Smoky Mountain News | June 24, 2020

Future

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On the Cover:

The 448-acre woodland property sitting right off U.S. 23/19 and Interstate 40 near Canton will soon be a public park and conservation area thanks to a partnership between The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy, The Conservation Fund and the town of Canton. (Page 22) Hanni Muerdter walks through the Chestnut Mountain property in Canton. Adams Wood photo

News

Future of Haywood lynching monument becoming clear ......................................4

Two stories of addiction, family and recovery ............................................................6 School surveys reveal lack of internet connectivity ..................................................8 Consortium formed to address affordable housing in WNC ................................9 COVID-19 cases continue to climb in N.C. ............................................................10

Lynda Bennett, WLOS-TV violate state election law ............................................11 Fontana Village surrenders lease to TVA ..................................................................12 Macon approves loan fund for small businesses ....................................................13

Opinion

Looking for answers in a time of uncertainty ............................................................16

A&E

Haywood Arts Council holds steady during pandemic ........................................18

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Future of Haywood lynching monument becoming clear

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

While much of the nation is talking about removing monuments, the discussion in one Western North Carolina county is also about installing them — and that discussion is no less contentious.

“I think this monument should be located in the lobby of the Justice Center,” said Kevin Ensley, chairman of the Haywood County Board of Commissioners. “Since Mr. Ratcliff’s Fifth and Fourteenth Amendment rights were violated and justice was not served, it would be a reminder to those who enter that justice should always be paramount in our nation.”

By early 1900, George Ratcliff, a 25-yearold Black man, had worked for Clydearea farmer Matthias Holland for about a decade.

That all came to a quick end on March 3 when Ratcliff was accused of sexually assaulting Holland’s 10-year-old granddaughter. According to a contemporary story in the Goldsboro Headlight, Holland’s wife heard the girl’s screams and attempted to intervene.

Ratcliff fled on foot, pursued by the girl’s uncle, Joe Holland. Another uncle was dispatched to Clyde to spread the word and to wire Canton with a similar warning.

A posse formed and eventually located Ratcliff, took him into custody and brought him to Clyde; prominent local attorney and politician D.I.L. Smathers was charged with Ratcliff’s safekeeping, and appointed eight men to guard Ratcliff through the night.

The next day, Ratcliff was escorted to Waynesville’s jail. Late that night, around 1 a.m., more than 50 people with concealed faces arrived at the jail, demanding to see Ratcliff.

Haywood County Sheriff William J. Haynes, who lived at the jail as was common at the time, refused the crowd’s demands. The masked mob broke down the exterior door, and again demanded Haynes take them to Ratcliff. Haynes again refused.

The mob then broke down the interior door, and made it to Ratcliff’s cell, demanding that a deputy named Henson give them the keys to Ratcliff’s cell. Henson refused, as Haynes went for help that never came.

Unable to enter Ratcliff’s cell, the mob wouldn’t be denied — according to a story in the Asheville-Citizen, Ratcliff was shot more than 40 times, through the bars of his cell. His cellmate was, miraculously, unharmed.

The next day, the headline in the Citizen loudly proclaimed “Another Brute Pays Penalty.”

Without trial, without jury, without any of the benefits of due process, George Ratcliff became another one of more than 6,500 people — Black, white and Native American — to be lynched between 1877 and 1950 according to the Montgomery, Alabama-based Equal Justice Institute.

In 2018, almost 120 years after Ratcliff’s lynching in Waynesville, the EJI opened the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery.

Part of the memorial is a large, open-air pavilion. From the roof of that pavilion hang more than 800 rectangular steel boxes, roughly analogous in size and shape to coffins.

Each box bears the name of a U.S. county where a documented lynching occurred. Haywood County, and Ratcliff, are represented there, as are 64 other North Carolina counties, including Buncombe, Cherokee and Macon.

Outside the pavilion, in an adjacent 6acre park, are identical replicas of each of the columns hanging in the pavilion, even more

evocative of coffins as they lay on the grassy ground. They’re only there temporarily, though — the EJI wants each county to take theirs home to their communities and erect them in a place of prominence for all to see.

The EJI won’t simply release the monument to anyone who expresses a desire to erect it in their county, however. The group wants large-scale community buy-in, from nonprofits, businesses and local governments.

In February 2019, the Haywood Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People took up the task of determining what, if anything, should be done with the monument.

Rev. Walter Bryson, head of the Haywood NAACP, related the story of Ratliff and the EJI to members. A month later, more discussion on the issue was held, and opinions were deeply divided.

Some Black members of the group feared that the monument would stir up trouble for the Black community in Waynesville. Other Black members disagreed. Some white members of the group feared that the monument would stir up trouble for the Black community in Waynesville. Other white members disagreed.

At the time, Haywood resident John Woods summed up the arguments on both sides of the issue.

“I have two thoughts. One of them is,

absolutely, to take a stance on education and honesty and owning our history, we should bring it back,” he told SMN on March 27, 2019. “But sitting in the meeting today as a white male with all of my privilege, I can imagine how bringing that back could cause people of color harm and put them at peril. I don’t think that’s a deal-breaker, a reason not to do it, but it’s one of those things where I’m reminded about the issue of white privilege — it’s not going to cause me any difficulty to bring it back.”

That May, members of the Haywood NAACP embarked on a bus trip to visit several Civil Rights-era sites in Alabama, including Ratcliff’s monuments. The long ride would give the group time to talk, both on the way there, and on the way back.

The trip, according to NAACP member Katherine Bartel, resulted in the group largely supporting the monument’s relocation to Haywood County, however there was still widespread disagreement as to where, exactly, it should go.

One option was a new park being constructed in Waynesville’s historic African American community off Pigeon Street. That site has drawbacks, however, in that it’s a bit off the beaten path and unlikely ever to become a destination for tourists.

Another option was to put it on the lawn of the Historic

Haywood Courthouse, in downtown Waynesville. That site, too, has drawbacks in that the only monuments there commemorate Haywood County’s veterans — including Confederates.

There wasn’t much movement on the issue throughout the rest of 2019, or during the first few months of 2020. Now, the conversation has taken on a new urgency in light of monuments across the country being removed by governments, or torn down by protestors.

The May 25 killing of Minneapolis man George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police sparked protests over police brutality that quickly evolved to include institutional racism, and then evolved again into the role of monuments — specifically Confederate monuments — in reinforcing white supremacy.

Two weeks ago, Asheville voted to remove two Confederate monuments and form a study commission on removing a third. Black Lives Matter demonstrations have since spread across the nation, moving

Haywood County and that the wounds, in this case, aren’t really that old.

“They haven’t forgotten,” he said. “Raw emotions that had died down were again stirred up.”

Regardless of Ratcliff’s guilt — or lack thereof, as the true circumstances of his alleged crime can now never be proven — his extrajudicial murder while in police custody was exactly the type of behavior that in 1900 might be described as “just the way things go,” but today sparks sometimes-violent conflict.

“He was denied a fair trial and due process under the law. It was wrong. I agree that a good place would be the justice center as a reminder that Justice is to be served,” Long said.

Commissioner Brandon Rogers, who like Long lives not far from where the events transpired, agrees with the position taken by Ensley both in the 2019 SMN story, and today.

“Commissioner Ensley has stated in the past that he feels such a marker should be placed in the Justice Center and I would tend to agree,” Rogers said. “Unfortunately Mr.

Ingles Nutrition Notes

written by Ingles Dietitian Leah McGrath

NUTRITION Q & A

QUESTION: What are some good snacks for a person who has diabetes?

ANSWER:

It certainly isn't necessary to have snacks, but if you have diabetes and want to either have a snack or think about something to take with you traveling, the key is to check Nutrition Facts labels on packaged items and also the serving size. If you need a few carbohydrates, combine carbohydrates with protein or if you just want a snack without carbohydrates, just have just the protein.

from large urban areas to small towns like Franklin and Sylva.

Although events in Western North Carolina have been peaceful, internet fearmongering and local suspicion resulted in large contingencies showing up to “guard” monuments in those towns. Petitions have been circulated in both places, calling for them to stay, and to go.

Persuasive and passionate arguments abound on all sides, but as that discussion continues, so does the discussion over what to do about George Ratcliff.

“I would have been very happy to have lived my life and never heard about the heinous crime he was accused of,” said Tommy Long, a Haywood County commissioner who lives not far from where the alleged crime took place. “I would have been fine never knowing of the angry mob who shot him in the jail. It stirred up raw emotions in me.”

Long said he was handed newspaper articles by descendants of the Holland girl, proving that old wounds still run deep in rural

Ratcliff didn’t have a chance for justice to be served therefore it would be the proper place for such a marker.”

Commissioner Mark Pless also agreed with the Justice Center location. Kirk Kirkpatrick, an attorney by trade and longtime Haywood commissioner, didn’t take a position on the monument but did concede that Ratliff was denied his constitutional rights.

“Certainly, to lynch a man without a trial is failure to follow due process under the law of this country and his rights were violated,” Kirkpatrick said. “Many other people’s rights, white, Black, Asian or Hispanic, have also been violated. Singling Mr. Ratcliff out to me promotes an idea that lynching was limited to Black people when in fact that is not the truth.”

Regardless, it now appears that momentum is building and that one day, perhaps soon, the monument will make its debut, somewhere in Haywood County.

“Mob rule has no place in America,” Ensley said. “This marker would be a powerful reminder of that.

ProteiN

• Nut Butter (almond, peanut, soy)

• Hard boiled egg

• Cottage Cheese

• Plain Greek or Skyr yogurt

• Cheese

Carbohydrate

• Crackers or bread (whole wheat or whole grain)

• Fresh, frozen or dried fruit

• Plain Cow's milk or flavored Soy Beverage

• Cereal (9gm of sugar less/serving)

Note: Non-starchy vegetables also make a good snack choice because they have few carbohydrates - celery, grape or cherry tomatoes, raw baby carrots, snap peas, radishes, jicama.

Of meth and motherhood

Two stories of addiction, family and recovery

BY BOYD ALLSBROOK CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Few issues raise as much political ire in Western North Carolina as that of the ongoing drug abuse epidemic. Debates rage over methadone, harm reduction and Substance Use Disorder-linked homelessness at most local government meetings. Everyone has an opinion on addiction and what to do about it. But too often a fundamental truth is missed — those experiencing addiction are importantly, individually, human.

Mollie Ledford — the self-described “face of addiction” — has a story to tell. Born into poverty in Waynesville, her early life was fraught with trauma. Molested at 8, raped at 12, she began drinking and smoking marijuana at the age of 11. Her alcoholic father set the example, and the substances were readily available in the house.

“I was like,” she recalled, “Oh, I can just blur things out! I don’t have to cry, and I don’t have to miss my dad. A lot of addicts start with, ‘I’ll just smoke a little weed or drink a little beer, and then I won’t have to feel for that little bit.’”

By age 16, Ledford had progressed to cocaine and then to snorting crushed-up prescription opioids like Percocet and OxyContin. By then she was also functionally raising her live-in boyfriend’s son while still in school herself. Percocet, a notorious depressant, renders even normal tasks difficult to accomplish, let alone those of a 16year-old mother. She was floundering. She needed a boost.

She recalled the way methamphetamine hydrochloride was pitched to her: “You can just put a little crank in your Mountain Dew and then you’ll have energy to get it all done. And they’ll be none the wiser.”

It was like magic. One hit and suddenly, she not only was euphoric but also hyperfunctional. She worked as a med tech at 17, and, powered by the meth, went on to get her CNA degree in college. Her medical professional colleagues never had a clue how high she was most days.

“I’d go in the bathroom, do a line of meth off the toilet-paper dispenser, clean it off, and go back to work,” she said.

At 18, she bore her first biological child, a son. Shortly after, she and his father separated, and she was left to raise him alone. By this time, she had begun to get intermittently clean. Her streaks generally didn’t last long. The stress of her lifestyle was intense, and this coupled with years-old addictive patterns always managed to bring about a relapse. When the meth was gone, she was left with nothing but pain. When the meth was gone, she couldn’t function at work. During this interval, she was what can be described as a “maintenance user.” Doing just enough to get by, living in total denial.

“If you’d asked me then I’d say, I’m not a drug addict. It’s those dirty and disheveled people on the street. I spoke out against addiction to cover up what I was doing.”

— Mollie Ledford

was an addict. He’d gotten clean through Haywood Pathways Center and turned his life around. He reached out to her as gently as he could, asking her to talk, to come to church with him, to get breakfast. She finally agreed to meet him for a pre-church breakfast. She arrived at the restaurant strung out and apprehensive.

They talked. He said it might be time for her to give up.

“Give it to God,” he said.

They went to church together and something snapped inside. She gave up, gave it to God on her knees. With help from friends, she left Waynesville a few days after in hopes of removing herself from the home of her addiction and trauma. She’s been clean ever since.

Ask anyone and they’ll have ready examples of what can be lost to drug addiction. Money. Jobs. Health. Life. Ask recovering meth user Ashley Bradley and she’ll add another to the list — your child.

Adopted into a “very Christian” family at 6 months old, Bradley grew up in Haywood County. She had a relatively standard childhood, but, like many who are raised in a sheltered small-town home, she had an itch to get away. Directly after graduation, she moved to Florida to stay with her birth mother.

“Funny,” she said, “years later, I couldn’t wait to get back home.”

Life happened in a bad way, as it so often does to young kids striking out on their own. In February 2000, Bradley found herself unwed, alone, poor and pregnant. She’d always wanted kids, but this was not how she’d pictured it happening. Still, she kept the child and gave birth to Kaitlynne on Dec. 13 of that year. Times were hard. She was, in her own words, just a child. She tried to provide, to straddle the gap between adulthood and immaturity with increasing difficulty. Eventually, this led to Kaitlynne’s father’s parents seeking custody. The courts gave Bradley two years to get her life in order.

It was precisely at this worst of moments that she was offered methamphetamine. One hit, and she was hooked.

“It was like I got high once, and two years went by,” Bradley said.

“If you’d asked me then I’d say, I’m not a drug addict. It’s those dirty and disheveled people on the street. I spoke out against addiction to cover up what I was doing,” Ledford said. “I wasn’t afraid of meth. I should’ve been, but I wasn’t. To me it was the soccer-mom drug.”

It went on like this for a while, the methamphetamines taking greater and greater control. She eventually made the decision to give up her 14-year-old son to his father. He’d been acting out in school and she felt responsible. Her addiction had edged the boy out of frame and into neglect.

“It’s like, your kid gets a boo-boo, and instead of putting a Band-Aid and Neosporin on, you say, hey, you’re fine! Go play!”

