping at least 250 families again this year, potentially providing in excess of 850 meals.

Our volunteers continue to work with Ingles in Waynesville Manager Jeff Henderson and his staff to purchase and package the food and with the Department of Social Services for its delivery. DSS determines who will receive the Thanksgiving meals based on economic criteria. We deliver the packaged boxes to DSS headquarters, and their counselors help us hand them out. With your generosity we hope to be able to make this year’s drive as successful as those in the recent past.

As in prior years, your donation of $25 will deliver a full meal plus fixings to a family who may otherwise go without Thanksgiving. The dinner includes a whole, uncooked turkey, dressing, vegetables, bread, dessert, and even a disposable foil-baking pan for preparing the bird.

Over the years, the Turkey Drive has turned into a true tradition that many look forward to. Please join with us in this effort once again. Send your check for $25 (or more), made out to MVALA-Turkey Drive (Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association) to: PO Box 1175, Maggie Valley, NC, 28751 as soon as you can.

Please note: Our association pays for all administrative costs, so every cent of your donation goes directly towards the cost of food.

With your help, we look forward to a very successful Thanksgiving Turkey Drive again this year.

Karen Hession

President

Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association

To the Editor:

Historically, the citizens of Jackson County have been overwhelmingly against zoning outside the city limits. After failing to get anywhere with county-wide zoning efforts for some 20 years, our county planners finally got the proposal of community-based zoning put before our commissioners about 15 years ago. Thankfully, the proposal failed. Only one elected Jackson County commissioner has ever voted for community-based zoning.

Approximately 10 years ago, our planners started the “smart growth” approach to planning that eventually led to land-use planning ordinances and regulations that are now among the most stringent in this state. But there will never be enough ordinances and regulations for some people, so our county planner is now working hard to implement more planning for the Cullowhee community.

Are you one of the approximately 300 property owners in this proposed zoning district? We’re all supposed to call it a “planning area,” but land planning general statutes normally regulate the location and use of buildings and structures. And those last nine words could easily mean that many people could suddenly have their property rights replaced by more ordinances, regulations, fees, fines and new taxes. Do you really believe that only the people living in the huge area around Cullowhee could lose property rights? How long will it be before it spreads to your community? Do you think there wouldn’t be the probability of annexation along with taxation?

You have to wonder why the proposed area contains so many restricted subdivisions. Is the reasoning that these people don’t rely so much on property rights, and would be more inclined to vote for zoning, or maybe that they would help provide a larger tax base someday?

And what about the claimed need for this planning? The six cited reasons are so lame that they haven’t even been mentioned by the committee (of which I am a member) supposedly working on this planning. Is it not an outrage that our property taxes pay the salary of a county planner leading this attempt to steal very important rights that are essential to the ownership of that property.

At least we can be thankful that the majority of our county commissioners campaigned and won the last election on the notion that we had indeed had enough of that sort of overbearing government. There’s no way that they will let a room full of people who think they just have to control the property of others take away such basic rights. 

The people who want this zoning are well organized and good at hiding their true intentions. It’s unlikely that they will mention zoning until late in the process. Probably the best thing all Jackson County voters who value their property rights could do right now is to let our county commissioners know by phone (828.631.2295), letter (401 Grindstaff Cove Road) or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.) that we have had enough of these schemes that call for more and more ordinances and regulations. And write and/or call N.C. Sen. Jim Davis at 16 W. Jones Street, Room 2111, Raleigh, N.C., phone 919.733.5875. He seems to be for the protection of property rights.

Mike Clark

Cullowhee 

To the Editor:

What has been happening in Washington is more than a catastrophe. Congress is allowing unshared economic growth and prolonged economic insecurity for millions. One in five North Carolinians live in poverty. One in four children live in poverty and hunger. Here, in Macon County, 65 percent of our students now qualify for free or reduced lunch. Medical costs have risen so much since Medicare lost the ability to contract pricing that people are having to do without critical medicines and treatments. By dismantling many of our support nets and antipoverty tools — like the earned income credits — and failure to invest in schools, our own legislature has added to the problem. Meanwhile, lawmakers in Washington seek to make deep and prolonged cuts in all vital safety net programs like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, preschools programs, and SNAP which work for those among us who fall into lower social economic levels.

Congress should reject federal budget policies that ask the poorest and most vulnerable to bear the greatest load in putting our fiscal house in order. Sequestration targets the smallest portion of the federal budget. Fiscal policies under President Obama are slowly pulling us out. Dismantling and attacking those will result in a return to more insecurity.

I have tremendous respect for FDR’s policies, which pulled our country out of a deepening depression (for more information, read Bulls, Bears and the Ballot Box by Deitrick and Goldfarb, a well-researched popular take on our presidents from Hoover to Obama). What we know doesn’t work — because it has been tried many times — is the trickledown effect; that we have to take care of big business so it will take care of us. Big business doesn’t care. 

