Duke Energy is floating a rate hike for its customers as it simultaneously offers rate discounts for large consumers such as data centers. At a hearing last week in Haywood County, it was clear that residents in Western North Carolina are firmly opposed to the move as speaker after speaker decried the possibility of having to pay more to subsidize these energy-sucking facilities. (Page 8)
News
Tribal Council exposes rift between community, leaseholder interests................4
Annexation debate exposes deep divide over growth in Waynesville..................6
Haywood commissioners push back on property tax cap......................................7
Clyde enacts moratorium as broader data center fight builds............................10 Hoxit appeals removal as Graham County sheriff....................................................12 Community briefs..............................................................................................................13
Opinion
Why I Voted to Annex Queen’s Farm..........................................................................14 Tax wealth as income........................................................................................................14
Coming together: Festival season kicks off in WNC..............................................16 HART presents ‘Legally Blonde Jr.’..............................................................................22
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Tribal Council session exposes rift between community, leaseholder interests
BY LILY LEVIN STAFF WRITER
Aspecial April 9 Tribal Council session was entirely dedicated to a single resolution meant to protect a general contractor by asserting an easement for the right-of-way over leased Qualla Boundary properties involving “a reasonable and common ingress, egress and utilities.”
Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians member.
The resolution was written as a response to EBCI enrolled member Collete Coggins’ claims that utility construction had overstepped its easement on her leased parcel.
There are two ongoing projects on the land in question: tribal operations is working on a re-healing circuit in conjunction with Duke Energy, and a Tribal Bingo
encroaching on her development plans, the groups involved instead created a new access point.
According to TBE project lead Tommy Lambert, this route also allowed the general contractor to regrade the slope, solving the problem with the bingo hall’s retaining wall and eliminating the need for the originally projected $1.1 million improvement.
While the resolution reiterated a clause that had already been established, the meeting exposed a growing rift, present also at the April 2 regular meeting, between business interests and tribal members. It also showcased public distrust in closed negotiations concerning issues that affect every
Enterprises’ general contractor is constructing a bingo hall. EBCI Secretary of Operations Anthony Sequoia said the main pole behind Coggins’ Native Brews Tap & Grill must have safe ingress and egress, but because the only access to the pole is through the back of the establishment,
Coggins’ attorney, Rob Saunooke, said the new route encroaches beyond the terms of the lease, while Attorney General Mike McConnell argued the easement dimensions remain undefined.
Likening the slope-clearing to eminent domain, Saunooke criticized how and why it
was carried out.
“For whatever reason, individuals here went to the people that were doing the work and said, ‘Take the mountain down.’ Period. They didn’t talk to Ms. Coggins. Didn’t reach out to her, knowing full well there was a lease and that she had development plans for that mountain,” he said, describing the resolution as a way for the tribe to “cover up the dead body they’ve left behind.”
Others spoke against the resolution, though it wasn’t because they agreed with the leaseholder. They argued the legislation was not only unnecessary but also entertained Coggins’ willingness to halt tribal operations.
Consequently, her existing right to the land and related tribal government actions were heavily scrutinized, dominating much of the conversation.
Coggins, no stranger to controversy, first came under fire nearly two decades ago. Former game show host Bob Barker, on a tour with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, publicized the dismal conditions of the bears kept confined at roadside shows including Cherokee Bear Zoo, owned by Coggins and her husband.
During a press conference, Barker recounted that bears at each zoo were housed in small concrete pits, unable to escape. The campaign raised awareness, but while authorities closed Chief Saunooke Bear Park, nothing was done about Cherokee Bear Zoo or other similar attractions.
Barker notwithstanding, the loudest opposition to the establishment has come from EBCI members. In December 2013, elders Amy Walker and Peggy Hill sued Cherokee Bear Zoo on the grounds of violating the Endangered Species Act. The lawsuit, initially dismissed in April 2016, dragged on in a federal appeals court until fall 2017, when the ruling was partially vacated due to “incorrect legal analysis” and remanded to the lower court.
Around that time, the tribe sent out a request for proposals concerning a 25-acre parcel. According to Saunooke, the RFP was advertised five times, but “nobody made an offer” — that is, until Coggins and her husband.
In 2017, the business committee — thenPrincipal Chief Richard Sneed, Vice Chief Alan Ensley, Dennis F
Attorney Rob Saunooke addressed Tribal Council on April 9.
Taylor, Travis Smith and Anita Lossiah — approved Coggins as leaseholder of the property upon the condition that she build a bear sanctuary within 18 months. Tribal officials seemed to envision she’d move the bears currently housed at the zoo to the larger and more humane parcel property.
“The discussion before I got on council here was, you know, to move [the bear park] from down there up here, to improve on what it looks like now, and improve for the — well — for the care of the bears, as well,” said council member Boyd Owle (Birdtown).
Instead, Coggins built a restaurant.
Her original failure to fulfill the contract led some tribal council members and public commenters to argue on April 9 that her lease should’ve been terminated. They lamented the business committee’s subsequent decision to renegotiate, rather than nullify, her rights to the property.
“I wanted for that to go on record that I did object to the renewal or renegotiation of the terms of this lease, because I felt very strongly that she was in material breach of the original lease. We shouldn’t have even been here today, because that lease should never have existed because of her failure to follow through,” said tribal council member Shannon Swimmer (Painttown).
Saunooke, however, said achieving the terms of the agreement would’ve been impossible.
Indian Affairs]—” she started.
“May I answer?” Interrupted McConnell.
As Hill told him to continue, a call for the Attorney General to “watch your tone” was shouted from the audience.
“The confidentiality provision grew out of federal law when the BIA ran the realty office. The Federal Privacy Act imposed restrictions on the disclosure of that information,” McConnell said.
The tribal elder had another grievance concerning the amended contract. Out of ongoing concern for the bears and the original lease’s bear-sanctuary requirement, Hill said she and Walker had approached the business committee during the re-negotiations. She recounted first being “kicked out” and that she and Walker were unable to address the group until Coggins had exited. Her comment touched on a common sentiment among commenters — Coggins’ interests came first at the decision-making table.
Coggins, no stranger to controversy, first came under fire nearly two decades ago. Former game show host Bob Barker, on a tour with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, publicized the dismal conditions of the bears kept confined at roadside shows including Cherokee Bear Zoo, owned by Coggins and her husband.
“It’s prohibited to have any sanctuary or bear park or anything like that within two miles of the of the park down back here, within two miles of the parkway. So even if we had wanted to, it could not have been built. And whoever negotiated that lease at the beginning should have known that, and they did not,” he said.
The amended lease removed Coggins’ claim to an old building within the parcel so the tribe could use the land to construct a bingo hall. It also scrapped the bear sanctuary provision and awarded additional time to submit development plans for the leased mountain-side area — which she has yet to accomplish.
Some attendees decried the process of the renegotiation on the part of both Coggins and the business committee, especially after the document was labelled confidential by Attorney General Mike McConnell. Hill, one of two filers of the 2013 bear zoo lawsuit, asked why, if tribal members are stakeholders, the amended lease wouldn’t be publicly available.
“You are a stakeholder. That is correct. The tribal culture has treated those documents as confidential for decades,” said McConnell.
“How many decades? Because [Bureau of
“She’s had that privilege to serve on boards and entities and be able to have a business and to be up there making good money for herself. She’s privileged in that. Nothing personal, that’s just a fact. But where’s the privilege of the entire tribe?” asked enrolled member Mary Crowe. In the end, the resolution was withdrawn and the conversation circled back to Coggins’ concerns about EBCI lease encroachment.
Saunooke, unable to sue the EBCI because of sovereign immunity, threatened to file a lawsuit against TBE’s general contractor instead, spooking the business off the job.
“GC has said that even with the easement that y’all have in front of you, he will not return to the job site. The reason he won’t return to the job site was statements that were made by Mr. Saunooke here that he would sue the general contractor, with or without an easement,” said Lambert, adding that the project would be put on “indefinite hold” pending a contractor.
The Cherokee One Feather on April 10 announced bingo hall construction would be resumed at the same site with the general contractor, following discussions, contract additions and an agreement to slightly shift one side of property. But the big-picture concern among many EBCI members — that living conditions on the Qualla Boundary could depend on the interests of a single individual — will likely be harder to resolve.
“We are all shareholders in this land. I know it. You know it, she knows it. But to have one person block us from moving forward is wrong,” said enrolled member Lisa Montelongo on April 9.
Annexation debate exposes deep divide over growth in Waynesville
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Astretch of land along Ratcliff Cove Road
— quiet, rural, long-defined by fields, creek-bottoms and generational ties — became the focal point of a larger question April 14, as Waynesville Town Council took up an annexation request that would determine not just what gets built there, but how the town chooses to grow.
The request, brought forward by a private property owner, sought to annex the western portion of a 57.5-acre parcel tied to Phase II of the Valleywood Farms subdivision. Planning staff laid out the contours of the proposal after the town’s planning board approved the plan on Feb. 19.
The petition, explained by Assistant Development Services Director Olga Grooman, involved land already adjacent to town boundaries, currently situated within Waynesville’s extraterritorial jurisdiction. Access to sewer infrastructure — not zoning, not density — was the hinge on which the request turned.