Once free of parental responsibility, she began to spiral in earnest. She floated from man to man, each relationship more abusive than the last. Eventually she found herself in

Texas, woken from sleep by a boyfriend with hands around her neck. He was high and attempting to kill her. She’d obviously done something to piss him off in her sleep. Wrestling free, Ledford made for her car in a dead sprint with $30, a T-shirt and a pair of pajama pants to her name. She drove home from Texas without stopping for sleep, under the sort of panic a bag of meth does not help assuage. She bought one anyway just to keep from passing out. After that it was pure freefall.

“My purpose in life became to find that next line of meth. All day, every day,” she said.

She did whatever she had to go get high. Homeless. Alone. Terrified. A .45 pistol and a restraining order in her purse against a psychopathic ex-lover, who, she was sure, was right on her heels. It was then that she reconnected with her now-fiancé.

They had been friends back when he too

The terror of losing her daughter, the perceived hopelessness of her situation, turned those two vital years into one long binge. A young girl, alone and far from home, her daughter lost with little hope of coming back. She couldn’t deal. The meth was all she had to feel alive. On it, the pain and confusion of what her life had become could fade and become less relevant.

Just like Ledford, Bradley did whatever she could to stay high. She became homeless. She slept under bridges and in shelters. She dealt drugs to keep her supply steady. She could not, would not, feel. And all the while, her chances of reclaiming Kaitlynne were trickling away.

Salvation came in the form of a 2002 overdose. The EMT who saved her life later said that he had no clue how she survived after being out for as long as she had been. The overdose was her rock-bottom and set her straight. She sobered up, stayed clean and tried to appeal to

Bradley and her husband are on the cusp of opening a new halfway house for women with children.

The facility — called “Kaitlynne’s House” — will take referrals from schools, police and DSS. The goal is for mothers deep in addiction to have a place to heal without losing their children. It will be a holistic faith-based rehabilitation environment, connecting resident mothers with all resources the area has to offer.

the courts. It was too late. She lost rights to her first child in 2003.

Bradley never once relapsed. The terror of her brush with death and the pain of losing Kaitlynne kept her straight. Time went on. She healed, came home to Haywood County, married a good man who worked for the sheriff’s office. They’ve had many children and fostered many more. She never quite recovered from the guilt of losing Kaitlynne until, inspired by a sermon at New Covenant Church, deciding to turn her shame into action.

“Back when I was struggling, there was no choice of recovery with kids,” said Bradley. “Addiction cycles through families. Children of addicts often go on to be addicts themselves. I want to give them a childhood they don’t have to recover from.”

The facility is expressly for people like Ledford, for people whose lives have been marred by generational addiction. Addicted single mothers lose their children easily. Those children perpetuate the cycle of pain and the avoidance thereof. Ashley hopes to keep mothers’ hope alive while they recover. She hopes to help their children avoid Ledford’s childhood and its trauma’s attendant addiction.

Donations to Kaitlynne’s House can be sent to 101 East St. in Waynesville.

DA wants to close DWI loophole

Speaking in Raleigh, District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch this week urged members of the N.C. Senate Judiciary Committee to close a legal loophole that, at the expense of victims, sometimes benefits those convicted of drunken driving.

Currently, if a person is driving on a revoked license for impaired driving and kills someone, he or she faces a charge of misdemeanor death by vehicle. The maximum prison sentence allowed is 150 days.

Lawmakers are weighing whether to raise the crime from a misdemeanor to a class F felony, carrying a minimum active term of not less than 12 months in prison.

“That many days — for someone who is not even supposed to be on the road — is an insult,” said Welch, who oversees the 43rd Prosecutorial District, made up of the seven westernmost counties.

Sens. Chuck Edwards, R-Flat Rock, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, are among the bill’s sponsors.

“The Senate Judiciary Committee chairs

State allocates $26 million for families

“Addiction cycles through families. Children of addicts often go on to be addicts themselves. I want to give them a childhood they don’t have to recover from.”

— Ashley Bradley

The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services recently announced that the state’s Community Action Agencies have begun to receive flexible funds that can be used to help low-income individuals and families meet a variety of needs caused by the economic disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic.

These funds are part of the federal Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) and can, among other allowable uses, help

and members are still considering the bill and reviewing the case to determine the best solution,” Edwards said Thursday of the legislation’s progress through the committee.

Kimberly Carnes, 43, suffered mortal injuries in a Feb. 22, 2017, head-on collision in Macon County as she drove from home to work. Scott Marchant, 56, also a Macon County resident, crossed the two-lane center line on N.C. 28 and smashed into Carnes’ car.

Marchant had been drinking. He did not meet the .08 legal impairment standard, however. His blood alcohol content measured .045.

“It’s one of the worst things we have had to do, to explain to Kimberly’s mother that he faced only a misdemeanor death by vehicle,” Welch said.

Marchant pleaded guilty to misdemeanor death by vehicle on July 27, 2017, in Macon County District Court. The judge imposed 75 days, based on his sentencing level.

Kimberly Carnes’ mother, Karen, provided emotional testimony to committee members, pleading with them to increase the penalty.

“As a misdemeanor, it says, ‘He didn’t intentionally set out to kill somebody.’ You know what? My daughter didn’t want to be intentionally hit and killed,” she said.

eligible residents facing eviction with unmet rent and utility expenses.

Community Action Agencies are nonprofit organizations created by President Lyndon B. Johnson’s signing of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. To be eligible for CSBG-funded services, individuals and families must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

To apply for help, contact your local Community Action Agency. For additional information on the CSBG funding or contact information for the 33 Community Action Agencies in North Carolina, visit ncdhhs.gov/csbg-contacts.

School surveys reveal lack of internet connectivity

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

As schools shut down during the pandemic, students were sent home and instructed to tune in online. Chromebooks were loaned out, and teachers began the process of getting material for the rest of the school year online. But for many students, there was still the problem of reliable internet.

Communities were quick to rally around students with little or no access to reliable internet. Schools, libraries and businesses made their wi-fi available in parking lots. Charter Communications offered free internet for 60 days to families with K-12 and college students.

One Haywood County Schools teacher, who chose not to be named, said they made sure their students’ families were aware of the deal Charter was offering. The teacher helped one family with the installation process. The teacher said that now, over 60 days later, the family is once again disconnected from the internet.

Though these quick fixes have helped students get through the end of the school year, there are not solutions to the real issue. To better understand the breadth of the problem, several school systems conducted surveys to determine what proportion of students had readily available, reliable internet.

Haywood County Schools received 4,632 responses, well over 60 percent of the total

student population. Results showed that 14.59 percent of students do not have reliable access to the internet in their home.

“We suspect, pretty strongly, that it’s higher than that,” said Superintendent Dr. Bill Nolte. “And our rationale is the people who didn’t respond probably have, in general, less access.”

Nolte said the results were troubling, especially while students were expected to complete all schoolwork, not just homework, at home.

“If it’s one student, it’s a problem … every student matters,” he said.

In Jackson County, results showed a similar proportion without access to the internet. Of students polled, 13 percent said they had no internet access. Another 22 percent said their access was limited by time or data.

Superintendent Dr. Kim Elliott said one of her biggest concerns is that even students who have internet at their house, may not have a strong enough connection to stream class, coursework or videoconferencing.

“There is a true lack of broadband connectivity in Jackson County. I myself as the superintendent have trouble with some Zoom calls from my home with regard to maintaining good connectivity,” Elliott said. “It’s not about connectivity per say — it’s about reliable connectivity.”

Both superintendents expressed concerns about the lack of cellphone coverage in their

“From what I understand we sent our school children home with a tablet, but we sent them to homes without internet service. Internet service is no longer a luxury, it is now a necessity.”

— Franklin Mayor Bob Scott

counties contributing to the problem.

“Oftentimes they will attempt to use their cellphones to garner access to the internet and of course depending on the region or the area geographically where they’re residing, that can be an issue in and of itself with cell phone coverage,” Elliott said.

Nolte said Haywood County Schools worked to provide and pay for hotspots for families that could not access internet. But for some families, even this wasn’t an option.

“There are situations where it wouldn’t even benefit them to provide them with a hotspot because the cell service in that particular community or cove or valley or mountain is just not good enough even if we provid-

ed something that we could afford on a short term basis,” said Nolte.

In Macon County, 24 percent of students who responded to the survey reported a lack of internet access in their home. Due to such high rates, Macon County IT Director Tim Burrell said they are already looking for solutions, in case schools do not reopen in the fall, or are again shut down for a period of time.

“We will be providing wireless hotspots at each school location with open access available in school parking areas. We are looking into providing additional hotspots around the county, possibly near community centers. We are also looking into providing a mobile jetpack type device for students that have no internet at home but do have cellular coverage,” said Burrell.

The necessity for virtual services during the pandemic highlighted the need for, and the lack of, broad-based internet connection.

“Covid-19 has laid bare so much of the inequality that’s in this country today,” said Franklin Mayor Bob Scott. “Internet, we have learned, we cannot do without. I know of people that had to drive to sit outside the library. A couple of businesses made their service available out in parking lots.”

Both Scott and Nolte said that the only viable solution to the problem was government action.

Consortium formed to address affordable housing in WNC

BY HANNAH MCLEOD STAFF WRITER

Seven counties in Western North Carolina have the opportunity to band together and receive money for affordable housing through the Southwestern Commission. As of June 15, several counties have signed on to make up the Southwestern NC HOME Consortium.

The counties making up the consortium are Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Haywood, Macon and Swain. Haywood County would be the lead entity of the Consortium, meaning it would be in charge of administrative responsibilities. Each municipality within these counties would be a member of the consortium.

Forming the Southwestern NC HOME Consortium would allow members to access $670,000 annually in funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s HOME program. These funds are dedicated to addressing the need for affordable housing in the region.

Dogwood Health Trust’s Leverage Fund will provide the initial matching requirement of $80,000.

This means that it will not cost members any money to form the consortium and begin receiving funds. The program will officially begin in July of 2021. For now, members are tasked with formulating a consolidated 3-5 year plan for how to use funds. The plan will describe community needs, resources, priorities and proposed activities. After a plan is put forth by members of the consortium, funds will be distributed by the Southwestern Commission.

According to Sarah Thompson, executive director for the Southwestern Commission, projects eligible for the funds include purchase of property, construction, home rehabilitation, down payment assistance and rental assistance among others.

Once a plan is in place and work begins, there is an ongoing 25 percent match requirement for all projects. The match is for each individual project and can be provided in the form of money, or labor, assets or anything else of value to the project. The match must be paid by the jurisdiction where the project will take place.

One important measure of affordable housing in any area is the percentage of costburdened households in a particular place. The Southwestern Commission defines costburdened households as those spending more than 30 percent of their income on housing. In August of 2018 the Southwestern Commission reported 29 percent of households in Haywood County were cost-burdened, 30 percent in Jackson, 28 percent in Macon and 23 percent in Swain.

Another issue that the Southwestern Commission is working to alleviate is the lack of broadband infrastructure in the region. According to a 2018 report, the westernmost counties in North Carolina have “very good” middle mile connections, those connecting schools, businesses and institutions; but are lacking in last mile infrastructure that connects rural housing and businesses.

The funds allocated to the Southwestern NC HOME Consortium will not pay for broadband infrastructure.

“I think the only real solution is for the state or local government to say to internet providers, we will reimburse you or pay a percentage of your costs to expand reliable high-speed access in identified areas,” said Nolte.

“I think what we need to do nationally is the same thing that brought about rural electrification. When we had the TVA and the electric coops. Because the private providers of electricity would not run lines down to the last mile. So, we are going to need a massive undertaking to make sure that everyone that

needs internet service will get it,” Scott said. “Government is the only way we’re gonna provide internet service to everybody. As long as we provide internet service based on profitability, we’re not gonna have equal internet service to everybody.”

Scott said that he doesn’t believe things will go back to the way they were before the pandemic. He suspects more business and work will be done from home, virtually.

“From what I understand we sent our school children home with a tablet, but we sent them to homes without internet service,” said Scott. “Internet service is no longer a luxury, it is now a necessity.”

COVID-19 cases continues to climb in N.C.

BY J ESSI

As of June 22, North Carolina had 53,605 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The death toll is now over 1,200 and about 870 people are currently hospitalized.

The state has increased testing to about 16,800 per day, on average, for the past week and now has more than 500 testing locations across the state along with several pop-up community testing sites. Based on guidance from the Department of Health and Human Services, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety has begun the testing of all 31,200 inmates in the prison system for the virus.

In the last week, the state has announced it received $1.5 million to expand mental health supports throughout the state during this crisis and also is allocating $35 million to assist local health departments respond to the pandemic.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. has more than 2.2 million confirmed cases with 119,923 deaths.

Over the last couple of weeks, Macon County experienced a major surge in confirmed cases due to several clusters being identified and a ramp up in contact tracing testing. With a total of 3,180 tests performed in the county and 224 tests pending, there are 257 confirmed cases in Macon. Of those cases, 191 are active, 65 are recovered and there’s been one death.

Macon County Public Health has also been releasing more demographic information regarding positive cases. As of June 17, women made up 54 percent of cases and the Hispanic/LatinX population represented 80 percent of cases. Looking at age groups, 44 percent of cases occurred in the 25-49 range while only 13 percent of cases occurred in people 50 and older. According to the data, 51 percent of positive cases were symptomatic, and 49 percent were considered asymptomatic.

The state defines clusters of COVID-19 in workplace, educational and other community settings as a minimum of five cases with illness onsets or initial positive results within a 14-day period and plausible linkage between cases where cases were present in the same setting during the same time-period.

The first two clusters were identified a couple of weeks ago at Old Edwards Inn in Highlands and at Evangelical Ebenezer Church in Franklin. Some of the people who tested positive at the church were also employees at the inn. The latest cluster was identified at Wind River Construction where six people tested positive for the virus.

Haywood County is now up to 72 cases as of June 22. The latest confirmed case did have a recent out-of-state travel history and is in isolation at home. Two cases were confirmed June 18 — one had recent out-of-state travel history to a vacation area while the other didn’t know how or where they were exposed. Case No. 68 was exposed at work and case No. 67 was exposed by another known positive case — all of the cases show that the virus is being spread in many ways throughout the community.

“The Haywood County Health Department will trace, test, and contain anyone we identify who was exposed to this virus,” said Haywood County Health Director Patrick Johnson. “It’s vital that citizens assume the virus is circulating in the county and take appropriate precautions. You or the person near you in the grocery store or at

SCC reports first COVID-19 case

Southwestern Community College officials confirmed on June 20 that a student has reported testing positive for COVID-19.