My favorite historical periods are the decades of the 1920s and 1930s when Big Business and their leaders led the USA. No job security, lack of safety measures, low pay, little medical care, nothing for seniors or children — who were often made to work until they dropped — brought about a cohesion of workers which resulted in the unions and federal regulations to protect the citizens of the U.S. What we are seeing now is a dismantling of these processes and a return to job insecurity, lack of access to education and training, destruction of mandatory standards in all areas. What does work? Investment in infrastructure, small business, jobs, education. Small business may well be the salvation of our country until a broader scale approach is developed and followed.

If this continues, and we don’t work together to stop it, what will be our end? Fortunately or unfortunately, some among us are still doing OK and aren’t stepping up to speak about the inequities. They may not speak out, but they are talking. We have to work together. Many recognize the problems, but few speak out. It is time to be part of the solution, not the problem

Get involved in community affairs. Go to community meetings. Get to know the facts, not the media fantasies. We need to be educated, not entertained. Find a local problem for which you can offer a solution — join a committee; be a reading volunteer, especially in third-grade classrooms which now face a critical pass or fail test; help fund Hospice House; volunteer to deliver meals. The list is endless for current needs. Please get involved.

Joan Maki

Franklin

To the Editor:

Red flag warnings that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka Obamacare, is a flawed bad law have been flying around from the get-go.

 The bill was ramrodded through Congress during a Christmas Eve session in the Senate. Who would have been paying attention on the eve of a serious U.S. holiday? House Speaker Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., demanded that, “We have to vote for the bill to know what is in it!” Pelosi and Democrat leaders did not want anyone to know what was in it because this bad law, more than 2,000 pages long, raises taxes, penalizes businesses and therefore kills jobs, steals funding from Medicare, burdens younger citizens with high premiums and deductibles, is loaded with confining regulations, costs government far more than originally predicted and creates more than 150 new agencies, boards, and commissions made up of unelected people who are not accountable to us! Red flags!      

 To secure the necessary votes to pass the ACA, senators and congressman were bribed with funding promises  (Mary Landrieu, Louisiana) or waivers (Ben Nelson, Nebraska).  Michigan Rep. Stupak, a Democrat abortion issue holdout, was convinced to change his vote to “yes” and retired from politics. Red flag!

 Up to 16,000 new IRS employees will administer the mandate that all citizens buy health insurance. The same untrustworthy IRS agency whose agents denied or delayed conservative leaning groups their nonprofit tax status will now have access to our personal health care records.

Objections to the Affordable Care Act surface from all around the nation but we are reminded that the ACA is “the law.” Nevertheless President Obama, without congressional approval, has changed the law by granting 1,000 waivers, delays and additional subsidies, mostly to favored groups — unions, corporations, Congress and their staffs. But, no delays, waivers or exemptions are granted to ordinary individuals who are now burdened with insurance cancellations, additional taxes and penalties. Red flag!

The ACA website is under-functional after millions of dollars were spent to program the site. President Obama kept saying that if you like your insurance plan you can keep it and you can keep your doctor. Not so! Millions have been cancelled by their present insurance company and therefore their doctors because the policy they like does not meet ACA requirements … all policies are mandated now by government not by what the insured chooses. 

Employer funded insurance will be mandated by ACA/Obamacare requirements in 2014, causing many to be cancelled as well. We were told that ACA insurance will cost only $2,500 per year but even if premiums are low, deductibles are exorbitant. We have less choice and less competition.

 There is no doubt that some areas of our healthcare system should be fixed, but the Affordable Care Act is not the way. Tell your congressmen and senators it is time to repeal and redo this bad law and replace it with one that is affordable, improves the quality of our healthcare care, and maintains our personal choices. 

Carol Adams

Glenville

To the Editor:

I read with great interest The Smoky Mountain News’ Oct. 23 Op Ed page and particularly the piece by Robert G. Fulbright of Waynesville. Fulbright’s piece was right on and I totally agree with him!

As a matter of fact, I had written Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, while the shutdown was underway, asking him to vote for the bill coming over to the House from the Senate to reopen the government and forego any possibility of default. I mentioned in my email that the shutdown, which he himself helped bring about (and he bragged about doing so), was doing great harm to citizens in his district, to families, businesses, and folks all across North Carolina, and indeed to our nation!

Further, I reminded Rep. Meadows that default would be catastrophic for not only our nation but for the entire global economy. I also pointed out that we — his constituents — would be watching and taking note of his vote.

So for Mr. Meadows, yes, as Mr. Fulbright suggested, we did take note of your vote on the government shutdown and taking the nation to the brink of default! 

 You, Rep. Meadows, will be held accountable for your reckless vote on this matter come November 2014.

Dr. Paul Y. Thompson (retired)

Franklin