Phase II, already approved as a subdivision by the planning board, calls for 148 single-family homes and sits next to phase I, where 115 homes have already been planned and, in many cases, built. A portion of the property to the north is already inside town limits, meaning some development could proceed regardless of the annexation decision.
revenue stream for that maintenance.
That tradeoff — private investment up front, public responsibility long term — became a central theme as the discussion unfolded.
Bradshaw also highlighted planned traffic accommodations and multiple access points, maintaining that the development had already been reviewed and approved through the proper channels and that annexation was simply the mechanism needed to extend services and complete the project as designed. Phase I sales — largely in the high$300,000 to mid-$400,000 range — serve as evidence of demand for the product.
Council members, however, pushed beyond the procedural explanation, probing
ing at roughly three-to-four units per acre.
Tension came into full view once public comment began. A line of speakers, many with deep roots in the area, approached the podium to voice opposition rooted not in technicalities, but in identity, economy and place.
“Phase one was a mistake, and phase two is an insult to local businesses and the people of Haywood County,” said Trey Ballance, a general contractor and sixth generation resident of Ratcliff Cove. “This developer is a national giant that is denying our local trades employment opportunities. They’re not hiring our local electricians, plumbers or carpenters. They’re not buying from our local suppliers.”
farmland — nearly half in the last 40 years. At the most recent breakfast, Smart famously said he told the nation’s largest homebuilder, in response to an offer to buy his farm, that D.R. Horton would be “a-drivin’ a coal truck in hell before he builds a house on my farm.”
Smart’s fiery comments to town council were well-received.
“We have lost so much farmland,” he said. “We got less than 50,000 acres left now in Haywood County, and by 2040, we’ll lose 40% or more if you continue to do what you’re doing, building these cookie cutter cluster houses.”
The annexation, in Smart’s view, wasn’t a passive administrative step. It was an active choice that would determine whether largescale development could proceed in its current form.
The comments layered economic concerns over cultural concerns — housing prices, outside buyers and a sense that development patterns were shifting away from local needs.
Speaking on behalf of property owner John Queen, Patrick Bradshaw of Civil Design Concepts framed the annexation as a practical, policy-consistent step that would allow a previously approved subdivision to move forward with access to municipal sewer, arguing that the project meets Waynesville’s adopted land-use plan, fits within designated growth areas and delivers relatively attainable new housing compared to similar builds in the county.
Emphasizing that the town would not bear upfront infrastructure costs, Bradshaw noted that roads, water and sewer would be installed privately before being turned over to the town for long-term maintenance. Upon annexation, homeowners would be subject to town property taxes and would also become utility customers, providing a
“This developer is a national giant that is denying our local trades employment opportunities. They’re not hiring our local electricians, plumbers or carpenters. They’re not buying from our local suppliers.”
Trey Ballance
how the proposal fit into Waynesville’s longrange vision and what it would mean for the town’s infrastructure, character and affordability. The property was already zoned for low-to-medium density residential use, a designation consistent with the town’s 2035 land use plan that allows single-family hous-
Don Smart, a fourth-generation farmer raised in Crabtree, has been one of the most vocal opponents of large-scale development for years now. As president of the Haywood County Farm Bureau, Smart has used the organization’s annual legislative breakfast as a platform to decry the loss of the county’s
For others, the issue was the strain on social infrastructure. Jonathan Creek resident Tabitha Ross mentioned another sprawling development happening well outside Waynesville’s jurisdiction.
“We farm the land right beside of it. The runoff water that is going to happen from this development is going to ruin our corn, and we barely have enough land now to grow corn for our farm and for our cattle,” Ross said. “My thing is, like, you’re letting this happen. You know our hospital — I was in health care for 18 years — you know our hospital only holds 154 beds in our hospital. Our schools are at capacity now, and you are allowing these people to come in and build more homes, which brings more people, which our town cannot hold, our schools cannot hold it, our hospital cannot hold it.”
The cumulative effect of the testimony was unmistakable — nearly unanimous and heavily weighted against the proposal.
After nearly an hour of public comment, the hearing closed and the focus shifted back to council.
Council Member Jon Feichter framed the annexation as a defining, irreversible choice about Waynesville’s future, arguing that the council wasn’t simply evaluating whether a development met technical standards.
Drawing on months of reviewing maps, visiting the site and speaking with residents, he said the proposal forced a broader reckoning with whether F
Waynesville Town Council member Jon Feichter (right) remains seated after the annexation vote. Feichter was the only member of council to vote no. Town of Waynesville photo
Haywood commissioners push back on property tax cap
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
Faced with the possibility that state lawmakers could strip away one of their few reliable revenue tools, Haywood County commissioners moved Monday night to draw a line in the sand.
In a formal resolution adopted April 20, the board voiced opposition to any effort by the North Carolina General Assembly to limit local property tax authority, warning such changes could destabilize county finances and undermine essential services in counties and municipalities.
Throughout 2026, the House Select Committee on Property Tax Reduction and Reform has been meeting to discuss state preemption of local taxation authority. On April 15, the committee voted to send a constitutional rate cap proposal to the General Assembly. If it passes, the measure would be put to voters in November.
The Haywood County resolution notes that property taxes are the backbone of county government, funding everything from state-mandated public safety and emergency response to education and infra-
The property tax issue is expected to become much more visible in the months to come. File photo
structure. It argues that local control over those revenues allows counties to adapt to shifting economic conditions, population growth and state-imposed mandates and also emphasizes the process behind those decisions, pointing to annual budget hearings, public meetings and voter-approved
large-scale subdivisions align with local incomes, infrastructure and the town’s long-term character.
He structured his opposition around three tests — who benefits, what kind of growth is being encouraged and what long-term obligations the town assumes — and concluded that the project falls short on all three.
“Growth is inevitable, but how we grow is a choice,” Feichter said.
Pointing to Phase I home prices and local income data, he questioned whether the development serves Waynesville residents, contrasted incremental neighborhood growth with large, multi-phase buildouts and warned that annexation creates permanent service obligations that compound over time.
And then, there’s the affordable housing issue — by his math, Feichter said that at least 75 of the 115 homes that have been sold had a median sales price of “a little over $440,000.” According to Canopy MLS, in February the average sales price of a home in Haywood County rose 12.1% year-overyear to $429,000.
bonds as safeguards that already provide transparency and accountability.
Likely consequences of such a cap would involve reduced services, delayed infrastructure projects and increased fees, according to the resolution.
The board ultimately reaffirmed its sup-
with Dickson and Sutton as jeers came from what had become a hostile audience, with some in the crowd saying the three “ought to be ashamed” of themselves.
Caldwell then gaveled a five-minute recess as members of the crowd stepped forward — some to thank Feichter, some to heckle Dickson. Smart singled out Caldwell, who could be heard defending his board.
“We have lost so much farmland. We got less than 50,000 acres left now in Haywood County, and by 2040, we’ll lose 40% or more if you continue to do what you’re doing, building these cookie cutter cluster houses.”
Don Smart
“John Queen’s the one that decided to sell,” Caldwell said.
In a letter to the editor sent to The Smoky Mountain News on April 19, Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Dickson defended his vote to annex by anchoring it in the town’s 2035 comprehensive plan, arguing the decision was not discretionary but a direct obligation to follow a community-driven blueprint shaped by hundreds of residents and passed unanimously in 2020 by every current board member.
port for the current system, which allows counties to set tax rates within existing statutory limits, and formally opposed any constitutional amendment that would curtail that authority. As the resolution was passed on the consent agenda along with six other administrative items, there was no discussion by commissioners.
Haywood County was among the first Western North Carolina governments to pass such a resolution; on the same day and at roughly the same time in Cherokee County, commissioners passed a similar resolution by a vote of 3 to 2.
A recent opinion piece in The Durham Herald-Sun argues the state’s proposal would do more harm than good, contending that rising property taxes are largely the result of years of state-level budget decisions that have shifted costs onto local governments. The column paints the proposed cap as a political maneuver — by a General Assembly that can’t even pass its own budget — that could weaken essential services, disproportionately benefit wealthier property owners and leave counties with fewer options to meet growing demands.
Foster care donation drive
Each year, children in foster care in Haywood County move between homes carrying little more than what they can fit in a bag, often leaving behind the everyday items that provide comfort, stability, a sense of belonging and a sense of identity. The Haywood County Republican Party wants to ease that transition by collecting essential supplies and small personal items to ensure those children have what they need as they navigate an already uncertain chapter in their lives.
“By that measure, a family would need to earn about $125,000 a year to afford a home at that price,” Feichter said. “Waynesville’s median household income is $55,000 a year. Now that by itself, doesn’t make this development wrong, but it does tell us something important about who it serves … Growth is inevitable, but how we grow is on us. I vote no.”
As the applause for Feichter’s scathing dissent faded, Mayor Gary Caldwell asked for a motion either to approve or reject the annexation request. Mayor Pro Tem Chuck Dickson motioned for approval and was seconded by Anthony Sutton. No further discussion on the motion ensued. Council Member Julia Freeman voted
Dickson said the plan deliberately channels growth into areas served by water and sewer and specifically designates the project site for single-family housing, meaning annexation aligns with both the location and type of development the town had already agreed to pursue.