It’s the first case involving a student or employee at the college. The student was last at the Jackson Campus on Monday, June 15. SCC officials are working with local health department officials to locate anyone who may have come into contact with the individual.

All employees and students determined to have come into contact with the student have been notified and urged to get tested. Relevant classes have been canceled for Monday, June 22.

College administrators were made aware of the diagno-

work could be unknowingly carrying the virus and spreading it throughout the community. Basic steps like social distancing, wearing a mask when in public, staying home if you are sick, and regular hand washing help to limit exposures and slow the spread. It’s very important to practice all of these precautions in the workplace as well.”

Jackson County has performed a total of 3,870 tests with 77 positive cases — 35 are still considered active and there’s been one death. About 78 percent of the people who’ve tested positive are white; 64 percent are male and a majority are in the 25-49 age bracket.

Swain County has 47 confirmed cases and zero deaths. The county has performed a total of 1,639 tests with 123 still pending result.

Dr. Mark Jaben, medical director for Haywood County Public Health, recently explained how people can reduce their risk of getting sick whether they are expose to the virus or not. He said there are varying levels of “virus load” one can be exposed to — just because you come into contact with the virus doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll contract it and even if you contract a small amount of virus load, you may not get sick.

“Being exposed doesn’t mean infection —

sis directly by the student after 5 p.m. on Friday, June 19, and informed all students and employees via texts, calls and emails later that evening.

Due to federal privacy laws, no information about the individual can be released at this time.

SCC officials urge anyone who was at the college’s Jackson Campus on Monday, June 15, and is experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness (fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc.) to isolate and contact a healthcare provider immediately.

Friday evening, housekeeping crews thoroughly cleaned and disinfected all locations where the student reported having visited.

Since the pandemic began, SCC officials have followed all protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease

the virus must get inside you,” he said. “And even then, you may not necessarily get sick. If the virus load is small enough, your immune system can handle it.”

However, if you’re exposed to a large viral load, your immune system can go into overdrive trying to attack the virus, and in the process your immune system can start attacking other healthy cells as well.

Jaben said there are several ways to block transmission of the virus anywhere along its path, which is why it’s important to wash your hands thoroughly for 30 seconds, to avoid finger to mouth contraction and why it’s important to avoid crowds in confined spaces for extended periods of time. He said wearing a mask will limit the chances of breathing in infected droplets from others. Staying 6 feet apart has been the standard, but Jaben said people talking loudly or singing can spread droplets 10-20 feet out.

“Break chain of transmission – isolate if you get sick and if that’s not possible because of the way your house is set up, call the health department. We have resources to help,” he said. For more information about COVID-19 cases in North Carolina, visit https://covid19.ncdhhs.gov.

Control and the N.C. Department of Health & Human Services - as well as direction from N.C. Gov. Roy Cooper.

On March 24, SCC primarily transitioned to a virtual college - other than a handful of programs designated as essential by state officials. Following Gov. Cooper’s phased reopening plan, designated employees began returning to campus for a soft reopening on May 26. While most summer classes are meeting online, classes that require face-toface instruction began meeting on June 1.

Between March 24 and May 26, crews outfitted all SCC locations with plexiglass partitions, sanitizing stations and signage aimed at keeping employees, students and visitors safe.

Ongoing efforts to enhance those measures are still underway.

Lynda Bennett, WLOS-TV violate state election law

BY C ORY VAILLANCOURT STAFF W RITER

Ashort video segment featuring NC11 congressional candidate Lynda Bennett that was produced by Asheville-based WLOS-TV at Haywood County’s early voting location violates state election law, according to North Carolina’s top elections official.

“The interview with one of the candidates [Bennett] should have been conducted outside of the polling place,” said Karen Brinson Bell, NC elections director. “Our law is pretty specific that the only people who are to be inside the voting enclosure are election officials and those in the act of voting.”

On June 4, WLOS aired a 77-second report focusing on the start of the early voting period. It featured a video montage of polling places, campaign signs and candidates – Bennett and her Second Primary opponent, Madison Cawthorn – talking about their Republican primary campaigns for the seat formerly held by President Trump’s Chief of Staff, Mark Meadows.

Bennett is shown at a voting machine, followed by an on-camera interview just a few feet from other voting machines.

“At that point, she had completed her active voting and should have left the polling place or left the voting enclosure, as should the media,” said Bell. “The media is allowed in to photograph, but the interviews are to be conducted outside.”

Certainly, election coverage by all forms of media – print, radio and television – takes place in and around polling locations both on and before any election day, however there are strict rules for journalists to be aware of when operating in such circumstances.

“To an extent, I would say actually the media was probably more at fault than the candidate,” Bell said. “You’re able to enter the polling place. You have to notify the chief

judge that you’re present and that you’re part of the media, the press corps. But when you do, you’re there to do your shot. You can’t photograph a ballot, and you do your interviews and so forth outside of the buffer zone.”

Haywood Board of Elections Director Robbie Inman, however, stressed that candidates are just as responsible as the media in terms of conducting themselves lawfully in and around the polls when campaigning or interacting with the media, because they’re provided guidance.

Election coverage

The Smoky Mountain News will be posting updates regarding the Republican Second Primary race on its Facebook page Tuesday night and the final results will be posted by Wednesday morning at www.smokymountainnews.com.

“Each candidate at the time of filing receives a packet of information that is quite extensive. That is in their candidate guide, and candidate materials. It is all published on every website. Those documents are produced for a reason,” said Inman. “If we all understand the same language, then there should be no question because I’m not saying the same thing to 12 different people on 12 different occasions and worried about whether or not I enunciated properly. It’s all there, written down for each of us to understand and acknowledge.”

Early voting in the NC11 Second Primary ends this Saturday, June 20. Election Day is Tuesday, June 23. Watch the video here.

https://wlos.com/news/local/in-personvoting-begins-for-nc-congress-nominationrunoff

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Fontana Village Resort & Marina will no longer be in operation after surrendering its lease back to the TVA. Donated photo

Fontana Village surrenders lease to Tennessee Valley Authority

BY J ESSI STONE N EWS E DITOR

Fontana Village Resort & Marina located in Graham County surrendered its lease back to the Tennessee Valley Authority on June 1.

Resort management announced the decision June 5 on its Facebook page.

“This was a difficult decision for them (the owners) to make, but due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic and the loss of a big part of the 2020 season, they have decided not to continue the lease on the property,” the post read.

The announcement was met with great disappointment from local and visitors who’ve made many great memories there.

“Though things have changed in Fontana through the years, I’ve always loved being able to go home with my family for our yearly visits,” said Sheila English Jones. “I hope TVA can see the potential there and give Fontana a grand reopening.”

Others were also concerned with the economic impact the closure would have on the local tourism economy, which has already taken a major hit due to the pandemic and the state’s reopening restrictions.

“Hope to get a deposit back and very sad about this,” said Eddie Albert. “But honestly, more concerned for all the employees and the economic impact on the community there. I hope for their sake that they can find a solution.”

Many people posting on the Facebook announcement also had questions about getting their reservation deposits back — some claimed it had been a month since they requested their money back and hadn’t gotten it yet.

“Well my wedding is planned for August 29th at Fontana which is less than 90 days away and I have yet to be contacted even though I’ve been trying to reach someone since April .... I believe you owe me my

$1000.00 deposit back,” said Cassidy Alexandra Dalrymple.

According to the Facebook post, the staff at Fontana is currently “very limited” but continues to contact immediate reservations.

TVA is actively looking at the future for Fontana Village Resort & Marina, but they do not have a planned opening date. There are a lot of details to work out between both businesses before any announcement can be made.

“We regret seeing Fontana Village close, but respect FVI’s decision to discontinue operations. We appreciate FVI’s effort and service to provide public recreational opportunities,” said TVA spokesperson Jim Hopson. “We have supported Fontana Village as its historical significance, economic contributions, Appalachian Trail location and other factors make it a unique and special part of TVA’s legacy. TVA looks forward to investigating future options at Fontana and continuing our commitment to local economic growth and the people of Western North Carolina.”

Fontana Village was originally built as a town for the workers and their families who came from all around the country to construct the Tennessee Valley Authority’s Fontana Dam. Construction of Fontana Dam began in 1942 and was completed in 1944. The dam was built to provide power for the war effort at the Oak Ridge, Tennessee, nuclear plant and to alleviate seasonal flooding in the greater Tennessee River Valley.

Hopson said the property was originally placed under lease in 1946 and FVI (in its previous incarnations) assumed the lease in 1972.

“We are currently considering what the future may hold for Fontana Village, but we are still very early in that process and have no additional details to offer at this time,” he said.

Macon approves loan fund for small businesses

BY J ESSI STONE

EWS E DITOR

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Macon County Economic Development Commission has established the Reopening Macon Fund. The program, funded by a $257,500 appropriation from the Macon County Board of Commissioners, will provide low-interest loans to severely impacted small businesses in Macon County, helping them to remain open.

Commissioners held a public hearing to gather public input before allocating the $257,000 from the EDC reserve fund. Several small business owners spoke in favor of the measure, saying a quick, small loan would help them during this difficult time.

Cory McCall, co-owner of Outdoor 76 in Franklin, encouraged the board to adopt the program. “We’ve been in business for 10 years and have never experienced something like this — to be faced with such dire circumstances during our busiest time of year with the AT thru hikers,” he said. “This will be really good for businesses that need an extra boost of money. It’s clear with PPP (Payroll Protection Program funds) there’s a disconnect to what local Main Street businesses need right now.”

Tim Crabtree, owner of Motor Company Grill and Crabtree General Store, agreed that the PPP didn’t take into account what

TekTone becomes majority owner of Stay Smart Care

As part of its mission to continuously provide communication solutions that evolve with the needs of our world, TekTone — based in Franklin — has acquired majority ownership in Stay Smart Care, a company whose expertise lies in Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM) solutions. Stay Smart Care will operate as a subsidiary of TekTone, allowing the two companies to provide a wider variety of intercommunication solutions and resources to care providers in a variety of markets.

“For the past two years, Stay Smart Care has developed the most comprehensive managed Remote Patient Monitoring solution for successful aging in place,” said Mark Feinberg, Founder and CEO of Stay Smart Care. “As a TekTone subsidiary, we have the opportunity to leverage 45 years of knowledge and expertise in communication technology, product development and sales. Together, we will offer the senior care market the most complete managed monitoring solution available.”

“Stay Smart Care’s solutions definitely create added value for the TekTone community of customers,” said TekTone President John Mira-Knippel. “As an ISO-9001 registered company with almost five decades of success, TekTone presents a solid foundation

small businesses needed. While it provides businesses money to bring back their staff, many small businesses don’t need all their staff back right now. With the restaurant closing in March, he said they lost thousands of dollars in fresh food that had been ordered and no way to recoup those costs.

“There’s too many stipulations of how it had to be used,” he said of the PPP.

Linda Harbuck, director of the Franklin Chamber of Commerce, said a majority of the chamber’s 400 members are small business owners. Together, they represent a large percentage of the workforce in the county and are struggling to stay open right now.

“I’ve been with the chamber for 50 years and I’ve never seen anything like this. The number of small businesses not able to pay their $200 annual membership — it breaks my heart,” she said. “I think without small businesses this county and community wouldn’t be the same. We need to help them.”

Commissioner Karl Gillespie said he wished there was a way to make the fund a grant program instead of a loan program.

Commissioner Ronnie Beale said the EDC did consider that but felt like since the requirements for the small loans were so minimal that really any small business could qualify, but the purpose is to reach the businesses truly in need in order to reopen or stay open,

upon which Stay Smart Care can thrive and grow. We are excited to be able to introduce our existing customers to new ways of creating revenue for their business, as well as new ways of caring for seniors specifically.”

As the aging population continues to rise, the senior care industry is continuing to evolve, and providers must adapt to serve their communities, as well as expand to include those outside of their walls. Together with Stay Smart Care, TekTone will offer a wide platform of solutions to help providers not only improve their existing services, but help them extend those services to those in need of care beyond the physical confinements of their campus.

Stay Smart Care is the only senior care solution that provides continuous, nonintrusive healthcare monitoring with smart technology. Stay Smart Care offers Remote Patient Monitoring solutions for senior living communities, at-home care models, home care agencies and Medicaid/Medicare providers. For more information, visit www.staysmartcare.com.

For over 45 years, TekTone has designed and manufactured UL Listed Tek-CARE nurse call, wireless nurse/emergency call, wander management, Tek-SAFE area of rescue assistance systems, and Tek-ALERT integration systems. TekTone products are designed and built in our FDA-registered, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Franklin.

Visit www.tektone.com or call 800.327.8466 for more information.

“So instead of giving them the money, this might motivate them to keep their business going. They just have to show hardship in making a payment. I’ve always felt like having skin in the game is a motivator,” he said.

Repayment is expected either from more permanent funding sources or from future cash flow of the business. Loan amounts

time,” said Jim Tate, Chairman of the Macon County Board of Commissioners. “Providing financial resources for local businesses will play an essential part in reopening our economy.”

Additional partners supporting the fund include the Franklin Area Chamber of Commerce, the Highlands Chamber of Commerce, Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center and Western Carolina University’s Small Business and Technology Development Center.

range from $2,500 to $10,000 and are available to businesses located, or based, in Macon County, have between 1 and 49 employees, been in business at least 12 months and have suffered a loss of revenue of 25% or more due to COVID-19.

“COVID-19 has greatly impacted Macon County’s economy and the recovery will take

“The Reopening Macon Fund will provide much needed assistance to our small business community. Many do not have the resources to weather a longterm recovery. A loan of $2500 or $5000 could make the difference in surviving or being forced to close,” Beale said.

Mountain BizWorks, a nonprofit community financial institution based out of Asheville, will be the administrator of the Reopening Fund, providing loan processing and underwriting services. Local businesses can apply online at mountainbizworks.org/reopeningmaconfund or contact the Macon County Economic Development Commission at 828.369.2306 for further information.

Welcomes

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summer time

Franklin Hospice House under construction

Construction of SECU Hospice House in Franklin has crossed the 50 percent completion mark. It is anticipated that the region’s new hospice inpatient facility will be operational this coming fall. Four Season, The Care you Trust, a hospice care provider currently serving Western North Carolina, will operate within SECU Hospice House once construction is complete.

Fundraising for SECU Hospice House continues to move forward as well. Through the continued generous support of the community, Hospice House Foundation of WNC has raised $4.2 million, including a $1 million grant from the State Employees’ Credit Union. HHFWNC needs to raise an additional $300,000 to reach its $4.5 million Campaign goal.

The hospice house will provide a six-bed hospice inpatient facility for the far western region, including Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties, and Northeast Georgia.

To learn more about this important regional initiative, visit www.hhfwnc.org, call 828.524.6375 or email micheleralderson@gmail.com.

Foundation funds expanded care in Highlands

Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation has announced a formal agreement to expand access to primary care on the Highlands-Cashiers plateau by funding a new practice that includes a rural teaching program in conjunction with UNC Health Sciences at MAHEC.

The partnership is with HCHF, Blue Ridge Health and the Mountain Area Health Education Center. This collaboration exemplifies the fulfillment of the HCHF’s mission to improve the health and well-being of Highlands, Cashiers, and surrounding communities.

“We acknowledge from the outset this project’s scope is wide and our goal and related objectives are ambitious requiring significant contributions of time, talent and treasure from the partners and members of the community,” said Dr. Walter Clark, Chair of the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation. “However, we know with the determination of these partners along with the philanthropic passion of this community, we are on the road to a true success.”

The partnership will work toward the goal of opening a primary care clinic in the HighlandsCashiers area that will provide universal access to healthcare for the population of Highlands and Cashiers as well as the workforce that travels from other communities throughout Macon and Jackson Counties.

More details will be announced in the coming months surrounding the timeline and physician team that will serve the area. In the meantime,

residents can be assured that we are working toward access to universal, integrated healthcare and an increased supply of healthcare providers for the area. If you would like to support this endeavor, do not hesitate to contact HCHF at 828.482.6510 or visit www.hchealthfnd.org.

HRMC eases visitor restrictions

Haywood Regional Medical Center is transitioning from a zero-visitor protocol to limited visitor restrictions as the hospital gradually resumes elective and non-urgent cases and services at its facilities.

The decision was made as current projections continue to indicate a lower than expected volume of COVID-19 in the region and after careful review of state and federal guidance. The updated restrictions, which will now allow inpatients to have one visitor or support person per day, between 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

“We continue to monitor closely the prevalence of the virus in our community as we adapt our operations to safely care for and support our patients, and we feel confident that it is safe to begin allowing limited visitors again at this time,” said Chris Fensterle, interim CEO of HRMC.

To help protect patients, providers, employees and the community, anyone entering the hospital will be screened for symptoms consistent with Covid-19 based on CDC guidelines. Each inpatient may have one well visitor per day. Healthy visitors must be at least 16 years old and will be required to wear a mask they bring from home during their visit.

Visitors that don’t pass the screening at entry

will be asked to reschedule their visit for when they are symptom free.

Canton pool open for season

The Champion Credit Union Aquatics Facility opened to the public Monday, June 8, with several new rules and precautionary measures being taken to ensure the safety of both staff and patrons.

The operation of the pool and these rules are subject to change as the town of Canton navigates the pandemic. Following Gov. Cooper’s Phase 2 regulations, currently 150 patrons are allowed within the facility and no more than 60 patrons allowed in the water at one time. To accommodate this, each patron will be provided 1 of 3 different color wristbands upon entry. Swimmers of 1 particular color will be allowed to swim for a period of time, when that designated time has elapsed that color will be asked to get out of the water so that another colored wristband may circulate in and so forth. This is being done to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to swim and enjoy their time at the facility.

Only Haywood County residents will be admitted — patrons 16+ must provide a valid ID or license for entry; all patrons under 16 must be accompanied by an adult; drop-offs are not allowed at this time; all patron’s temperatures will be screened at the gate. Anyone with a temperature over 98.9 degrees will not be allowed to enter the facility; adhere to 6 feet social distancing guidelines between groups.

For more details, visit www.cantonnc.com/swimming-pool.

Haywood Regional Medical Center earns highest quality ratings

With its most recent report, released in April 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Five-Star Quality Rating System has recognized Home Care Services of Haywood Regional Medical Center with a 5-star rating in both quality and patient satisfaction.

According to the data, the Waynesville home health provider achieved the highest rating possible in both categories. Home Care Services is a home health partner of HRMC and part of a joint venture partnership with LHC Group, a national provider of in-home healthcare services with 32,000 employees operating locations in 35 states and the District of Columbia.

The CMS Star Ratings – issued quarterly –are highly sought after by home health providers and seen as a key differentiator and indicator of overall quality and excellence in the home health industry. The star rating system was instituted by CMS as part of its Home Health Compare website to provide a “tool for consumers to use when choosing a home health care provider.”

“It is more important than ever that local providers maintain their focus on quality care and service in helping safeguard the health and safety of the communities they serve,” said Keith Myers, LHC Group’s chairman and chief executive officer. “Our teammates at Home Care Services of Haywood Regional Medical Center are an excellent example of this commitment in action. The entire LHC Group family of in-home healthcare providers offers congratulations on their outstanding performance.”

Harris welcomes new surgeon

Harris Regional Hospital recently welcomed board certified general surgeon Dr. Allison Palumbo to Harris Surgical Associates.

Palumbo will be providing general surgery services to Jackson, Swain, Graham, and Macon counties and the surrounding region. She specializes in breast surgical oncology, including breast cancer genetics and high-risk breast cancer screening and has extensive training in lumpectomy as well as skin-sparing and nipple-sparing mastectomy techniques. Palumbo will also perform general surgery cases including hernia repair, gallbladder removal, and colon and small bowel resections.

Palumbo graduated from Marshall University School of Medicine and completed a general surgery residency at Wright State University in Dayton. Palumbo served in the United States Air Force as a general surgeon at MacDill Air Force Base. She was deployed to Bagram Air Field in Afghanistan where she served as chief of general surgery for the country’s largest hospital.

Harris Surgical Associates is located at 98 Doctors Drive in Sylva. For more information, visit the Find a Doctor page on myharrisregional.com or call 828.586.3976.

Looking for answers in a time of uncertainty

Iam in the market for a good, slightly used, Ouija Board. I need it to make accurate predictions of what is to come in Franklin and our westernmost counties as we face uncertain times and as we begin to reopen.

COVID-19 has been devastating health-wise as well as economically.

There will be some permanent losses. It is inevitable some of our businesses will not survive.

As we reopen, we need to begin rethinking about where we live. We need to be looking at our density of population. A low density such as we have in the western counties is a plus. I predict as people from high density population areas begin rethinking where they live, we will see a resurgence in our population — we need to be planning for an influx of newcomers. Especially with interest rates as low as they are now.

Have we gotten so accustomed to working from home, that we will not want to go back into offices? What will happen to office buildings? Will the demand for new offices slide by as we adapt to working from home? What if we like it? Is teleworking the new norm? Will we decide we like meeting with people on screens rather than in person? I will have to relearn how to tie a tie as I have not worn a sport coat or

Restorative justice helps all involved

To the Editor:

Seeing people take to the streets to demand reform of the police system is gratifying. Yes, we should ban chokeholds. Yes, we should get rid of bail. But we believe those calls are for “band aids,” not reforms.

We need to implement restorative justice (RJ). Only violent offenders need to be imprisoned for the public safety. Many others could be rehabilitated and live meaningful lives. The RJ model brings the offender and victim(s) into a circle that includes a trained facilitator, family members of both parties, and the willingness to communicate. There, victims tell their stories of the harm that has been done. Unlike what happens in most court trials, the offender is required to listen. Then the victim helps to design a kind of community service or restitution that would make repairs in some way. The offender must admit responsibility and agree to the remedy prescribed.

The goal is for the offender to learn from mistakes and to reform. The community benefits, and the victim may be able to feel that, in spite of real pain, there has been a positive outcome. This model of Native American conflict resolution has been imported to New Zealand where it has been used with great success.

Mountain Mediation Services has RJ facilitators. With this approach, young offenders may be detoured from lives of crime. Adult nonviolent offenders may be readmitted to the community. Both victims and offenders may be left with hope. As Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative writes, “We are all better than the worst thing we have ever done.”

suit in months. I may decide I never want to wear a tie again! I meet daily on some kind of Zoom virtual meeting. I don’t mind it because I have a huge hole in the knee of my jeans and no one can see it. Virtually, we exist only from the waist up. We are suffering from a lack of fast internet service, as are rural areas across North Carolina. I put the blame on the N.C. Legislature for being reluctant to allow local government to compete with the big-boy providers. The Legislature has given lip service to broad band with only a band aid solution. If telework and schoolwork continue online we must have better internet service wherever anyone lives. Our children are being schooled at home and many homes have no internet. Internet may not be available, or our residents cannot afford it. Not acceptable. For some it has been a long drive to an area with internet service such as outside a library or a government building so students can download lessons and turn in assignments. Will we see more online classes and less on-site teaching as we reopen?

LETTERS

To learn about RJ, read Zehr, Amstuz, MacRae, & Pranis. (2015) The Big Book of Restorative Justice. Simon and Schuster. Katherine Bartel Dr. Russell Binkley (Bartel and Binkley are both retired college professors who live in WNC.)

Considerations for racial justice policies

To the Editor:

All candidates for office: please, please reimagine justice for everyone and provide us a clear and comprehensive reform policy on racial injustice in our county, state and nation. I have talked to African-American persons who have been beaten by the police for calling 911 and a Hispanic pulled by police for doing nothing wrong but taken in with a charge of resisting arrest because he used his cell phone to call his wife. I also know an African-American whose transportation was taken and never returned by police. Here are a few suggestions that might help.

• Shift 33 percent of police funding to creating parks and jobs in low income and black communities.

• Take police out of the schools and replace them with social workers.

• Outlaw designation of black neighborhoods as high risk.

• Outlaw police using choke holds and killing people who are unarmed and educate citizens.

• Reform our district attorneys from feeding on the poor to up their conviction numbers.

• Outlaw the taking of vehicles by police.

Will shopping become more online? Will we see grocery stores offering delivery? What long-term impact will that have on our local brick and mortar stores?

Some of the worst losses affecting Southwestern North Carolina is due to our dependence in large part on the leisure, outdoor and hospitality businesses. They have been slammed. Will we ever get back to normal?

Towns out here are facing an approximate 30 percent drop in revenues, primarily due to a loss of sales taxes bolstered by tourism.

My hope is that we will come back stronger from COVID19 — with all it entailed — while experiencing whatever the new normal will be. We can and should support every local business, regardless of what it is. From the corner produce stand, farmer’s markets, to small retail shops. Local restaurants. I get highly agitated when I hear folks bragging about spending their money somewhere else.

When will we recover officially? That is why I need a Ouija board. I can ask it. We are all in this together. Though not equally. Circle the wagons. The only thing for sure is that we have each other.

Bob Scott is Mayor of Franklin, and past chair of the North Carolina Mayor’s Association. scoopscott@aol.com

• Outlaw taking licenses until the poor pay egregious fines.

• Stop the bond system.

• Take away the military toys from our police and training them to consider us enemies and threats.

• Deny the ability of police departments to keep their cameras from public view.

• Release low impact crime violators from prison. Insure the percentage of black prisoners to their population reflects the same percentage as a percentage of white prisoners to white population.

• Review all black convictions to determine how many are miscarriages of justice. Remember Bryan Stevenson, Just Mercy.

• Retrain police to be service providers — not warriors —and enhance their awareness of their explicit and implicit bias.

• Fire and charge any police person who kills someone for a low level crime, someone who is unarmed and the disabled who could be engaged using simple social skills.

Ron Robinson Sylva

For news, look beyond ‘The Frame’

To the Editor:

The “Frame” is the view of the world news you get from the Main-Stream Media (MSM). The analogy is a picture in a “frame” where you can’t see what else the painter/photographer had in their total field-of-view; you only get to see what the painter/photographer wanted you to see.

In the context of the “news” reports the MSM controls what you see inside of their “frame” and they decide what else there is in

the total view that you don’t get to see. They determine what they want you to see/hear/read and don’t address information they don’t want you to know, i.e., they “cherry-pick” the news.

The MSM “Frame” is constantly your only view of the world they want you to have and promotes the agenda of the MSM, which certainly is not the “conservative” viewpoint. The upcoming election will only have increased MSM coverage with their biases imbedded in all they “report.” The self-proclaimed “expert commentators” will try to convince you that they know what is “best” for you and that you are not sufficiently intelligent to make decisions on your own.

Please seek additional information sources beyond the MSM in order to get the total view of the circumstances involved in the election. Attempt to avoid the MSM “frame”; determine the total view; seek the truth; and avoid the “news” that is partially, if not totally, fabricated.

Then please vote in November. The future of our country depends on you. Tom Rodgers Cullowhee

Walter moves on to a far greener cow pasture

Maybe we should have named our beagle-mix Lazarus, so often did he seemingly come back from the dead over the years. But we named him Walter and we figure he must have turned 18 earlier this year. There have been days when we didn’t think he could get up, days we found him on the porch flat on his belly, his legs splayed in opposite directions like a beginning skier who has fallen and can’t figure out how to get back up. We’d sit with him, give him more Glucosamine, scrub his ears, discuss our options, and hope for the best.

years, watching out for Walter as we pulled in or backed out of the driveway. Where’s Walter? Oh, there he is, it’s clear. OK, go ahead. And there Walter would be, smiling as always, heading back to the porch for another long snooze.

Then he’d bounce back, rising stiffly, risking a few uncertain steps before gathering himself and walking more or less normally, smiling as always. Another near miss. We’d all go about our business, and in an hour or two, we’d see him through the kitchen window chasing cows just as he has for each of the 11 years we’ve lived here, running like a dog half his age.

We adopted him from the animal shelter 14 years ago, when our son was still an infant and our daughter was still just five. We wanted our children to grow up with a dog, just as I had. I guess I am pretty sentimental about dogs. My assertion is this: the love we experience with our dogs is not like anything else in the world. It is pure and uncomplicated, as close to perfect as you’ll find on this side of Saint Peter’s gate.

Your dog loves you no matter what you do, no matter what mistakes you make, no matter what kind of day you’ve had. Your dog is never ashamed of you, even if your teachers are, even if your parents are, even if you are. Things change all the time, every day, for better or worse, but your dog is always the same, waiting for you to come home, always delirious to see you, to be with you. You can count on your dog, day after day, year after year.

Walter has always been there, walking the kids to their bus stop every morning when they were little, walking out to greet them again when they came home, waiting patiently all day for them to arrive. As he got older and they got older, old enough to drive themselves to school, we moved his house to the front porch so it would be easier for them to see each other every morning before the kids left for school. We all had to get used to watching out for him when we were in our cars, especially when his hearing began to fail. He was always in the way, and never in a hurry to get out of it. It got to be a daily ritual these past few

Gradually, we became amazed by his longevity. Somebody did the math. “He’s 126 years old. How can a dog his age be chasing cows? You’re a miracle, old boy.” Walter would smile and wag his tail, waiting for a treat.