He also framed the vote as a financial decision aimed at avoiding tax increases, arguing that rising costs leave the town with only three realistic options — cut services, raise taxes or grow the tax base. He positioned annexation as the only path that maintains current service levels without shifting the burden onto existing residents, making growth not just a planning choice but a fiscal necessity.
“I voted to annex to protect the wallets and pocketbooks of Waynesville taxpayers,” Dickson wrote. “My duty is to the people of the Town of Waynesville, and my vote was for them.”
If you’re in a position to help, drop off new items at the HCGOP office, 297 North Haywood St. in Waynesville, Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Specifically, needs include suitcases, duffel bags, backpacks, hygiene products, paper towels and toilet paper, underwear (kids and teens), shoes and household cleaning products.
Donations to relevant organizations will be made sometime in July, so there’s plenty of time to make a small difference in the life of a vulnerable child. For more information, email HCGOP Chair Kim Genova at kim.genova@yahoo.com or call her at 828.400.8690.
Haywood residents oppose Duke rate hike
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
The question before the North Carolina Utilities Commission is simple — should residential customers on fixed incomes continue to subsidize commercial and industrial customers, AI data centers owned by globalist juggernauts, environmentally unfriendly generation practices, industrial accidents and the astronomical corporate salaries of millionaires who run a monopoly, or not?
Speaker after speaker rose in the Haywood County Justice Center April 14 to describe rising bills, climate anxiety and the lingering trauma of Hurricane Helene — only to watch two of Western North Carolina’s most respected institutional voices step forward and thank the company asking for more.
load — and increasing rate structures. According to BusinessNC, Duke’s rates in North Carolina increased “by an average of about 7% in 2023-24, 3.4% in 2024 and about 3.2% in 2025.” What cost $140 in 2023 will cost $190 by 2029.
For 2025, the CEO of Duke Energy — Harry Sideris — earned about $14 million in total compensation.
Duke argues the rate increases are necessary to fund grid modernization, maintain reliability and comply with environmental regulations, including coal ash cleanup and infrastructure upgrades. Jennifer Bennett, Duke’s district manager for Haywood County, said that as the region continues to grow, Duke is trying to keep up by bolstering local infrastructure, including 15 miles of overhead cables and substation improvements.
analysis.
After Democrat Josh Stein beat Republican Mark Robinson in the 2024 gubernatorial election, the Republican-led General Assembly stripped Stein of the ability to appoint a member to the commission, giving that power to the Republican state treasurer and effectively sidestepping the will of voters by creating a Republican majority on the commission. Bill Brawley, formerly a Republican House representative from Union County, chaired the meeting. Durham Democrat Floyd McKissick, formerly a senator in the General Assembly, was also in attendance in his role as a commissioner.
Over 31 years, Duke has contributed about $6 million to Democrats, including more than $22,000 to McKissick, but more than $21 million to Republicans, including more than $26,000 to Brawley, according to opensecrets.com.
The public witness hearing, held by the North Carolina Utilities Commission, was one of several statewide sessions convened to gather testimony on Duke Energy’s latest rate request. The proceeding stems from a formal application filed in November 2025 seeking to increase electric rates, implement performance-based regulation and adjust how the utility recovers costs from customers.
According to the commission’s own scheduling order, the case could ultimately raise Duke’s North Carolina retail revenues by hundreds of millions of dollars, with a cumulative increase approaching $728.6 million over a two-year period — about a 15% jump. For a typical residential customer using 1,000 kilowatt-hours per month, that translates to roughly $28 more per month in the first year, with an additional $6.59 monthly in year two.
Duke generated roughly $32 billion in revenue and $4.9 billion in profit in 2025, reflecting steady growth driven by rising demand — largely by data centers and AI-related
“People want to live and work here, and the investments that we propose are designed to protect reliability and keep costs as low as possible for our customers in the region,” Bennett said during the hearing.
Attorney Jennifer Herrod represented North Carolina Public Staff, an independent state agency charged with representing the interests of utility customers in proceedings before the North Carolina Utilities Commission, reviewing rate requests, analyzing utility filings and presenting testimony to advocate for fair rates on behalf of the public. Herrod said that her colleagues had been reviewing Duke’s request and would file their testimony on July 9.
The hearing itself was part of a broader quasi-judicial process overseen by the commission, a regulatory body tasked with setting “just and reasonable” rates for utility monopolies. Acting much like a court, the commission does not debate policy in real time but instead builds a formal evidentiary record through sworn testimony, filings and expert
Brawley’s role as chair was strictly procedural, and he reminded attendees that testimony, not argument, would guide the outcome. That distinction mattered little to the dozens of residents who spoke. They came with bills, with stories and with grievances that stretched well beyond line items.
Concerns ranged from what many described as an imbalance between rate structure increases — 18% to 20% for residential customers, less than half that for commercial and industrial customers — to frustration over Duke’s profit margins and monopoly status. Several speakers pointed to environmental liabilities, particularly radioactive coal ash contamination, arguing that customers were being asked to absorb costs tied to past corporate decisions. Others raised broader anxieties about climate change, grid resilience and the long-term direction of the state’s energy mix.
The theme was consistent — affordability versus accountability.
Waynesville’s Maggie Rowe, speaking on behalf of AARP North Carolina, framed the issue in stark terms, emphasizing the impact on seniors and fixed-income households.
“AARP respectfully urges the commission to scale back these increases, remove uneconomic costs, reject higher fixed charges and new riders and prioritize affordability for the people who depend on this service every day,” Rowe said. “From a consumer perspective, this is simply too much, too fast.”
Rowe warned that layered increases, higher fixed charges and new billing riders would compound financial strain while shifting risk away from the utility and onto customers least able to absorb it.
Chelsea White-Hoglen, a social worker and Helene survivor from Waynesville, widened the lens, tying the rate proposal to broader economic and environmental pressures facing the region.
“I can at least speak for myself and my people in Western North Carolina when I say that we don’t have anything left to give because we lost it all, and y’all are still asking for more,” White-Hoglen said.
Her testimony linked the proposed increase to what she described as a part of a painful pattern of extractive industries preying on Appalachians for centuries, even as communities continue to recover from repeated climate-related disasters. Others echoed those sentiments in more granular terms — rising monthly bills, low solar buyback rates and what they viewed as a disconnect between Duke’s reported profits and the lived F
Senior counsel for Duke Energy Kathleen Richard (left) and Jennifer Herrod, an attorney from NC Public Staff representing customers, await the start of a North Carolina Utilities Commission hearing in Waynesville on April 14. Cory Vaillancourt photo
experience of its customers.
Then came Nathan Ramsey.
A former state representative and Buncombe county commissioner from Fairview, Ramsey prefaced his remarks by stating he was speaking only in a personal capacity — a technical clarification that landed awkwardly, given his prominent public roles in economic and workforce development across the region as a staff member at the Land of Sky Regional Council. What followed was Ramsey’s defense of Duke’s position framed through competitiveness and partnership.
“I understand the many concerns about affordability and increasing electric rates, and it’s important for our community, for our state, that we have very competitive electric rates, so you’re going to hear a lot of testimony regarding the need to not raise rates, and I respect that, and I will defer to others to address those concerns, but I want to make it clear the reason I’m testifying that North Carolina electric rates today are about 30% lower than the national average, and that’s very important so we can be competitive when we recruit business and industry to our communities,” Ramsey said, without acknowledging how a 20% rate increase would maintain that competitiveness.
David Francis struck a similar tone.
Francis also noted he was speaking for himself, despite serving as Haywood County’s economic development guru and as the president and CEO of the Haywood Chamber of Commerce — a business advocacy and support organization that repre-
sents, promotes and assists local businesses while trying to shape economic growth in a county where affordability issues are hitting consumers from the gas pump to the grocery store and nearly everywhere in between.
His remarks focused on the scale and speed of the company’s response, as well as its philanthropic contributions to struggling businesses. He leaned heavily on his experience working alongside Duke during past disasters, including Tropical Storm Fred and Hurricane Helene, and commended the company for doing essentially the same thing even the smallest of mom-and-pop businesses have to do — maintain their own ability to serve customers.
“Duke replaced 13,300 transformers, 16,200 poles and 11 million feet of wire,” Francis said. “Not everything’s perfect, no response is. Some of us had to wait some time, to wait two weeks, but they got the job done.”
Francis acknowledged the burden of higher rates, but framed it as part of a larger, necessary system — one in which reliability and rapid response come at a cost.
“You know, this is a hard place to be. I appreciate the commission coming here, speaking, having us speak to them,” he said. “Gas prices [were] raised a couple of weeks ago — we didn’t get to go see Exxon.”
Duke Energy’s role in Hurricane Helene recovery has been defined by a relatively small amount of direct philanthropy alongside a much larger, ongoing effort to recoup storm-related costs through regulators and
ratepayers. Through its foundation, Duke provided targeted grants — including $500,000 to 20 Western North Carolina nonprofits supporting housing repair, debris removal and mental health services — as part of a broader, multi milliondollar charitable response to the storm.
But at the same time, the company has aggressively pursued mechanisms to recover the far greater costs of rebuilding its system. Duke has sought permission to finance hundreds of millions in Helene-related infrastructure repairs through state-approved bonds that would ultimately be repaid by customers, while also implementing or proposing storm recovery charges on monthly bills and using securitization tools to spread those costs over time. In other jurisdictions, filings show the same pattern — with the utility seeking to recover more than $1 billion in hurricane response costs through rate increases or dedicated charges approved by regulators.
Testimony by Ramsey and Francis stood in sharp contrast to that of Molly McDowell, who directly challenged both the premise of the rate hike and the framing offered by earlier speakers. McDowell, a Clyde resident who said she has a background in public administration and experience in emergency management and economic development, argued that disaster response, while commendable, is inherent to the utility’s role — not a justification for increased rates.
“I understand that the disaster response by Duke was quick, and you had a lot of people on site, but that is part of the job of a
utilities corporation. That’s part of the job. It’s what you’re supposed to do, and I’m asking Duke Energy now to step up and be a good citizen like the rest of the people in this room, because corporations are ‘people,’” she said, drawing laughs from the crowd in reference to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling allowing companies like Duke to contribute to politicians like Brawley and McKissick.
She criticized the company for passing environmental and operational costs onto customers instead of absorbing them through profits or executive compensation.
“I am speaking from the heart, and I’m speaking to oppose Duke Energy’s proposed rate hike for several reasons, and many of them have to do with the increasing economic uncertainty that’s faced by the average American that, unfortunately, all of us in the room are all too familiar with,” McDowell said. “Frankly, after Helene’s devastation, the citizens of Western North Carolina need a break, not higher costs. I appreciate that you’re talking about investing in the infrastructure, but there are ways to do it without raising costs by 20%.”
The hearing closed without resolution, as all such hearings do.
Next comes the slower, more technical phase of the process. Intervenors, including the state’s Public Staff and advocacy groups, will file expert testimony in July, followed by rebuttals from Duke. A formal evidentiary hearing is scheduled for August in Raleigh, where commissioners will weigh competing claims before issuing a final order on the rate request.
Clyde enacts moratorium as broader data center fight builds
BY CORY VAILLANCOURT POLITICS EDITOR
The tiny Haywood County Town of Clyde has joined a growing number of Western North Carolina communities by formalizing its opposition to data centers through a 12month moratorium, but with limited jurisdiction beyond its borders and the possibility of preemption by Raleigh looming, Clyde knows it can’t go it alone.
“Us as representatives, obviously, we’re here to help, to represent you all’s interests, but your voices are hugely important,” said Clyde Mayor Pro Tem Frank Lay. “Now is your time.”
From a municipal government perspective, the April 16 public hearing in Clyde’s town hall proceeded much the way such hearings have in other jurisdictions — a small room, crammed full of residents eager to speak out against data centers and the problems they can create.
“Out of curiosity, is there anybody here that’s in favor of these things?” Mayor Jim Trantham asked after nearly an hour of discussion. No one stepped forward. “We might have had two empty chairs [during the hearing]. That speaks for itself.”
Opposition to data centers coalesced around a broad set of environmental, economic and quality-of-life concerns, with speakers repeatedly warning that such facilities would strain already fragile infrastructure while offering little in return. Speakers cited massive water consumption as incompatible with a community that has already faced shortages and infrastructure stress, especially following recent disasters.
Concerns extended to electrical demand with fears that new high-load facilities would require costly upgrades ultimately passed on to ratepayers, compounding frustration over Duke Energy’s proposed rate increases.
Noise pollution again emerged as a dominant theme, with speakers describing constant, far-reaching industrial hum that could depress property values and disrupt the quiet that defines much of the region.
Economic arguments against data centers were equally consistent, focusing on a mismatch between supposed benefits and lived experience of residents in communities where data centers have been established.
Speakers emphasized that data centers generate few permanent local jobs, rely on specialized outside labor and offer little meaningful contribution to the local tax base while receiving extensive tax exemptions. On April 8, Gov. Josh Stein said on Facebook that if all of the data centers that are proposed are built in North Carolina, their owners would receive an estimated $450 million in sales tax exemptions every year.
“It doesn’t make much sense to me,” Stein said in the post.
Other speakers warned that the facilities could undermine the region’s tourism-driven economy, which depends on natural beauty,
clean water and a quiet environment, while also threatening wildlife and ecosystems, including species unique to Western North Carolina.
The town limits of Clyde — home to maybe 1,500 people — are defined by a mile-wide circle centered on the small downtown. Although the Pigeon River runs directly through downtown, adjacent properties are flood-prone, and there’s really no place big enough to put an industrial-scale data center.
Others warned of legal loopholes and aggressive industry tactics, while some questioned whether rapid advances in technology could render large-scale data centers obsolete before communities ever see benefits.
Town Administrator Joy Garland said there have been no inquiries from companies looking to locate data centers in the town, but several speakers did note that Clyde’s small size and limited jurisdiction leave it vulnerable to development just outside town limits that would still affect residents.
study the issue and consider further action.
Accordingly, Clyde becomes the fourth local government in Haywood County to take a stand on the issue, in one way or another.
Concerns over cryptocurrency mining first surfaced in Haywood County in early 2023, when commissioners began exploring regulations before any large-scale operations could take hold. Commissioners reacted to mounting evidence from other Western North Carolina counties, where mining operations generated persistent noise, strained electrical infrastructure and delivered little in the way of jobs or economic benefit. Rather than wait for a proposal, leaders signaled an intent to act preemptively, studying potential ordinances and landuse controls aimed at keeping incompatible industrial uses out of quiet rural communities.
By late 2023, that early concern had evolved into action by Haywood County and the Town of Waynesville, which began creating regulatory frameworks to “stay ahead” of cryptocurrency
A crowd fills Clyde’s town hall during an April 16 hearing on a proposed data center moratorium, reflecting widespread opposition as officials warn the issue will be shaped far beyond town limits. Cory Vaillancourt photo
Across nearly every comment, the tone was not merely opposition but urgency, with repeated calls for countywide coordination and stronger action — culminating in multiple speakers urging the town to pursue moratoria longer than the proposed one-year limit, including multi-year or even permanent moratoria.
Lay, an attorney, explained why that wasn’t possible.
“They are designed to be temporary,” Lay said. “The general rule that [the General Assembly] imposed, that case law has recognized, is that generally speaking, a year is sort of the outside limit of a moratorium where the purpose imposed is to allow us to do some research on the issue.”
The moratorium states that Clyde “shall not accept, process or approve any application for zoning permits, conditional use permits, site plans, building permits or other development approvals for the construction, establishment or expansion of a data center within the town” for 12 months, during which time the town will
to energy systems, water resources and quality of life while offering limited local benefit. Canton’s move marked a turning point, transforming years of precautionary discussion into concrete policy and signaling a broader shift in Haywood County toward skepticism of large-scale data operations.
For all the unanimity inside Clyde’s town hall — and across Haywood County — the town’s authority may matter less than what happens hundreds of miles away.
“I would encourage all of you to express your concerns, to continue beyond just our town … be aware that at the state level — so our state representatives, state senator, state house — those folks also are looking right now at the issue of preempting or taking away our authority to have anything to do with this,” Lay said.
Although it may seem far-fetched to some, there’s ample precedent for North Carolina’s conservative General Assembly stepping in to prohibit local governments from exercising their powers. In the 2023–24 state budget, the General Assembly quietly inserted a provision barring cities and counties from regulating “auxiliary containers,” a broadly defined category that includes plastic bags, paper bags, cups and most common forms of packaging. The language effectively wiped out local authority to ban plastic bags, impose fees or place any restrictions on their use, overriding policies some communities had already adopted.
The move served as an example of state preemption, where lawmakers in Raleigh set uniform rules that supersede local decision-making, even on issues with localized impacts. For critics, it underscored a growing tension between the state’s push for consistency and the ability of municipalities to respond to the specific needs and values of their residents.
As North Carolina heads into midterm elections this fall, the legislative landscape will continue to change; however, no candidate reached by The Smoky Mountain News supports state preemption of local government regulations on data centers.
In the 118th House District, Rep. Mark Pless (R-Haywood) lost his Primary Election in March and will not be returning to Raleigh next year, leaving Democrat Danny Davis or Republican Jimmy Rogers to address the issue should it come up.
mining. The issue was no longer hypothetical; local governments were responding to inquiries and the growing realization that once Big Data shows up, it’s difficult to remove.
Haywood County strengthened its highimpact development ordinance to impose strict limits on water use, energy demand and site impacts for data centers and crypto mining operations, while Waynesville moved more aggressively, banning cryptocurrency mining outright within town limits and restricting traditional data centers — generally smaller, company-scale operations that use less resources — to specific industrial districts.
Simmering concerns escalated into outright resistance by early 2026, when Canton imposed a one-year moratorium on data centers, cryptocurrency mining and similar high-impact digital infrastructure amid redevelopment at the 185-acre former paper mill site. Driven by public opposition and — again — lessons learned from other communities, Canton officials described the facilities as potentially disruptive
Given that Pless’ loss was at least partially attributable to his 2023 state preemption of Maggie Valley’s ability to exercise authority over its extra-territorial jurisdiction, the issue of data center preemption is sensitive in the Haywood/Madison district, at least ideologically.