Last Tuesday evening just after dusk, we were in the kitchen putting together a puzzle on the kitchen table and listening to some music when I suddenly had an impulse.

“Did you see Walter when you came home?” I asked.

“No, I don’t think so,” Tammy said. “When’s the last time you saw him?”

I thought I had seen him just before noon, but I couldn’t remember for sure. It wasn’t unusual for him to wander the pasture above our house for a few hours, or to dip under the fence into our backyard, roaming around beneath our towering maples or snoozing under the treehouse. But I felt unsettled for some reason, so I went out back to check. I found him splayed out on the ground, unable to move. That wasn’t exactly new, but the look in his eyes was. In that instant I knew it was all over. Our long, beautiful run together was coming to an end, somehow a long time coming and stunningly abrupt at the same time, the way death can be.

I kneeled beside him, tried to adjust him to make him more comfortable, scrubbed his ears and talked to him, then went to get Tammy. We put him on a blanket, moved him inside, and then found enough painkillers and sedatives to make him as comfortable as we possibly could. We sat with him for a long time, then called down the kids so they spend some time with him, first as a family, and then individually.

The next day, we buried Walter in the pasture where he loved to chase those cows. The cows assembled on the hill just above us, maybe 30 feet or so away, as we laid him to rest. We had a brief service, each of us sharing our favorite memories of him. The cows remained, curious and composed, paying their respects.

Every morning, we can look out our kitchen window and see where he is buried, just up on the hill not far behind a Japanese maple he like to sit under and keep guard over the house, making sure all was well, everyone accounted for.

This way, we’ll always be able to watch out for each other.

(Chris Cox is a writer and teacher who lives in Haywood County. jchriscox@live.com)

We are pleased to announce that the Town of Canton & Champion Credit Union will continue to celebrate our Country’s Independence Day with the Champion Credit Union Firework Display to be held on

Sunday

July 5, 2020

Due to Governor Cooper’s restrictions on “mass gatherings” there will be no formal or additional events associated with the show. We encourage the community to view from their vehicles and/or residences. Additionally, we respectfully request that you do not gather in Sorrells Street Park or other Town of Canton properties to adhere to the Governor’s orders and utilize all recommended CDC safety protocols.

NURTURING THE CREATIVE FLAME

Haywood County Arts Council holds steady during pandemic

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD STAFF W RITER

Back in January, the Haywood County Arts Council was setting itself up for another year of growth, creatively and financially. With artisan membership numbers on the rise, the nonprofit organization had high hopes for its May 24 Americana concert featuring Balsam Range & The Atlanta Pops Orchestra.

“We were hoping the concert would be a fundraiser that would bring in somewhere around $18,000. But, having to cancel it due to the pandemic has really left a huge hole in our budget,” said Leigh Forrester, executive director of the HCAC. “And with our gallery sales extremely low because of the shutdown, it’s difficult to go forward and make plans for the future when you’re not quite sure what the future holds.”

Located at 86 North Main Street in Waynesville, the HCAC headquarters and Gallery & Gifts showroom remains a cultural beehive for the community and greater Western North Carolina. With around 125 members in its wheelhouse, the council is trying to keep a balance in finding ways for its artists to sell their wares and be able to keep the gallery open.

“It’s been bittersweet for our artists because they were able to have all this time to create during the shelter-in-place order, but they also weren’t able to sell their work in our gallery,” Forrester said. “But, we’ve learned to evolve in our practices, where we have included an

extensive online store on our website, which is now filled with new works from our members.”

For 2020, the HCAC was also gearing up to make big strides in hosting more onsite workshops, gallery opening receptions and live demonstrations. But, with the current protocols for social distancing and sanitization in public spaces, the HCAC has to limit the number of class attendees and people allowed into the showroom at a given time.

A marquee event for the HCAC, the Art After Dark gathering has also had to shift with the times. Featuring an array of downtown Waynesville art galleries, restaurants, cafes and breweries, the businesses are opened later for locals and visitors alike.

Normally, Art After Dark would be held on the first Friday of every month from May through December. But, due to the pandemic, the HCAC held its first one this month, with the rest of the scheduled events up in the air at the moment.

“Usually during Art After Dark, our gallery would host around 200 people passing through to listen to some live music, have some wine or appetizers, maybe purchase a work on the wall,” Forrester said. “But, it’s been a real challenge right now with having to limit the number of people we let in and what the we could actually do in our space. We’re going ahead with the July After After Dark, but it’s a whole new ballgame moving forward.”

Aside from its regular events and extensive youth programs, the HCAC is also a vital resource for artist grants that extend into seemingly every aspect of the community. Through its Grassroots Grant Program, the HCAC is able to provide financial support to other local organizations that aim to promote

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville. Acclaimed painter Jo Ridge Kelley (above, left).

Want to go?

The Haywood County Arts Council in Waynesville will be hosting a wide range of upcoming art classes, workshops and demonstrations, which include the following:

• 6 to 8 p.m. June 26 – “Auction for the Arts!” reception at Cedar Hill Gallery.

• July 3 – Opening day of the exhibition “Glass, Light & the Works of Jo Ridge Kelley.”

• 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. July 4 – Artist demonstration with Jo Ridge Kelley.

• 2 to 4 p.m. July 11 – Comic book class with James Lyle.

• 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 12 – “Critters, Creatures & Creativity in Class” with Jan Kolenda. As well, the next installment of Art After Dark will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 3, in downtown Waynesville. www.haywoodarts.org.

and perpetuate the arts in Haywood County.

“There are all kinds of things behind the scenes that we’re involved in. We provide grants to the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre, Haywood Community Band and Voices in the Laurel, to name a few,” Forrester said. “And we also administer several regional artist grants each year, where an artist can use the money to purchase a loom, pay for supplies or take a workshop in their specific art medium.”

And though the HCAC is still navigating choppy financial waters, Forrester remains hopeful and optimistic in the recovery and long-term vision of the organization.

“With all of our inexpensive art classes and with Art After Dark being free and open to the public, we’re trying to reach as many people and as many ages as possible,” Forrester said.

“An active arts community is what makes Waynesville and Haywood County a much more attractive place to not only live, but move to — an investment in the arts council is an investment in our community.”

This must be the place

BY GARRET K. WOODWARD

Acadian driftwood gypsy tailwind, they call my home the land of snow

It’s been a wild and wondrous thing to be able to wander around my native North Country right now: to see old friends and family, and actually be able to sit and make time with them.

Usually, I only find myself back home in Upstate New York when it’s 20 below zero and there are presents under the brightly-lit tree in my parents’ farmhouse. But, with the current pandemic and shutdown, I was able to (safely) head home and be with family over the last few weeks.

This time of the year in the Champlain Valley and greater Adirondack Mountains is filled with the grandiose splendor of Mother Nature: swimming in Lake Champlain and soaking in that summer sunshine, heading into the depths of the northern woods to hike or run, surrounded by the newly blossomed vegetation.

Lately, I’ve been doing a lot of cruising around Clinton County. With many of us finding more time on our hands these days, I’ve been able to figure out a pretty steady schedule: write and work on assignments for the newspaper in the morning, find a place for a hike or run midday, only to then just simply jump into my truck and slide down old roads and by familiar places not seen or remembered in years.

Last Saturday, it was my niece’s kindergarten graduation party at my little sister’s house in my hometown of Rouses Point.

party of my senior year of high school. Though I forget the kid’s name, his parents were away for the weekend while we drank foaming beers and ran amuck throughout the 19th century abode filled with antique furniture and irreplaceable heirlooms.

Route 9 to the intersection with Route 9B. The house that sits at that exact juncture is still owned by the parents of my ex-girlfriend from 11th grade. And it was in the living room of that home on Sept. 11, 2001, where I stood with her, holding her hand as we both watched the towers fall on the TV and wondering if this was truly the end of the world.

Route 9B into Rouses Point, the welcome sign right when you hit the Lake Champlain shoreline that is the eastern border of the town. At that sign, you have Smith Street to the left and Stony Point Road to the right.

At the top of Smith sits my childhood home, which my parents sold when I graduated from college in 2007. Halfway down Stony Point resides two camps that were formerly owned by my family, endless summers spent on the deck and dock, blood relatives not encountered in years who I once saw every single day.

Lake Street to Pearl Street and my little sister’s house. A late lunch with my immediate family as we celebrate our favorite 6-yearold and her recent accomplishments. Within the whirlwind of noise and conversation, I step outside and sip my cold adult beverage on the sidewalk.

Located on the border of Quebec, Canada, and Alburgh, Vermont, it’s a tiny lakeside community, a downtown of once prosperous businesses now abandoned and forgotten by the sands of time.

Leaving my parents’ farmhouse in Plattsburgh for the party, it’s up the Haynes Road past the Beekmantown Central School, by the gymnasium where I ran up and down the basketball court in middle/high school, that signature three-point of mine still in my arsenal whenever I shoot hoops at the Waynesville Rec Center. From the Haynes Road to the Spellman Road along the backside of the school, by the outdoor track around the football field where I ran to victory with my teammates. It’s also where I cheered on my high school sweetheart as she once again made her way to the state championships.

Spellman Road to Interstate 87 North. Vast tree lines and stone walls, wide open cornfields that will be as “high as an elephant’s eye” by Labor Day: ready for harvest and to provide for the countless family farms that have struggled and fought to survive each year since their hardscrabble ancestors first put down roots in this landscape those many generations ago.

Exit 41 off-ramp to the town of Chazy. The welcome sign for the community makes note of numerous state soccer titles. The years noted on the sign represent a slew of old friends who I remember cheering on from the sidelines, the old stone school nearby that many of us waltzed into for spring formals or drama club stage productions.

Take a left at the intersection and merge onto Route 9. Past that brick farmhouse that was the site of the most infamous house

Across the street is the former home of my old high school cross-country teammate and fellow music freak. Gaze up to the thirdfloor attic window where we’d blast classic rock after-school, discovering the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Who and The Grateful Dead. Goodbye to my niece and the rest of my family. Onward back to the farmhouse in Plattsburgh. But, not before a routine driveby past the childhood home. Back down Lake Street to Smith Street.

Mosey along Smith, by the homes of all my youthful cronies: Ryan, Sean, Bobbi, Bryce, etc. I glance at the buildings, the front yards and driveways, wondering how my old friends who no longer live there are holding up these days. Are they happy?

The end of Smith, last house on the left. The sturdy 1820 limestone structure that I called “home” for the first 22 years of my existence. The big maple tree I used play on is long gone, so is part of the old barn where our horse was kept and spent many years running around the fields behind the house (as did I).

With the old limestone structure in the rearview mirror, turn down the Hayford Road, pavement transitioning to dirt. I used to run this road for cross-country and track training, only to circle back for a sunset cruise with those old cronies or my high school sweetheart.

Looking down at the dashboard, just enough gas left to get back to the farmhouse, just enough money in the bank to find my way back to Western North Carolina in due time. But, for now, silence save for the wheels pushing down the dirt road, a slight grin of nothing and everything across my face, eyes aimed forward.

Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.

On the street

The Get Right Band will perform on Aug. 21 in Sylva.

Concerts on the Creek

The 11th annual summer music series, Concerts on the Creek, will return with Terri Lynn Queen, Tim Queen & Scott Baker (classic hits) from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, June 26, to Bridge Park in Sylva. Concerts on the Creek are held from 7 to 9 p.m. every Friday night through Labor Day. The series is organized and put on by the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Sylva, and the Jackson County Parks and Recreation Department.

The performances are free, with donations encouraged. Patrons should bring a chair or blanket and prepare to be “Covid safe.” Food trucks are expected to be at some of the performances.

The next installment will feature The Rewind House Band (classic rock) on July 3. For a complete lineup schedule of Concerts on the Creek, visit www.mountainlovers.com or go to the Concerts on the Creek Facebook page. These sites will be updated with any changes going forward.

OPEN TO THE PUBLIC

BearWaters welcomes Grey Eagle Taqueria to Canton

BearWaters Brewing in Canton.

BearWaters Brewing in Canton has announced a new partnership with longstanding Asheville taqueria and music hall The Grey Eagle this month.

The flagship restaurant, located inside of the nationally-touted Grey Eagle Music Hall in Asheville’s River Arts District, is slated to expand to three new locations across Western North Carolina this summer.

Both BearWaters Brewing, which opened a second brick and mortar establishment in Maggie Valley on May 29 and Big Pillow Brewing in Hot Springs have revealed plans to offer The Grey Eagle’s Latin-inspired menu from their respective kitchens.

Co-owner of The Grey Eagle Taqueria, Sarah Keith and her crew have been hard at work refining new dishes so that every taqueria location has something distinct to offer.

“We are excited about introducing The Grey Eagle Taqueria’s Latin inspired cuisine to the Canton, Maggie Valley and Madison County communities,” Keith said. “Our head chefs, Janelle Koelling and Maxwell Baker, have thoughtfully created individual menus to offer a unique experience to each location.”

“We couldn’t be more excited about

• Andrews Brewing Company (Andrews) will host the “Lounge Series” at its Calaboose location with Robert Ferguson June 26, Blue Revue June 27, Woolybooger June 28, Andrew Chastain July 1, John Emil July 2, Darren Nicholson July 3, The Gnarly Fingers July 4 and Scott Stambaugh July 5. All shows are free and begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. www.andrewsbrewing.com.

• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host Lobster Dogs 4 p.m. June 26. All shows are free and open to the public. www.curraheebrew.com.

extending our collaboration with The Grey Eagle Taqueria to the kitchen in our main brewery in Canton,” said Mark Cervero, director of operations at BearWaters. “Their tacos and entrees are the perfect fusion of traditional authentic Mexican fare coupled with a beautifully health-conscious contemporary spin.”

BearWaters in Maggie Valley also saw the launch of their Creekside taproom and production brewery last month which included the official reveal of their Grey Eagle Taqueria kitchen, complete with carefullyspaced indoor and outdoor seating arrangements and masked wait staff.

BearWaters has also started manufacturing their own hand sanitizer, which is available to customers at both locations. The brewery will continue to practice rigorous health and safety measures.

For more information, visit www.bearwatersbrewing.com, www.greyeagleyaqueria.com or www.bigpillowbrewing.com. As well, The Grey Eagle Taqueria will be hiring at both Haywood County locations. For more information on possible employment, email greyeagletaqueria@gmail.com.