“I don’t think they should do that,” Davis said of General Assembly preemption on the data center issue. “I’m certainly not in favor of taking rights away from local governments.”
Davis’ opponent, Rogers, agrees with him.
“I do not think that you’re going to see the state impose a ban [on data center regulation by local governments]. I do not think that would pass,” he said. “The state should not be involved in a town’s ability to do that. The towns and local governments should have the authority. The state should be there to assist them and support their decisions.”
The 119th District has also seen a significant and abrupt change in representation after the recent
passing of Rep. Mike Clampitt (R-Swain). In an April 11 vote, Republicans selected Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians enrolled member Anna Ferguson, a Jackson County businesswoman, to serve the remainder of Clampitt’s term and take his place on the ballot in November.
“If it were to become an issue, I feel like we need to refer to local government as the experts in what’s right and not right for their communities,” Ferguson told SMN. “They are the authority on what their constituents want, and we need to trust that [local governments] are acting in the best interests of their constituents. So no, I would not support it.”
Ferguson’s opponent, Transylvania County Democrat Mark Burrows, who has extensive local government experience, largely concurred.
“In general, I believe that local governments should have greater autonomy in trying to control their destiny,” Burrows said. “I would not be in favor of the state taking away that control. I think local governments have a better understanding of what their needs are and how they should be addressed.”
In the state’s westernmost House district, House majority whip Karl Gillespie (R-Macon) leaned on his experience in local government to carve out a clear position.
“Being an old county commissioner, I believe that some of the best decisions are made the closer you are to where the water hits the wheel,” Gillespie said. “I think that county commissioners are best equipped to do that. Some of my counties that have taken action, and some haven’t. I’m going to support those county commissioners’ decisions, because I think they’re doing the will of people, and that’s, that’s what we need to be doing as elected officials.”
Gillespie’s opponent, Macon County educator and Army Reserve Lieutenant Caleb Brown, likewise, isn’t supportive of preemption.
“Number one, I oppose any attempt by the state Legislature to enforce preemption on counties or municipalities, so that involves like the location of data centers,” Brown said. “So the other part of that is, I fully support Gov. Stein’s effort to reexamine the tax breaks that we’ve given data centers in the state of North Carolina.”
In the state’s westernmost Senate district, incumbent Kevin Corbin (R-Macon) will face Jackson County Democrat Tom Downing. When asked if he would support state preemption of local decision making on data centers, Downing was direct.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “We can’t say that our local governments are the strength of our state — and they are because they know their people, they know what works, they know their municipalities — and then turn around and micromanage them at every step. We have to let municipalities and counties regulate themselves, because local people have to live with it. This is just another example of Republicans in the General Assembly being out of touch with reality.”
Corbin is also a former Macon County commissioner and — like Gillespie — said he had not heard any discussion in Raleigh about preemption but wouldn’t support it anyway.
“As many decisions as possible ought to be made at a local level, not from Raleigh or Washington,” he said.
Lake Junaluska announces new director of retail E
rin Hubbard, interim director of retail at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center since October 2025, is now in the role on a permanent basis.
Hubbard is responsible for managing and overseeing sales revenue, daily operations, staffing, scheduling, merchandising, purchasing and budgets for all of Lake Junaluska’s retail outlets.
really understands what makes Lake Junaluska unique. Her promotion is a great example of how we value developing our own people and providing opportunities for advancement,” he added.
A resident of Clyde, Hubbard joined the staff at Lake Junaluska in March 2023 as retail sales and operations manager. She has previous management experience in the food and beverage industry and retail grocery businesses, including leadership roles with the Whole Foods Market corporation in North Carolina and Colorado.
A resident of Clyde, Hubbard joined the staff at Lake Junaluska in March 2023 as retail sales and operations manager. Donated photo
Hubbard said she feels honored to be advancing within the Lake Junaluska organization and that she has begun the process of getting her feet wet as she adjusts to her new responsibilities.
“I am really excited to see what I can bring to the table. I am focusing on learning the new position, taking on small things as I learn the position and then moving on to larger projects,” she said.
The recent staffing update was announced by Michael Huber, general manager at Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center.
“Erin stood out among other candidates because of her deep knowledge of our organization, her strong leadership skills and her ability to connect with both staff and guests,” Huber said.
“She’s been a consistent performer and
“On down the road, I plan to continue to find local vendors for our retail locations that set our shops apart and working toward expanding our selections for the coffee bar,” Hubbard said. “We would like to focus on locally made, American-made and fair-trade items.”
The resort and conference center’s retail establishments include Junaluska Gifts & Grounds and the markets at The Terrace hotel, historic Lambuth Inn and the recreation area.
Hoxit appeals removal as Graham County sheriff
BY KYLE PERROTTI NEWS EDITOR
Brad Hoxit has filed a notice of appeal following a removal order submitted earlier this month by Superior Court Judge William T. Stetzer.
filed a petition for his removal on the basis that he improperly used his power to investigate his wife’s ex-husband, Jacob Nelms, a sitting county commissioner.
A hearing for Hoxit’s removal was held last month in Graham County Superior Court, and in less than two weeks, Stetzer published his order.
Last week, Hoxit’s attorney Stephen Lindsay told The Smoky Mountain News that his client would indeed appeal. The appeal was filed by Hoxit pro se, meaning without legal counsel; however, he will need a new attorney to handle the appeal.
In a previous interview with SMN, Lindsay noted that Hoxit would hope for an expedited appeals process so he could possibly re-assume the office before it’s turned over to whoever wins November’s General Election.
Hoxit was initially suspended from office Jan. 29 after District Attorney Ashley Welch
Brad Hoxit was removed as Graham County sheriff following a contentious hearing last month.
Kyle Perrotti photo
Community Almanac
WCU, Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau
offer free telescope viewing party
WCU professor Enrique Gomez talks with attendees of the 2025 Statewide Star Party. Donated photo
The Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau, in partnership with Western Carolina University’s Department of Chemistry and Physics, will host a free telescope viewing party at 7:30 p.m. April 24 at the Boys and Girls Club of the Plateau Campus in Cashiers.
Astronomy faculty from WCU will be on hand with telescopes to show the moon,
Franklin debuts new website
The Town of Franklin has an updated website.
A recent initiative of the town council was to modernize the way the town communicates to residents and visitors. The town partnered with Revize, LLC, which specializes in municipal websites.
New features include:
Responsive design that looks great on any device.
The entire site can be translated into 80 different languages.
Advanced accessibility features as required by the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Homepage alert feature and direct posting to social media.
Ability for users to directly call phone numbers when viewing on mobile devices.
The site address remains the same — franklinnc.com — and all functions, including bill payments remain the same.
The Town encourages residents and visitors to explore the website to ensure that there are no broken links, that information is showing correctly and to familiarize themselves with the site.
served at the start of the event.
If anyone would like to participate, they can email the roundtable at civilwarrt@gmail.com.
Cinco de Mayo fiesta fundraiser at Pigeon Center
The Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center in Waynesville is hosting a Cinco de Mayo fiesta on Tuesday, May 5, to raise funds for programming throughout the year.
The event will offer guests tacos, taquitos, elote, rice and beans plates, churros, margaritas, a photo booth and a raffle for gift certificates to local Mexican restaurans.
Tickets are $10, and every ticket helps support the work of the Pigeon Community Multicultural Development Center.
Tickets can be purchased at zeffy.com/enUS/ticketing/cinco-de-mayo—2026-2.
Haywood Regional to host ‘Lunch and Learn’ on work-life balance
“Living Your Best Life: A Practical Guide to Self-Care and Work-Life Balance,” from noon to 1 p.m. on Monday, April 27, at the Haywood Health and Fitness Center, located at 75 Leroy George Drive in Clyde.
The session will be led by Sheila Gordon, who will guide participants through practical, science-based strategies for building resilience, improving mood and supporting overall health through fitness and daily habits.
This interactive workshop is designed for all ages and will focus on realistic approaches to self-care, including managing stress, improving energy levels, supporting better sleep and creating a healthier balance between work and personal life. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing as light movement and exercises will be incorporated throughout the session.
Programs like this highlight the importance of taking a proactive approach to overall wellbeing. By combining education with hands-on participation, attendees will leave with tools they can apply in their everyday lives.
“Supporting both physical and mental wellbeing is an important part of caring for our community,” said Sue Shugart of Haywood Regional Medical Center. “We are proud to offer opportunities that provide practical guidance and encourage healthier, more balanced lifestyles.”
The event is free and open to the public, and lunch will be provided.
Venus, Jupiter, star clusters and galaxies. They will also teach how to identify spring constellations and lead activities for children.
In case of bad weather or overcast skies, the viewing will be postponed to Saturday, April 25, at the same time and location.
The event is part of the 2026 North Carolina Science Festival’s Statewide Star Party, and it is free and open to the public.
Civil War Roundtable WNC ‘park day’
The Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable will continue its 2026 series of programs with a “park day” from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 25, at Sulphur Springs Park in Waynesville.
Park Day is scheduled for Saturday, April 25 in conjunction with Earth Week, National Park Week, National Volunteer Week and the America Gives initiative, amplifying the impact of volunteer efforts from coast to coast. Volunteers will be joined by participants at more than 100 sites across the country, banding together to give back to their communities. Park Day at Sulphur Springs Park is co-sponsored by the American Battlefield Trust and by the Western North Carolina Civil War Roundtable.
Volunteers are invited to join in creating landscaping near the entrance gate and next to the gazebo. Beds will be installed with shrubs and native wildflowers to create a sustainable pollinator and butterfly garden to attract beneficial insects and enhance the site.
Volunteers are encouraged to bring work gloves and gardening tools. A short program about the history of the site will be presented at the start of the work day. Water will be available and coffee will be
Haywood Regional Medical Center invites community members to attend a free “Lunch and Learn,”
To reserve a spot, please contact Lilly Ferguson at 828.508.0109 or lillian.ferguson@lifepointhealth.net.
Why I Voted to Annex Queen’s Farm
On April 14, the Waynesville Town Council voted 4-1 to annex the Queen’s Farm/Valleywood Farms Phase 2 property into the town limits. As part of the Town of Waynesville, an annexed property receives services, is subject to zoning and other town regulations and pays property taxes.
I voted to annex Phase 2 of Valleywood Farms, and I want to tell you why.
In 2020, over 500 Waynesville citizens participated in the visioning process and weighed in on the creation of a comprehensive development plan for the future of our town called the ‘2035 Plan.’ They told us that Waynesville must limit growth to the areas that can be served with water and sewer. Participants said they supported a plan to limit the town’s growth to a small area around the town limits. They knew while growth was necessary for the survival of the town, they wanted to preserve our “small town feel” and beautiful views. The area where the Queen’s Farm is located was designated for single-family homes in that plan.
Every current Town Council member (Gary Caldwell, Jon Feichter, Julia Freeman, Anthony Sutton and I) trusted their foresight and listened to their instructions when we voted unanimously to approve the 2035 Plan. When I voted to annex the Queen’s Farm/Valleywood property, I was following
Wars are justified but still obscene
To the Editor:
With deference to David Crane’s credentials (“The 7th Crusade — U.S. folly in Iran,” March 18 SMN) and respect for his opinions, I would offer a contrarian view.
If the Treaty of Versailles had been enforced as de Gaulle and many others vigorously advocated, then perhaps WWII could have been avoided. What would it have taken to enforce that? Could it have been accomplished? We’ll never know.
Mister Crane’s chose historical events that supported his viewpoints, but there are others that refute it. Is war ever justified? Yes! Is justification measured by the outcome? No! War is obscene in every circumstance.
The positions between a passivist and a warmonger are nearly impossible to identify, let alone adopt and, unfortunately, only history will judge.
Paul Stapf Waynesville
Tax wealth as income
To the Editor:
There’s no better time than tax season to take a hard look at our absurd federal tax code — the single biggest reason the so-called “1%,” and the wealthy more broadly, have been pulling away from the rest of us for the past 50 years. Consider this: tech founders like Mark Zuckerberg famously take a $1 annual salary. They pay no income tax on that salary. Some, in certain years, paid no income tax at all because they had no earned income
the comprehensive development plan to which we had all agreed.
I voted to annex because I believe that Valleywood Farms Phase 2 will be a thriving, friendly neighborhood and a welcome addition to our Town. The development will have wide streets, tree plantings and sidewalks. It will be a walkable neighborhood with recreation spaces and a public greenway along Ratcliff Cove and Racoon Roads. These improvements will be paid for by the developer and cost the town nothing. In addition, the town negotiated with the developer for changes that will lessen traffic on Sunnyside Road. Since it is inside town limits, our inspectors will strictly enforce the North Carolina Building Code, our stormwater runoff rules and flood ordinance.
I voted to annex because there is a shortage of housing in Waynesville. Valleywood Farms currently provides housing that is affordable for a two-income earner household.
Residents have told me that the developer offered lower than market interest rates and paid thousands in closing costs. Residents I spoke with are happy living in Valleywood Farms.
LETTERS
— just mountains of wealth. And because wealth can be borrowed against tax-free, they can finance yachts, mansions and even business acquisitions. Elon Musk did exactly that when he purchased Twitter.
In 1960, the comprehensive tax rate (all taxes) on the 400 richest Americans was 56%. Today, it’s about 23%. Meanwhile, the bottom half of earners saw their comprehensive tax rate rise from 22% in 1960 to about 24% today. Corporate taxes tell the same story: the rate fell from 52% in 1960 to 21% now. So yes — the wealthy pay far less as a share of their income than the average wage earner. The old quip that a CEO pays a lower tax rate than his secretary is based in fact.
And the gap has widened in other ways. In 1960, the average CEO made about 20 times the wages of their workers. Today, it’s closer to 300 times. Inheritance and estate tax laws have also been dramatically weakened. These taxes have been successfully denigrated as “death taxes,” which frames them as something evil. Only five states still have inheritance taxes, and starting in 2026, the first $15 million of an estate will be exempt from federal estate tax — courtesy of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill.
In simple terms, our tax code and estate laws allow the rich to keep getting richer and their heirs to inherit vast fortunes, while the rest of us remain stuck in neutral — or slide backward. Why did this happen? Partly because of the “Laffer Curve” craze of the 1970s, which claimed that cutting marginal tax rates would spur economic activity and even increase tax revenue. It certainly sounded great to those already doing well.
A couple can own a three-bedroom, two-bath home with a yard and garage for a little more than they would pay to rent a similar apartment in Waynesville. In addition, their house payment will not increase as rent does.
I voted to annex because I do not want to vote to raise taxes on Waynesville residents. The town provides excellent police and fire protection; water, sewer and electrical services; street and stormwater maintenance and garbage collection. But because of inflation, increases in health insurance costs, rising fuel prices and unfunded mandates from the state, the town board has three choices:
We can cut services.
We can raise taxes.
We can find more property to tax (through annexation or new construction).
No one wants to cut services. This leaves two choices: to grow or to raise taxes. If our town does not grow, we will not have enough taxable property to pay for even the current level of services. If we do not grow, we will be forced to raise taxes.
I voted to annex to protect the wallets and pocketbooks of Waynesville taxpayers. My duty is to the people of the Town of Waynesville, and my vote was for them.
(Chuck Dickson is the Mayor Pro Tem of the Town of Waynesville. He has served on the Town Council for over six years.)
Beginning in the 1980s, this theory was applied to tax policy — but the promised revenue boom never materialized. Instead, tax reforms changed how wealthy people earned, reported and sheltered income, reducing their taxable income and shifting the burden onto everyone else.
Even Mitt Romney has called for reform. In his editorial “Tax the Rich, Like Me,” he
focused on the looming Social Security Trust Fund cliff in 2034, but he also acknowledged the broader tax code fiasco. He knows the loopholes — or “caverns,” as he called them — because he’s used them. And he’s right that everyone will have to give something, but those with the most to give will have to pony up the most.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren has proposed tax-
ing wealth in addition to income, which would raise significant revenue and reduce the deficit. Other proposals target inherited wealth. These reforms are essential if we want to narrow the widening gap between the wealthy and the working class. But overturning laws that benefit the ultrarich won’t be easy. In 2024, the billionaire class — totaling 813 individuals (per Forbes Magazine) accounted for 19% of all federal political contributions. Small donors are increasingly drowned out by billionaire and megadonor money. This is one reason I use the 1960s as a comparison. That era is often invoked by Trump as a time when America was “great.” But if you’re wealthy and expect to get even wealthier, I’d pick today’s tax code as far more generous than anything from the 1960s. If we truly want to make American taxes fairer again, we should look back to the principles that worked — and support candidates who are willing to fix a system that has drifted far from fairness. Glenn Duerr, Waynesville
Guest Columnist Chuck Dickson
Coming together
Festival season kicks off in WNC
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR
As the weather gets nicer and spring slowly transitions to those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer, a bevy of longtime and beloved festivals start to pop up in the picturesque mountain communities here in Western North Carolina.
These annual gatherings are a way to bring all of us together after an extended period of hunkering down during the winter months. Filled with locals and visitors alike, all those present partake in numerous activities and avenues to support those in your town. Live music, artisan demonstrations, produce vendors, food trucks, nonprofit tents and whatever else makes your own backyard that much more special — in truth and in method.
The Smoky Mountain News presents a handful of key festivals that are occurring right around the corner, literally and figuratively, so that you have a better idea of just what will be happening through Memorial Day Weekend right here in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
over 12,000 attendees each year.
In addition to over 170 arts, crafts and food vendors, attendees can also enjoy a 5k run, artisan demonstrations, local craft breweries, childrens activities and live music throughout the day.
The Bridge Park Stage schedule will include the JAM Band (Junior Appalachian Musicians) from 10-11 a.m., Bird In Hand 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Fuzzy Peppers 1-2 p.m. and Positive Mental Attitude 2:30-4 p.m.
The festival is free and open to the public. For more information and a full schedule of events/activities, visit greeningupthemountains.com.