• Elevated Mountain Distilling Co. (Maggie Valley) will host Bohemian Jean (classic rock/Americana) at 8 p.m. Saturday, June 27.

• The next “Dillsboro After Five: Wonderful Wednesdays” will be held from 3:30 to 7 p.m. July 1 in downtown. Start with a visit to the Jackson County Farmers Market located in the Innovation Station parking lot. Stay for dinner and take advantage of late-hour shopping. Bring the family and enjoy small town hospitality at its best. “Dillsboro After Five” will be held every Wednesday through July 29. 828.586.2155 or visit www.mountainlovers.com.

Writer argues that common sense is not so common

“At the heart of this wonderful book by Robert Curry is the simple belief that you as a human being can govern yourself. That shouldn’t be a controversial proposition, but when an army of federal bureaucrats, university professors, and social science “experts” begin telling you how you ought to be living your life or running your business or raising your children, you might start to wonder. You may begin doubting your own ability to make decisions and to distinguish true from false, with the fundamental faculty of common sense.”

It is easy to see that P.J. O’Rourke is making an argument from common sense … by appealing to a shared understanding of what is nonsensical. We all know that we shouldn’t give

So writes Brian T. Kennedy in his “Foreword” to Robert Curry’s Reclaiming Common Sense: Finding Truth in a Post-Truth World (Encounter Books, 2019, 107 pages).

I read this book back in the fall of 2019, but given the times in which we live, I decided to revisit it this past week, seeking in it an antidote to the “coronacraziness:” the masks and gloves, the social distancing, the early run on toilet paper, the lockdown of businesses, schools, and churches, the unprecedented quarantine of healthy people, the unreliable data about the number of deaths, the experts who follow their models and issue their predictions undeterred by repeated failures, the government officials who issue directives and proclamations like medieval lords addressing their serfs.

Though Curry is a conservative, readers of all political persuasions — save for Marxists, fascists, and others who believe in dictatorial government — can gain from reading this short book. Reclaiming Common Sense is not some angry right-wing bit of bombast, but is instead a call to return to reality.

On government, for example, Curry quotes P.J. O’Rourke: “Giving money and power to the government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” As Curry writes:

a fixed pay scale had little incentive to help these patients.

If we take the common-sense approach to our borders and want them secured, “we are met with cries that ‘walls are immoral.’” Curry’s book appeared before the onslaught of coronavirus, but I wonder: Are there still Americans who in the middle of a pandemic advocate open borders? Today many academics and cultural gurus also tell us that there are many genders and that gender is more real than biology.

car keys and whiskey to teenage boys. How do we know? Ask anyone and they are likely to say, “It’s just common sense.”

When government puts aside common sense, it sets itself and the rest of us up for failure. One example used to make this point by Curry is the recent scandal at America’s VA hospitals, where veterans were trapped in a system that was failing them. As Curry tells us, the doctors and other personnel who were largely safe from being fired and who were on

To illustrate some of these points, Curry tells the story of Abraham Lincoln when he asked “If you call a tail a leg, how many legs would a dog have?” He then answered his own question: “Four, because even if you call it a leg, it’s still a tail.”

Calling myself King Tut won’t find me decked out in gold and buried in a pyramid at my death.

Citing books like Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, the writings of figures like Thomas Jefferson and Sigmund Freud, political and cultural movements like communism and romanticism, Curry writes near the end of Reclaiming Common Sense these lines, words that for me explained for the first time much about the divide in America today:

The split between the common-sense realism of regular Americans and the linguistic and political correctness championed by the sophisticated members of the progressive elite goes a long way toward explaining the current divide between average Americans and elites. America has always had an elite, but America has not always had this divide. It used to be that elite Americans and ordinary Americans alike were commonsense realists.

Is this the missing key to the door that separates us today? It seems a strong possibility. Some of us live by theory and speculation — socialism is good, for example — while common-sense realists look at the countries that have practiced socialism and find failure and dictatorship.

So what is this common-sense realism? Perhaps the best explanation for it may be found in Curry’s citation of literary critic Lionel Trilling’s description of British writer George Orwell:

He is indifferent to the allurements of elaborate theory or of extreme sensibility. The medium of his thought is common sense, and his commitment to intellect is fortified by an old-fashioned faith that the truth can be got at, that we can, if we actually want to, see the object as it really is.

Now let’s apply some common sense to the coronavirus. Here’s a meme my daughter shared with me:

If masks work, then why are we social distancing? If social distancing works, then why are we wearing masks?

If masks and social distancing work, then why are our businesses closed?

If we can stand in line at the grocery store, then why can’t we stand in line to vote?

Why? Because our governors and other officials treat us like kindergarteners who lack common sense. But it’s some of them who lack common sense.

Freud called it projection, a psychological defense mechanism that places one’s own inadequacies on another.

I wonder: If a governor decided that we might carry the virus in our hair and ordered everyone to wear hair nets, how many of us would obey?

Curry is right. It’s time to revive commonsense realism.

(Jeff Minick is a writer and teacher. minick0301@gmail.com.)

Gateway to recreation

Canton begins planning for 448-acre outdoor park

BY HOLLY KAYS STAFF WRITER

The 448-acre woodland property sitting right off U.S. 23/19 and Interstate 40 near Canton was almost a speedway. Then, it was almost an indoor ski resort. It was almost a lot of things over the years, but now it will be a public park and conservation area.

“It could have been everything from housing to a rock quarry, and now we are preserving the beauty and the environmental importance of this property,” said Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers.

The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy closed on the Chestnut Mountain tract — better known as the Canton Motorsports property — on June 5, and after the organization raises the $300,000 needed to repay a bridge loan from The Conservation Fund used to complete the purchase, it will gift the property to the town of Canton. Before the transfer, SAHC must also finish placing conservation easements on the property, which will outline restrictions to protect the property’s natural values while also allowing for recreational use. The organization expects this process to take less than a year.

“This is the kind of opportunity that comes maybe once in a lifetime,” Smathers said. “We are ecstatic about using this gift of land worth more than $3 million to leverage additional grants and funding sources to create a very special, easily accessible park for Canton, Haywood County and all of Western North Carolina. This substantial gift presents a unique opportunity to help bring resources into the region. With potential for a new gateway to outdoor recreation, economic development and continued conservation of our natural landscape, this project is truly a win-win for everyone.”

The SAHC has been investigating the option of purchasing the land since 2018, when it expressed interest to the owner, Canton Motorsports LLC. After spending some time examining the property as well as funding options, the land trust entered into an option agreement that converted into an actual contract in October 2019.

The timing was fortuitous for both SAHC and for the LLC that owned the land. LLC coowner Les Gooding had been involved with the property since 1998, when he first began working with his current business partner Don Smolenski and with Steve Westmoreland — whose family had owned the land for decades — on the possibility of building a motor sports complex there. The group

secured all the necessary permits, hired consultants, completed a business plan and collected letters of support from various people in the industry but sidelined the idea after hearing an interesting proposal to build an indoor ski resort there instead. After working on that plan for a couple of years, it became apparent that there was no way to raise the large amount of capital such a complex would require, and the partners decided to sell the land and focus on other projects instead.

Then SAHC came forward with its proposal.

“They’re a good organization,” Gooding said of SAHC. “They were wonderful to work with once we got started. We all really worked together. Sometimes when you’re selling something and an issue comes up, it’s ‘get that taken care of and if you don’t we won’t buy it.’

That wasn’t the case here.”

SAHC ended up purchasing the property for $3 million, with the LLC donating several hundred thousand dollars to the effort by selling it for less than its appraised value. Gooding said he doesn’t yet have an exact value for the donation, as final appraisals are still being completed.

“This property is one of the remaining larger undeveloped tracts in an important area for conservation, and we are extremely excited the landowner wanted to sell the tract for a conservation outcome,” said Hanni

Help and be heard

A survey seeking input on how the 448 property at Chestnut Mountain should be developed is available online through Friday, June 26, at www.cantonnc.com. The town hopes to receive input from Canton locals and out-of-county residents alike.

Additionally, SAHC is still working to raise $300,000 to repay a bridge loan from The Conservation Trust that was used to purchase the property from Canton Motorsports LLC, and it must repay the loan before transferring the property to Canton. Donate at www.appalachian.org.

Muerdter, conservation director for SAHC. “This project presents inspiring potential for a public park — a vision of recreation and conservation working together.”

The property ranges from 2,360 feet in elevation at U.S. 19/23 and then rises to 3,400 feet at the peak of Chestnut Mountain. It serves as an important corridor for wildlife, containing pockets of gentle mature hardwood forest with laurel and rhododendron, forested slopes facing a variety of directions, and an open field and early successional edge area beneficial for birds.

As of yet, there is no set-in-stone plan for how the property will be developed. Generally speaking, the town is looking at opportunities to build hiking, walking and mountain biking trails, with an emphasis on accessibility for all ages and skill levels. However, a survey that will remain open through

Friday, June 26, at www.cantonnc.com is seeking public input into the direction those plans should take.

“It’s a Haywood County-located recreation project, but we’re all aware this is going to draw people in from all across the region, if not hopefully from some other states,” said Smathers. “This is the opportunity for people to chime in. This is not one of those projects where we say, ‘This is what we’re doing,’ and it comes down from the Town of Canton or Haywood County government. It is going to be from the bottom up what people want to see in this project.”

While Smathers is loathe to put an exact timeline on the property’s overall development, he said that he expects the town to release an initial plan sometime in the next few months, with the caveat that issues associated with the coronavirus always have the potential to shift timelines.

“I don’t want to put an opening date on it, but I do want to see something where we are constantly making strides to get it where it needs to be,” he said.

Despite the $3 million price tag, very few local tax dollars have gone into the project thus far. Canton and Haywood County, which are partnering in the effort, each put $25,000 in toward planning efforts, with an additional $25,000 from the Cruso Endowment. To purchase the property, SAHC used $1.2 million from the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund, $150,000 from a N.C. Department of Justice Environmental Enhancement Grant, $25,000 from the Pigeon River Fund of the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina and a private donation from Brad and Shelli Stanback, as well as the bridge loan from The Conservation Fund.

Smathers is hopeful that the development process itself will also benefit from grants and donations. The town will look at the N.C. Parks and Recreation Trust Fund grant as well as other state grants, and Smathers expects to see a fair amount of donations from environmental and recreation groups, as well as corporate sponsors.

SAHC’s gift will make it even easier to secure grants than it otherwise would have been, said David Francis, administrator for the Haywood Recreation and Economic Development.

“We are particularly excited about the opportunity to leverage this gift for additional funding for park design,” he said. “The very generous donation of the protected lands by SAHC along with the access to the site from Highway 19/23 means that we can concentrate our resources on the infrastructure for an outdoor recreation park for our citizens and visitors alike.”

Smathers expects the park to provide a substantial boost to Canton’s economy, perhaps even before it’s completed. When prospective business owners read news stories about the burgeoning effort, he said, hopefully they will see the opportunity that’s coming to Canton and position themselves accordingly.

“My hope is that we will see the economic impact even before we see the maximum recreation output, because people will want to be there when it opens up,” he said.

Forest plan comment deadline is June 29

After a seven-year planning process, the public comment period for the proposed Nantahala and Pisgah forest management plan will end Monday, June 29.

Originally slated to end May 14, the comment period was elongated in response to disruption caused by the coronavirus.

The complete proposed plan and draft Environmental Impact Statement, as well as supplementary material including an interactive map of the forest and proposed management areas, is available at bit.ly/forestplanwnc. It’s a big document set, so the 26-page reader’s guide and 16-page consolidated objectives document give a good overview of what’s included and references to find out more about a given topic.

The site also includes information on how to submit comments. A link to the online portal is available on the website, and comments can also be mailed to Plan Revision Team, National Forests in North Carolina, 160 Zillicoa St., Asheville, N.C. 28801.

Comments that have the best chance of influencing the outcome will focus on solutions rather than general advocacy or opposition to an idea. Impactful comments also describe specific management types or resources, as well as locations.

For more information about the proposed plan, visit https://bit.ly/3hO5UkS.

Senate votes to fund conservation needs

Outdoors groups are hailing a recent vote by the U.S. Senate to pass legislation supporting funding for public lands as a historic victory.

The Senate voted in favor of the legislation on June 17 with a vote of 75-23. If enacted, the Great American Outdoors Act will permanently and fully fund the Land and Water Conservation Fund as well as create a fund to address the $11 billion maintenance backlog on public lands.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund

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was created in 1964 to protect natural areas using revenues from offshore oil and gas extraction. The initial legislation was good for 25 years, and the program was renewed for a second 25-year period ending Sept. 30, 2015. It was then given a short-term extension for three years, but efforts to permanently reauthorize it failed before the program’s sunset on Sept. 30, 2018. The program was permanently reauthorized last year, but advocates have since set about working toward securing full funding for

the program, as revenues had been diverted since the fund’s creation.

Funding for deferred maintenance at the nation’s national parks and other public lands will help repair deteriorating roads, visitor centers and facilities, including the more than $400 million in backlogged needs for North Carolina.

“The need to safeguard the funding that goes towards our public lands, ensure they are protected and maintained, and guarantee we are providing safe, welcoming opportunities for all people to benefit from them is more urgent than ever,” said Jamie Williams, president of The Wilderness Society. “Today’s Senate passage of the Great American Outdoors Act gets us a step closer to Congress keeping a promise to the people it serves to invest in the natural, cultural and recreational resources that anchor our communities.”

“Whether you hunt, fish, hike, paddle or simply value the ecological services these habitats provide, public lands are part of our heritage and future,” added Tim Gestwicki, CEO of the N.C. Wildlife Federation. “They belong to all of us and this legislation will ensure our iconic and treasured public lands and cherished natural landscapes will endure for future generations.”

North Carolina Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis are co-sponsors of the legislation, which now moves to the House of Representatives.

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Campgrounds, rec areas reopen in the Pisgah

New re-openings have been announced for the Pisgah National Forest.

In the Pisgah Ranger District, these include Looking Glass Falls and Picnic Area, Pink Beds Picnic Area, Stony Fork Picnic Area, Sycamore Flats Picnic Area, Coontree Picnic Area, U.S. 276 picnic areas, and Wash Creek Road (FSR 5000).

Reopened sites in the Appalachian Ranger District include Roan Mountain, Black Mountain Campground, Briar Bottom Group Campground, and Carolina Hemlocks Campground, Picnic Area and Trailhead.

For updates, visit www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

Hiker fatality in the Smokies

A hiker on the Abrams Falls Trail in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park died following a cardiac event Monday, June 15.