Get out there and seize that carp everyone keeps talkin’ ‘bout. Enjoy. And always possess a deep sense of gratitude for being able to not only immerse yourself in such fun experiences, but also to be surrounded by these amazing folks — all of which aimed at showcasing the genuine essence of WNC.
GREENING UP THE MOUNTAINS
Presented by the Town of Sylva, the 28th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, along Main Street and Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
The festival is a heritage arts gathering that celebrates the arrival of spring through both traditional and contemporary forms of Appalachian art, music, food and beverage which honor our community and local artisans.
First created in conjunction with Earth Day celebrations, the festival still thrives to be a good steward of the beautiful mountain town and surrounding area. The event itself has grown to
The event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit stecoahvalleycenter.com.
SWEET CAROLINA MUSIC FESTIVAL
The annual Sweet Carolina Music Festival will hit the stage from 2-9 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at Veterans Memorial Park in Franklin.
Performers will include John Morgan, Jennifer Hart, Kody Paul, Madison Owenby, Justin Corley, Jason Passmore and Next Paige. Food trucks will also be onsite. Gates open at 1 p.m. General admission is $30 per person, with VIP passes for $50. Kids ages three and under are free. For information and/or to purchase tickets, visit ticketsignup.io/sweetcarolina.
STEVE SUTTON FEST
The annual Steve Sutton Fest will take place May 8-9 in the Stuart Auditorium at the Lake Junaluska Conference & Retreat Center.
A nonprofit event, the showcase benefits youth music programs in Haywood County. This year’s stellar lineup includes Authentic Unlimited (three-time IBMA “Vocal Group of the Year”), Red Camel Collective (IBMA “New Artist of the Year”), Alecia Nugent, Darren Nicholson, Upstream Rebellion, Donna Ulisse & Rick Stanley, Whitewater Bluegrass Company and more.
There will also be mountain tradition cloggers, dance/songwriting workshops, a special performance by the Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) and other activities.
A longtime member of The Darren Nicholson Band and Whitewater Bluegrass Company, Sutton was 60 years old when he passed away in his sleep on May 13, 2017, one day shy of his 61st birthday.
AIRING OF THE QUILTS
The annual Airing of the Quilts celebration will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Appalachian Women’s Museum in Dillsboro.
The airing of the quilts is a traditional rite of spring in the mountains. After a long winter with families snuggled under layers of handmade quilts, the warmer weather of springtime gave people a chance to freshen up and air out these essential covers.
To honor this tradition, the AWM held its first event in 2018 with more than 65 quilts hanging on the wraparound porch from clotheslines in the yard and on quilt racks and other surfaces throughout the first floor of the museum.
There will also be a fabric scrap exchange, a quilt pattern and book exchange, raffle and live music. The event is free and open to the public.
For more information, visit appwomen.org.
SMOKY MOUNTAIN SPRINGFEST
The annual Smoky Mountain SpringFest will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 2, at the Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center in Robbinsville.
With a focus on outdoor activities and recreation, the festival provides a selection of arts, crafts and food vendors, demonstrations, live music, dancing, kids’ activities and more.
A Grammy-nominated, multiple IBMA award-winner himself, Sutton graduated from Tuscola High School in Waynesville. Upon graduation, he was simultaneously offered gigs with the “Godfather of Bluegrass” Bill Monroe and bluegrass legend Jimmy Martin.
In 1974, Sutton joined Martin on the road, kicking off a career that took him across the globe, ultimately gracing the Grand Ole Opry stage numerous times. Sutton also had stints with Alecia Nugent and Rhonda Vincent.
Tickets are $30 per day for adults and $10 per day for kids. The two-day songwriting workshop is $250.
For more information, a full schedule of acts and/or to purchase tickets, visit stevesuttonfest.com.
WHOLE BLOOMIN’ THING
The 23rd annual Whole Bloomin’ Thing Festival will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 9, in the Historic Frog Level District of Waynesville.
Featuring over 70 vendors, there will also be children’s activities, local growers and artisans/crafters, flowering baskets, herbs, outdoor decor, live music and more. Businesses in the district will also be open, including a café and brewery.
The event is free and open to the public. Family-friendly. Rain or shine. For more information, visit wholebloominthing.com.
Greening Up the Mountains. File photo
Steve Sutton. File photo
Margo Price. File photo
This must be the place
BY GARRET K. WOODWARD
‘I felt a rumblin’ beneath my feet and the whole world was shaken free’
Hello from the front porch of my humble abode apartment in downtown Waynesville. I just finished playing a little bit of acoustic guitar, sunglasses on, as the last of the Monday sunshine washed over my body, heart and soul before it disappeared behind the Balsam Mountains cradling the town.
In this moment, I realized what a great day, well, today was, and remains. Waking up this morning in a hotel room in the depths of Columbia, South Carolina, I was embraced by a splendid woman, this new face and space in my daily existence since we first crossed paths a few weeks ago at a Widespread Panic concert in Saint Augustine, Florida. She was in Savannah, Georgia, this past weekend for a Billy Strings show and it was decided to rendezvous.
sipping cold suds and clapping loudly each time McIlroy got a par or birdie. More cheers with the big win.
HOT PICKS
1
Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host the “Salon Series” with Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel (Americana/indie-folk) at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, April 30.
2
Why not, right? Why not just throw a few items of clean clothes into my travel bag, crank up the engine of my truck and head down Interstate 40 and I-26 to Columbia? She’s in the area and wanted to hang out again. Me, too. Fill up the gas tank and book a nice hotel in the state capital. A steady foot on the accelerator and a slight kick in my step en route to an unknown Sunday night.
While waiting for her at the hotel, I went down to the lobby bar and watched the final round of the Masters golf tournament on the big TVs. The establishment was packed with folks, all eyes glued to the screen as Rory McIlroy won his second Masters in-arow (fourth golfer to ever do so). And very quickly, I noticed how everyone within earshot had a British accent.
I started chatting with the guy next to me. He was from an hour north of London and was in town with the rest of the large English group for the Masters. They had just spent Saturday at the course cheering on McIlroy, and were now on their way to the Atlanta airport to fly back to the United Kingdom. For this evening, they would be
Soon, she rolled up and joined me at the bar, herself now engrossed in the match itself with my newfound international friends. Onward to dinner, which was simply getting dressed and walking out of the hotel for a stroll in search of delicious happenstance food on a day when most of the nearby restaurants were closed until Monday or Tuesday. No matter, for sustenance was found at the Monterey Mexican restaurant just around the corner. Guacamole dip, quesadillas and pints of Michelob Ultra. Sold. Head to the Art Bar closeby for a nightcap. Christmas lights strewn over the counter. Indie-rock echoing out of the speakers. And more English dudes holding court all the way around the establishment. Hearty conversation ricochetting between the two of us about what each has been up to since parting ways in Savannah a couple weeks ago. Excited banter about meeting up later this month at MerleFest and what acts we’re looking forward to watching onstage: Alison Krauss & Union Station, Blackberry Smoke, etc.
Nearing the midnight hour, it was quiet conversation back in the hotel room, old reruns of “Seinfeld” on the TV. Heavy eyelids and joyous vibes. By the next morning, it was a scrumptious breakfast at the Park & Lady restaurant in the lobby. Completely surrounded once again by those British chaps who were gearing up to head back across the pond in the coming hours. Strong coffee, drippy eggs and yogurt parfaits. More jovial banter.
Before she headed back to Florida, myself to Western North Carolina, there was time (we were in no rush) for a stroll along the Congaree River splitting West Columbia and downtown. The midday sun was getting quite hot, as per usual in these parts. Thankfully, the riverwalk hosted ample shade with a tree canopy covering most of the trek. She spoke of summers as a kid growing up in Baltimore and Connecticut. I delved into similar territory, of summer trips with my family to the coast of Maine or those first journeys out West early on.
Time to hit the road. Back to our respective lives. See you soon, my dear. Roll the
The 28th annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 25, along Main Street and Bridge Park in downtown Sylva.
3
A special stage production of “Legally Blonde Jr.” will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 24, May 1 and 2 p.m. April 25-26, May 2-3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
4
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Little Texas (country) at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24.
5
Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “Lies & Pies: Scribes Onstage” 7:30 p.m. April 25.
windows down in the ole truck and let the warm breeze swirl around you, the sounds of Link Wray’s seminal 1971 self-titled album spilling from the stereo (track down this record asap if you haven’t heard it before): “Jukebox Mama, dancing all night long, shaking up everything, a right old jitterbug.”
In an effort to find a place for a quick jog along my way home, I ended up wandering into Joanna, South Carolina. No dice on the trail, but I cruise by one of the most stunning 19th century brick homes at the corner at Whitmire Highway and Stomp Springs Road. It was truly mind-boggling to see such a magnificent structure abandoned, and apparently for many years. And yet, it remains. It’s right off of I-26 and well-worth the in-person admiration. I even did some research on it, where it was stated “to be a place Confederate President Jefferson Davis rested as he fled south from Richmond in the waning days of the [Civil] War.”
Cross the state line into North Carolina. Up to the River Arts District in Asheville to finally get that run in. Three miles of glorious sweat under the waning late afternoon sun. Trotting along the ancient French Broad River, it made me extremely happy to finally see a lot of movement in several lots that have remained empty and dormant (and with many unanswered questions) postHurricane Helene, construction vehicles and human beings working hard to revitalize this beloved section of the city.