Diana Graves, 67, of Chesterfield, Virginia, was hiking with her family when she experienced a cardiac event at 1:09 p.m. about half a mile from the trailhead. Bystanders immediately began CPR, and park rangers continued life-saving efforts after arriving on the scene, including the use of an AED.

The patient was pronounced dead at 1:43 p.m. Emergency responders with American Medical Response also responded to the scene and transported the deceased to Blount Memorial Hospital.

Hike Haywood

A hiking series offered through Haywood County Recreation and Parks will continue in July with several opportunities to explore with the help of experienced guides.

n 8 a.m. Saturday, July 11. Lisa Cook and Jennifer Shuping will lead an easy 3.5-mile hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Grassy Ridge to Double Top, featuring an elevation gain of 869 feet.

n 8 a.m. Wednesday, July 15. Kathy Odvody and Jan Jacobson will lead a moderate 5-mile hike on Flat Creek Trail, featuring an elevation gain of 994 feet.

n 8 a.m. Saturday, July 18. Kathy Odvody and Lisa Cook will lead an easy 3.2-mile hike on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail from Soco Gap to Howard’s bridge, featuring an

Become a disc golf champ

elevation gain of 574 feet.

n 8 a.m. Saturday, July 25. Kevin FitzGerald and Greg Shuping will lead a moderate 6-mile hike on the Hemphill Bald Trail from Polls Gap to Sheepback Knob, featuring an elevation gain of 981 feet. Hikes are free, but registration is required at 828.452.6789.

A disc golf tournament on the par three course at the Jackson County Recreation Center in Cullowhee will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, July 11. Singles and doubles competitions will be available, and cost is $5 for singles or $10 for doubles. Andrew Sherling, 828.293.3053, ext. 6, or andrewsherling@jacksonnc.org.

Curves

NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR FALL 2020

The Catamount School, a school for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders in Jackson County, is accepting 6th, 7th and 8th grade registrations for the 2020-21 school year. Operated by Western Carolina University’s College of Education and Allied Professions in cooperation with Jackson County Public Schools, The Catamount School is designed to explore innovative teaching approaches and applied learning opportunities in order to help every student discover his or her full academic potential. The school is a public lab school operated on the campus of Smoky Mountain High School and is free to accepted students and their families.

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Bear activity high in some areas

A black bear warning has been issued for the Black Balsam, Bent Creek Experimental Forest and North Mills River areas of the Pisgah National Forest in the Pisgah Ranger District. In the Grandfather Ranger District, bears have also been active at Table Rock and the Old Fort Picnic Area.

While black bear attacks on people are rare, such attacks have resulted in human fatalities. Avoid encounters by:

n Keeping dogs on leash.

n Storing food and scented items, including toothpaste, in a bear-safe container or a car — never in a tent.

n Clean up all food and trash from campsites.

n Vacating the area if you see a bear nearby.

In case of an encounter, attempt to scare the animal away by making noise, and fight back if attacked. Never run from a black bear — back away slowly while making a lot of noise.

The large number of bear sightings and encounters in the past few years has led to required use of bear-proof canisters in the Shining Rock and Black Balsam areas. Backcountry users must use commercially made canisters constructed of solid, nonpliable material manufactured for the specific purpose of resisting entry by bears.

For more information, visit www.fs.usda.gov/visit/know-before-yougo/bears.

Drink wine for the Smokies

A celebration 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 20, at the Robert A. Tino Gallery in Sevierville will raise money for Friends of the Smokies through sales of a limited release wine from Sugarland Cellars.

Tents will be set up for this outdoor garden party, with opportunity to view Tino’s art as well as purchase wine.

This will be the eighth year that Sugarland Cellars has done its limited release Dance of the Firefly wine, featuring a firefly art label painted by Tino. Wine is $20 per bottle, with all proceeds benefiting Friends of the Smokies. In the last seven years, sale of the wine has raised more than $140,000.

Puzzles can be found on page 30

These are only the answers.

Ginseng harvest lottery now open

The ginseng permit lottery is open from June 22 through July 27, with winners of the 136 permits to be issued allowed to harvest 1 to 3 wet pounds of ginseng in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

To apply for the lottery, call or visit a ranger district office to submit a name and address. Email requests will not be accepted. Successful applications will receive written notification by mail before Aug. 17, with winners allowed to start gathering Sept. 16.

Ginseng has long been lauded for its supposed medicinal qualities, especially in

East Asia. In 2013, due to concern over reductions in wild ginseng numbers, the U.S. Forest Service reduced the number of permits issued by 75 percent.

Permits are issued through a lottery system and usable only in the ranger district where issued. The permitted harvest season is Sept. 16 to Sept. 30. Harvest is prohibited in designated wilderness and other natural areas set aside for research purposes.

Removing a wild ginseng plant or its parts from a national forest without a permit or outside of the legal harvest season is considered theft of public property and carries a maximum punishment of $5,000 and six months in federal prison.

WNC Calendar

PLEASE CHECK WITH ORGANIZERS TO ENSURE EVENTS HAVE NOT BEEN CANCELED BEFORE TRAVELING TO AN EVENT LISTED BELOW.

COMMUNITY EVENTS

• The Swain County Genealogical and Historical Society has cancelled its July meeting but hopes to be able to meet again in August. Next month’s program will be “Parson’s Branch Road” rather than the usual potluck picnic. The group will continue to evaluate month to month and resume meetings when it is safe for all to be in such a gathering.

• QuickDraw, a local art initiative that funds art programs in WNC schools, has jumped online to raise funds online from June 7-30. With the spring physical event cancelled due to COVID-19, volunteers organized an online art sale and auction to replace the in-place fundraiser. QuickDraw’s online auction opens to the public at midnight on June 7 and offers art at auction and a gallery of pre-priced easy-to-ship art. The online auction and art sale can be accessed at https://wncquick-draw.myshopify.com/. For more information, visit QuickDrawofWNC.com or call 828.734.5747.

• Bardo Arts Center has a new webpage dedicated to virtual opportunities at arts.wcu.edu/virtual. Highlights include a series of Thursday lunchtime webinar presentations, which will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube, as well as through the arts.wcu.edu/virtual website. The Thursday webinar series opens with a theatrical talkback, followed by three webinars related to WCU Fine Art Museum exhibitions.

• Richard G. Sneed, Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, will join 11th Congressional District Democratic nominee Moe Davis for a special Moe Talks! Live Virtual Town Hall from 7-8 p.m. July 9. Moe Talks! is a twice-weekly virtual event on Zoom, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Twitch with Davis answering questions from voters and offering his views on the issues of the day. Learn more at moedavisforcongress.com.

• Mountain Heritage Day, the annual community and campus celebration of Southern Appalachian culture presented by Western Carolina University since 1974, will not happen this year.

B USINESS & E DUCATION

• The Macon County Public Library Tax-Aide site has determined that it will not re-open for this tax season. Tax-Aide sites in Haywood County, Jackson County and the Murphy Public Library will also not be re-opening. AARP Foundation Tax-Aide is offering online options to assist taxpayers affected by the suspension of in-person services. A self-prep option, providing taxpayers with free access to software so they can prepare taxes on their own, is available at signup.aarpfoundation.org/preparing-your-taxes-online/.

• The Small Business Centers at Southwestern Community College and Haywood Community College are now offering expanded business services to local small business owners affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Reboot, Recover, Rebuild or R3 Program for Small Business will offer expanded counseling opportunities in more than 40 different categories. Interested businesses are encouraged to apply for the program in advance by visiting southwesterncc.edu/sbc. If you have questions, email Henry at t_henry@southwesterncc.edu.

• Small business owners can find materials and services to support business growth at Fontana Regional Library’s locations in Macon, Jackson and Swain Counties. Computer classes and one-on-one assistance available. 586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

n All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

n To have your item listed email to calendar@smokymountainnews.com

VOLUNTEERS & VENDORS

• The historic Shelton House in Waynesville is currently in need of volunteers for an array of upcoming events. Alongside help for events and gatherings, the organization is also seeking a docent, gift shop attendee, data entry person, landscaper, handyperson, and other positions.

• Haywood Vocational Opportunities is seeking donations of goods, services, time and support for the second annual “HVO Stans Up to PTSD Veteran Community Resource, Education and Job Fair,” which will be held on June 27. 454.6857.

• Feline Urgent Rescue is seeking volunteers and sponsors. Info: 422.2704, www.furofwnc.org, www.facebook.com/furofwnc or 844.888.CATS (2287).

• Cat adoption hours are from noon-5 p.m. on Fridays and noon-4 p.m. on Saturdays at 453 Jones Cove Road in Clyde. Adoption fee: $10 for cats one-year and older. Check out available cats at www.petharbor.com. 452.1329 or 550.3662.

Senior Companion volunteers are being sought to serve with the Land of the Sky Senior Companion Program in Henderson, Buncombe, Transylvania and Madison Counties. Serve older adults who want to remain living independently at home in those counties.

• Great Smoky Mountains National Park is seeking volunteers to assist rangers with managing traffic and establishing safe wildlife viewing areas within the Cataloochee Valley area. To register for training or get more info: Kathleen_stuart@nps.gov or 497.1914.

• Haywood Regional Medical Center is seeking volunteers of all ages for ongoing support at the hospital, outpatient care center and the Homestead. For info and to apply: 452.8301, stop by the information desk in the lobby or volunteer@haymed.org. Anyone interested in becoming a hospice volunteer can call 452.5039.

• STAR Rescue Ranch is seeking volunteers to help with horse care, fundraising events, barn maintenance and more at the only equine rescue in Haywood County. 828.400.4940.

• Volunteer opportunities are available throughout the region, call John at the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center and get started sharing your talents. 356.2833.

• Phone Assurance Volunteers are needed to make daily or weekly wellness check-in calls for the Haywood County Senior Resource Center. 356.2800.

K IDS & FAMILIES

• The Kathryn Byer Memorial Poetry Contest celebrates our mountains and our connection to them in our everyday lives. It is open to all Jackson County students, K12. The poets are divided into three categories: K-4th grade, 5th-8th grade, and 9-12th. Three winners, in addition to Honorable Mentions, will be chosen in each category. Poems should be no longer than 40 lines, but can be much shorter, of course. Poems should be submitted to City Lights Bookstore in Sylva, either in person, mail or by email to more@citylightsnc.com by April 10. Please include “Poetry Contest” in the subject line. The winners in each category will receive gift certificates to City Lights Bookstore and will be invited to read at Greening up the Mountains at 3 p.m. April 25 at City Lights Bookstore. Winners will be announced by April 20. 586.9499.

• The Sylva Art + Design Committee is pleased to announce a unique pop-up gallery event that will feature the artistic creations of children ages 5-18 in the Western North Carolina region. “Nature Through A Child’s Eye” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 4, at Viva Arts Studio in downtown Sylva. If you have a child that you think may want to be a participant ages of 5-18 apply by emailing sylvaartdesign@gmail.com or vivaartsstudio@gmail.com. Facebook at www.facebook.com/sylvapublicart or on Instagram @sylvaarts. All submissions will be available for purchase and can be picked up after the completion of the exhibition. All money raised will be equally distributed between SADC and the Sylva Community Garden in order to further the betterment of the community through arts, education, and environmental awareness.

• Registration is underway for the Challenger International Soccer Camp, which will be offered to ages 3-14 from July 20-24 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. Costs vary based on age group from $90-197. Separate goalkeeper and scorer program is $25 for ages 6-14 from 9-11 a.m. on Saturday. Register: challengersports.com. Info: 456.2030 or dhummel@waynesvillenc.gov.

• Waynesville Art School offers the Young Artist Program in the afternoons for 5-6 year old, 7-8 year old, 9-12 year old. Intro to Printmaking and Evening studies in arts is offered for 13-19 year old. Waynesville Art School is located at 303 N. Haywood Street. Info: 246.9869, info@waynesvilleartschool.com or visit WaynesvilleArtSchool.com for schedule and to register.

• Mountain Wildlife offers wildlife education programs for schools and organizations in Western North Carolina, free of charge. If you are interested in having them visit your group contact them at blackbears66@gmail.com, 743.9648 or visit the website at www.mountainwildlifedays.com.

Ongoing

H EALTH MATTERS

• Free dental clinic for low-income patients, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Wednesdays by appointment at Blue Ridge Mountains Health Project Dental Clinic on the upper level of Laurel Terrace in Cashiers. 743.3393.

• The Community Care Clinic of Highlands-Cashiers, 5 to 9 p.m. Thursdays, provides free care to uninsured patients who meet financial need requirements and live or work in Highlands and Cashiers. $10 donation suggested. The clinic is in the Macon County Recreation and Health Building off Buck Creek Road. 526.1991.

VOLUNTEERING

• The Haywood County Meals on Wheels program has route openings for volunteer drivers. Substitute drivers also needed.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:

n Complete listings of local music scene

n Regional festivals

n Art gallery events and openings

n Complete listings of recreational offerings at health and fitness centers

n Civic and social club gatherings

• P.A.W.S. Adoption Days first Saturday of each month from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the front lawn at Charleston Station, Bryson City.

• The Community Kitchen in Canton is in need of volunteers. Opportunities range from planning a meal updating their webpage. 648.0014.

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Haywood County is now accepting applications for boys and girls within the Haywood County area between the ages of 6 and 14 who could benefit from an approved adult mentor/role model. No cost to the family. 356.2148.

• Gathering Table, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursdays, at The Community Center, Route 64, Cashiers. Provides fresh, nutritious dinners to all members of the community regardless of ability to pay. Volunteers always needed and donations gratefully accepted. 743.9880.

• The Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center has many new openings for volunteers throughout the region. Learn about a wide-range of volunteer opportunities with a variety of non-profit agencies, including respite work, domestic violence hotline volunteers, meal delivery drivers, court mediators, Habitat for Humanity house building, foster grandparenting, charity thrift shops, the Elk Bugle Corps for the Great Smokies National Park and many more. 356.2833.

• Community Care Clinic of Franklin needs volunteers for a variety of tasks including nursing/clinical, clerical and administrative and communications and marketing. 349.2085.

• Catman2 Shelter in Jackson County needs volunteers for morning feeding and general shelter chores. 293.0892 or hsims@catman2.org.

• The Volunteer Water Inventory Network (VWIN) is looking for people to work one to two hours a month taking water samples from local creeks and streams. Fill up empty bottles, collect water samples, and return full bottles. 926.1308 or www.haywoodwaterways.org.

• The Haywood County Historical and Genealogical Society maintains a museum located in the historical courthouse in room 308. The HCHGS is seeking articles and objects of historical value to Haywood County that anyone would like to share. 456.3923.

• REACH of Haywood County is looking for volunteers who would like to assist in its newly expanded resale store. 456 Hazelwood Avenue. 456.7898.

Market PLACE WNC

MarketPlace information:

The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of 16,000 copies across 500 locations in Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Swain counties, including the Qualla Boundary and west Buncombe County. Visit www.wncmarketplace.com to place your ad!

Rates:

• $15 — Classified ads that are 25 words, 25¢ per word after.

• Free — Lost or found pet ads.

• $6 — Residential yard sale ads.*

• $1 — Yard Sale Rain Insurance Yard sale rained out? Call us by 10a.m. Monday for your ad to run again FREE

• Legal N otices — 25¢ per word

• $375 — Statewide classifieds run in 170 participating newspapers with 1.1+ million circulation. (Limit 25 words or less)

• Boost Online — Have your ad featured at top of category online $4

• Boost in Print

• Add Photo $6

• Bold ad $2

• Yellow, Green, Pink or Blue Highlight $4

• Border $4

Note: Highlighted ads automatically generate a border so if you’re placing an ad online and select a highlight color, the “add border” feature will not be available on the screen.

Note: Yard sale ads require an address. This location will be displayed on a map on www.wncmarketplace.com

p: 828.452.4251 · f:828.452.3585 classads@smokymountainnews.com www.wncmarketplace.com

Announcements

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PART-TIME CUSTODIAN Flexible hours around 20 per week. $10.25 per hr. Email Jerry.Southard@LongsChapel. com Jerry.Southard@ LongsChapel.com

IN-HOME AIDE PTHaywood County Grant funded. Duties include assisting elderly in their home w/ light housekeeping and errands. Candidates must have a high school diploma/ GED, valid NC driver’s license, available transportation, effective oral communication & listening skills, and have legible handwriting skills. Flexible parttime hours M-F: Some

may submit an online application by visiting www.mountainprojects. org. EOE/AA

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CLEANING ASSOCIATE - PT Haywood & Jackson County. Mountain Projects Inc. is currently accepting applications for parttime cleaning associates at Head Start centers in Haywood & Jackson Counties. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, High School Diploma or GED required. Ability to clean, sweep mop,

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Legal Notices

NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE OF A PUBLIC HEARING

The Jackson County Board of Commissioners will hold a mixed virtual public hearing on July 07, 2020 at 5:55 p.m., Justice & Administration Building, 401 Grindstaff Cove Road, Room A201, Sylva, North Carolina, related to the following bond order. Further information regarding the hearing appears at the end of this notice. BOND ORDER AUTHORIZING THE ISSUANCE OF GENERAL OBLIGATION BONDS FOR INDOOR POOL FACILITIES IN THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF $20,000,000 SUBJECT TO VOTER APPROVAL. WHEREAS, the Board of Commissioners of Jackson County, North Carolina, has stated its proposal to issue general obligation bonds to pay capital costs of providing indoor pool facilities.

The County has applied to the North Carolina Local Government Commission for its approval of such bonds and the Commission has accepted the County’s application.

BE IT ORDERED by the Board of Commissioners of Jackson County, North Carolina, as follows: 1. There are hereby ordered to be issued general obligation bonds of the County to pay capital

costs of providing indoor pool facilities, together and other necessary or incidental costs. 2. The maximum aggregate principal amount of the bonds issued for such purpose will be $20,000,000. 3. Taxes will be levied in an amountpal of and interest on the bonds so issued. 4. A sworn statement of debt prepared by the County’s

the Board and is open to public inspection. 5. The Bond Order will take effect when approved by the County’s voters in the manner provided by law.

The foregoing order has been introduced and a sworn statement of debt

Local Government Bond Act showing the appraised value of property in Jackson County, North Carolina, to be at least $9,205,065,415 and the net debt of the County, including the proposed bonds, to be not more than $47,729,614. The Jackson County Finance -

ment establishing that the total amount of interest that will be paid on the bonds over the expected term of the bonds, if issued, is $6,204,471. The estimate is preliminary, is for general informational purposes only and may differ from the actual interest paid on the bonds. A tax will be levied to pay the principal and interest on the bonds if they are issued. Anyone who wishes to be heard on the questions of the validity of the bond order and the advisability of issuing the bonds may make written or oral comments. Written comments will be accepted by email

Haywood Co. Real Estate Agents

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate- Heritage

• Carolyn Lauter - carolyn@bhgheritage.com

Beverly Hanks & Associates- beverly-hanks.com

• Ann Eavenson - anneavenson@beverly-hanks.com

• Billie Green - bgreen@beverly-hanks.com

• Michelle McElroy- michellemcelroy@beverly-hanks.com

• Steve Mauldin - smauldin@beverly-hanks.com

• Brian K. Noland - brianknoland.com

• Anne Page - apage@beverly-hanks.com

• Brooke Parrott - bparrott@beverly-hanks.com

• Jerry Powell - jpowell@beverly-hanks.com

• Catherine Proben - cproben@beverly-hanks.com

• Ellen Sither - ellensither@beverly-hanks.com

• Mike Stamey - mikestamey@beverly-hanks.com

• Karen Hollingsed- khollingsed@beverly-hanks.com

• Billy Case- billycase@beverly-hanks.com

• Laura Thomas - lthomas@beverly-hanks.com

• John Keith - jkeith@beverly-hanks.com

• Randall Rogers - rrogers@beverly-hanks.com

• Susan Hooper - shooper@beverly-hanks.com

• Hunter Wyman - hwyman@beverly-hanks.com

Christie’s Ivester Jackson Blackstream

• George Escaravage - george@IJBProperties.com

ERA Sunburst Realty - sunburstrealty.com

• Amy Spivey - amyspivey.com

• Rick Border - sunburstrealty.com

Jerry Lee Mountain Realty

Jerry Lee Hatley- jerryhatley@bellsouth.net

Keller Williams Realty - kellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• The Morris Team - www.themorristeamnc.com

• Julie Lapkoff - julielapkoff@kw.com

Lakeshore Realty

• Phyllis Robinson - lakeshore@lakejunaluska.com

Log & Frame Homes - 828-734-9323

Mountain Dreams Realty- maggievalleyhomesales.com

Mountain Home Properties- mountaindream.com

• Cindy Dubose - cdubose@mountaindream.com

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern - shamrock13.com

Nest Realty

• Madelyn Niemeyer - Madelyn.niemeyer@nestrealty.com

RE/MAX Executive - remax-waynesvillenc.com remax-maggievalleync.com

• Holly Fletcher - holly@hollyfletchernc.com

• The Real Team - TheRealTeamNC.com

• Ron Breese - ronbreese.com

• Landen Stevenson- landen@landenkstevenson.com

• Dan Womack - womackdan@aol.com

• Mary & Roger Hansen - mwhansen@charter.net

• David Rogers - davidr@remax-waynesvillenc.com

• Juli Rogers - julimeaserogers@gmail.com

Rob Roland Realty - robrolandrealty.com

• Rob Roland - rroland33@gmail.com

The Smoky Mountain Retreat at Eagles Nest

• Tom Johnson - tomsj7@gmail.com

• Sherell Johnson - sherellwj@aol.com

WNC Real Estate Store

• Melanie Hoffman - mhoffmanrealestate@gmail.com

• Thomas Hoffman - thoffman1@me.com

SUPER CROSSWORD

VOWEL LANGUAGE

ACROSS

1Painter of limp watches

5By the day, as payment

12"It doesn't matter"

20Moran of "Happy Days"

21The tiniest bit

22Hot pepper

23Group of wolves decide which hockey disk to use?

25Brought upon oneself

26USNA frosh

27"- Miz"

28Bring in

30Moniker, in Marseilles

31Mervyn of film

33Misplaced the most recent catalog?

38Sun circlers

41Braga of film

42Nervous -

43Notice folks quarreling about a skewer?

45Kind of latte

47Sportswriter Pasquarelli

48Name of 12 popes

49Folksy denial

50Parisian "to be"

51Actor Robert De -

52Six-legged scurrier

53Gift add-ons

55Farm structure is built in Switzerland's capital?

59Liam of "Nell"

61Raises up

63Yemen's largest city

64- time (never)

66Give a big speech

67Baseball Hall of Famer Waite -

69Preside

71Students

74To no avail

78Put a clump of tree-trunk greenery in disarray?

80Bath powder

82Philosopher Lao- -

83Optic layer

84Throw easily

85Paddle's kin

86Stuff in ale

87Rev.'s talk

88City on I-80

89Group working on a jackdaw's gullet?

94Slate clearer

96Miller rival

97Optometrist

98Knock out a pier-dwelling mallard?

101"- good you let him know": Hamlet

102"My country, - ..."

103Lock fastener

104Plant seeds

105Shuts noisily

109Preserve

112Exited the elevator to the high-ceilinged SoHo flat?

116How keyless music is written

117Quito locale

118Like - of sunshine

119Little jaunt on a little horse

120Cyclone

121Where Coca-Cola is "KO"

DOWN

1Johnny of "Ed Wood"

2Central Asia's - Sea 3Pooch pests

4Rorschach test features

5Luau chow

6Hemming in 7Type in anew

8See 95-Down

9Bettor's note

10Series-ending abbr.

11Succeeds

12Spin around 13- -Barbera

14"The Middle" network

15Poked fun at

16Register

17Indiana county whose name is a red color

18Afore

19Gun, in slang

24Parts of hammers

29- good clip

32Ice-T's style

33Hack

34- roll (lucky)

35Deriding look

36- Nevada

37Partner of a mortise

38Hearing airer

39Share a view

40Artery

41Minneapolis-to-Dallas dir.

44Hit with a zapping gun

45The Beatles' "Let -"

46Collision

50Register for 51Hoops cable channel

53Pole carving

54Advice giver Landers

55Yankee Yogi

56Bob - restaurants

57Per-unit costs

58"Bye Bye Bye" boy band

60Rumba's kin

62Garden soils

65Johnny who cried "Come on down!"

68OPEC fuel

69Idolize

70Keystroke or mouse click

72Canadian gas brand

73Detached, in mus.

75Old game console

76Lanai and Skye, say

77Product label wds.

78Ruminated

79County in New Mexico

81Tree once associated with bow wielders

85Pained cries

86"Dirty Sexy Money" actress Zoe

88Symbol atop the Kremlin

89Pair of poetic lines

90Mythical bird

91Mork's planet

92Pitching whiz

93Sausage, in Stuttgart

95With 8-Down, swims without a suit

96They made LPs passé

99Kid

100West with 21 Grammys

101- lie (fibbed)

104Funny Laurel

106Gossamer

107Degs. for playwrights

108Eye malady

109GPS drawing

110From - B

111Ring legend

113Prefix with law or tourist

114Cat coat

115Swing to and -

ANSWERS ON PAGE 26

jacksoncounty@jacksonnc.org or directly to the Commissioners. Please call 828-631-2207 and request to be added to the virtual meeting by video or by phone to provide oral comment during the meeting. You will need to provide an email address to receive the link or a phone number for calling-in to the meeting and specify if you will be making public comment. You must call to make this request by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 7th to allow time for the link or number to be sent to you.

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Answers on 26

Box turtles can live 120 years

Editor’s note: This George Ellison column first appeared in a June 2006 issue of The Smoky Mountain News.

Five turtle species reside in Western North Carolina: snapping, musk, and painted turtles are primarily found in streams, lakes, and ponds. The elusive and rare bog turtle is found in the habitat for which it’s named. The eastern box turtle will enter water during dry weather, but it’s largely terrestrial. For that reason, they are the species with which we have the most contact.

I’ve been seeing a lot of box turtles this year. Maybe that's because I’ve been getting out a lot into the rich woodland habitats they prefer. You could possibly encounter one at an elevation as high as 4,000 feet, but most will be found from the lowest elevations up to about 3,000 or so feet.

You have to be patient when observing box turtles. They’re in no hurry. If one feels threatened, it’ll simply pull its head in, close the hinged flap of its lower shell (the plastron) up against its upper shell (the cara-

BACK THEN

pace) and disappear for a while.

But sometimes they’ll stop moving without withdrawing. Take a quick look and you can easily tell whether you’ve happened upon a male or a female. Males have reddish eyes; females have brownish-yellow eyes. The male also has a plastron that’s concave, which enables him to mount the carapace of a female during copulation.

The eastern box turtle is the longestlived vertebrate in North America. If you encounter one that resembles an old bowling ball, with a shell that's more than 4.5 inches long, there's a good chance it’s approaching 50 years of age. Individuals have been known to exceed 120 years.

In an undisturbed habitat, a box turtle may live out its life without ever traveling more than 250 yards from the nest in which it was born. During the active season from April to October, one will customarily settle into a daily range with a diameter of 350 to 700 feet. They will sometimes establish two home ranges — one for cool spring and late summer conditions, the other for hot summer conditions — with a migratory route between.

Box turtles have a strong homing sense. Individuals removed a mile or so from their home territories are usually able to find

their way back. Those removed at greater distances will usually head in the right direction, even when they can’t always locate their original territories.

I used to stop and pick box turtles up off of roadways and haul them around in my truck or take them home. After awhile, I’d release them wherever I happened to be,

which was often miles from their home territories. But since learning how strongly attached they are to their territories, I now stop and move them off to the side of the road toward which they’re headed and let them go about their business.

Box turtles are not specialists in their eating habits. They'll devour insects, earth-

worms, strawberries, various fruits, and even carrion. When my wife, Elizabeth, and I gather mushrooms in the fall, we sometimes find specimens with a triangular bite taken out of the cap. In Amphibians and Reptiles of the Carolinas and Virginia (UNC Press, 1989), the authors note that, “Box turtles eat several kinds of poisonous mushrooms ... and cases of poisoning are known in some persons who have eaten these reptiles.” We’re more surprised that “some persons” eat box turtles than by the fact that box turtles sometimes eat poisonous mushrooms.

The box turtle figured prominently in the culture of the early Cherokees, who knew it as “daksi.” Shells were used as dippers and containers, as well as for rattles after pebbles were sealed inside them. Following European contact, the word “daksi” was expanded in meaning to signify “padlock,” an introduced cultural item that appeared to operate something like a box turtle to the Indians.

(George Ellison is a writer and naturalist who lives in Bryson City. info@georgeellison.com.)

Get details on any property in the MLS. Go to beverly-hanks.com and enter the MLS# into the quick search.

| 3BR, 2BA

| #3587915

2BA

| #3612469

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| 3BR, 3BA

| #3619210