And finally, a moment to sit and catch my breath, to immerse myself in the pure gratitude for the past 24 hours. Heck, for any hours, minutes and seconds that I’m able to wander and ponder, to interact and dive deep into the endlessness of our vast, awe-inspiring planet and greater universe. Life is beautiful, grasp for it, y’all.
Columbia, South Carolina. Garret K. Woodward photo
On the wall
HCAC gets ‘Weird & Wacky’
The latest exhibit from the Haywood County Arts Council (HCAC), “Weird & Wacky” is currently on display at HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery in downtown Waynesville.
This imaginative and playful exhibition will be on display through June 1, inviting visitors to explore art that celebrates the unusual, the quirky and the wonderfully unexpected.
The showcase is free and open to the public. For more information, visit haywoodarts.org or call 828.452.0593.
• “Unrelenting: Cherokee People and the American Revolution” is currently being showcased at the Museum of the Cherokee People (MotCP) in Cherokee. A first-of-itskind exhibition centering Native voices, perspectives and creativity in response to the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, the showcase features historic objects in conversation with works by Cherokee artists, merging cultural heritage, military history and contemporary art for a nuanced examination of a pivotal moment in Cherokee and American history. It will be on display through Dec. 30. General admission tickets are $15 for adults, $8 for children ages 6-12 and free for children ages 5 and under. MotCP offers free admission to members of federally recognized tribes and museum members. Student, educator, senior and military rates available. For more information, visit motcp.org.
• “Didanisisgi Gadagwatli: A Showcase of Pottery from the Mud Dauber Community Workshop” is now on display at the
Museum of the Cherokee People in Cherokee. On view through May, the exhibition features works by students of Tara McCoy (Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) handcrafted during an intensive three-month workshop. For more information, visit motcp.org.
• WNC Paint Events will host painting sessions throughout the region on select dates. For more information and/or to sign up, visit wncpaint.events.
• Marianna Black Library (Bryson City) will host “ArtWorks” at 1 p.m. every second Thursday of the month. Come create your own masterpiece. The materials for art works are supplied and participants are welcome to bring ideas and supplies to share with each other. Ages 16 and up. Space limited to 10 participants. Free and open to the public. 828.488.3030 / vroberson@fontanalib.org.
• Bosu’s Wine Shop (Waynesville) will host a “Paint & Sip” event at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 21 ($30 per person). 828.452.0120 /
WCU MFA exhibition
waynesvillewine.com.
• CRE828 (Waynesville) will offer a selection of art classes and workshops at its studio located at 1283 Asheville Road. Workshops will include art journaling, watercoloring, mixed media, acrylic painting and more. 828.283.0523 / cre828.com.
• Gallery Zella (Bryson City) will be hosting an array of artist receptions, exhibits and showcases. The gallery is open from noon to 5 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday. 517.881.0959 / galleryzella.com.
• Haywood County Arts Council (Waynesville) will offer a wide range of classes, events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. HCAC’s Haywood Handmade Gallery is open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays. 828.452.0593 / haywoodarts.org.
• Jackson County Green Energy Park (Dillsboro) will be offering a slew of classes,
SEVEN CLANS RODEO
The 13th annual Seven Clans Rodeo will be held May 23-24 at 181 Tsali Boulevard in Cherokee.
Between the broncos that will be busted, the bulls that will be bucking and the rodeo clowns looking to avoid getting stomped in the head, there will be all sorts of skills competitions and top-name riders in this SRA-sanctioned event. Gates open at 5 p.m. Rodeo starts at 7 p.m. Admission is $20 per person. Children ages five and under are free. Organized by the Cherokee Welcome Center.
For more information, call 828.359.6490 or visit facebook.com/sevenclansrodeo or visitcherokeenc.com.
Western Carolina University is currently showcasing the Master of Fine Art (MFA) thesis exhibition at the Fine Art Museum on campus in Cullowhee. Experience the culmination of three years of intense creative study and exploration in this exhibition highlighting artwork from graduating MFA students in the WCU School of Art and Design.
This year’s exhibition showcases work in various media by five artists: Holly Hill, Lynne M. Hudson, Reese Seigfried, Brooklin Routt and Remi Roce. The five exhibiting artists offer a wide range of conceptual approaches and mediums.
The exhibition will be on display through May 1. To learn more about the exhibition and reception, visit arts.wcu.edu/mfa-26. To see BAC’s full calendar of events, please visit arts.wcu.edu/explore or call 828.227.ARTS.
The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday.
events and activities for artisans, locals and visitors. 828.631.0271 / jcgep.org.
• Stecoah Valley Cultural Arts Center (Robbinsville) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids, including “Woodcarving with Corbin Wildcatt” noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 18 ($45 per person). 828.479.3364 / stecoahvalleycenter.com.
ALSO:
• Southwestern Community College Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host an array of workshops for adults and kids. 828.339.4000 / southwesterncc.edu/scc-locations/swain-center.
• Dogwood Crafters (Dillsboro) will offer a selection of upcoming art classes and workshops. 828.586.2248 / dogwoodcrafters.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host semi-regular arts and crafts workshops. 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org.
BEAR SHADOW FESTIVAL
The fifth installment of the Bear Shadow Festival will take place May 29-31 in Highlands.
Featuring some of the biggest artists on the scene today, this year’s event will host performances by Mavis Staples, Charley Crockett, Margo Price, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, The Infamous Stringdusters, Kashus Culpepper, Pony Bradshaw, Marc Broussard and J & The Causeways.
Since 2021, Bear Shadow, a nonprofit organization, has donated nearly $100,000 to local organizations, including the Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust, Sky Valley/Scaly Mountain Volunteer Fire Department and Highlands Biological Station. Weekend general admission is $300 per person, with VIP upgrades and single-day passes also available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit bearshadowwnc.com.
A work by Dori Settles. Donated photo
A work by Reese Seigfried. Courtesy of WCU
On the table
Ready for dinner
‘Under the Stars’?
The popular “Under the Stars, On the Rocks” culinary series is currently underway at the Oak Steakhouse at the Skyline Lodge in Highlands.
The events feature renowned chefs from around the southeast on select dates through the fall: May 12, June 9, July 7, Aug. 11, Sept. 8, Oct. 13. Each four-course meal in the series is unique and personal to the guest chef, offering a one-of-a-kind outdoor dining experience.
Dinners are $175 per person (including beverage pairings). Advance reservations required. Guests can also purchase a season pass to the series.
For more information and/or to make reservations, call 828.526.4008 or visit skylinelodge.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular culinary events and workshops throughout the week. For a full schedule of upcoming activities, tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranchevent.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Wind Down Wine Flights” 6 p.m. Thursdays. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will have the wine bar open from 4-8 p.m. Fridays/Saturdays and host semi-regular tastings on the weekends. 828.452.6000 / classicwineseller.com.
• Blue Ridge Beer Hub (Waynesville) will host semi-regular tap-takeovers from local and regional breweries on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9320 / blueridgebeerhub.com.
• “Flights & Bites” will be held at 4 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays at Bosu’s Wine Shop in downtown Waynesville. There will also be a special French wine dinner 6 p.m. May 19. 828.452.0120 / waynesvillewine.com.
• “Take A Flight” with four new wines every Friday and Saturday at the Bryson City Wine Market. Select from a gourmet selection of charcuterie to enjoy with your wines. Educational classes and other events are also available. 828.538.0420.
Skyline Lodge in Highlands. Molly Harris photo
On the beat
• Albert Carlton-Cashiers Community Library (Cashiers) will host “Community Jam Sessions” from 2-4 p.m. the second and fourth Sunday of each month. Informal jamming. All skill levels are welcome. Free and open to the public. 828.743.0215 / fontanalib.org/cashiers.
• Angry Elk Brewing (Whittier) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. All shows are free and open to the public. 828.497.1015 / facebook.com/angryelkbrewingco.
• Assembly On Main (Waynesville) will host “Trivia Night” 6 p.m. Tuesdays and “Karaoke Night” 7 p.m. Thursdays. Free and open to the public. 828.246.0839 / assemblyonmain.com.
unless otherwise noted. For tickets and reservations, visit cataloocheeranch.com/ranch-event.
• Classic Wineseller (Waynesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Reservations highly recommended ($10 per person minimum food purchase). The kitchen and wine bar open at 4 p.m. 828.452.6000 or classicwineseller.com.
• Cowee School Arts & Heritage Center (Franklin) will host “Open Mic” at 6 p.m. every second Friday of the month and “Contra & Bal Folk Traditional Dance” 2:30 p.m. April 19 (suggested donation: $10-20). 828.369.4080 / coweeschool.org/music.
April 23, Seth & Sara (Americana) April 24 and Mark Todd (singer-songwriter) 3 p.m April 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.454.5664 / froglevelbrewing.com.
• Frog Quarters (Franklin) will host live music from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays. Free and open to the public. 828.369.8488 / littletennessee.org.
• Happ’s Place (Glenville) will host Blue Jazz (blues/jazz) April 23, Cory Stevenson (singersongwriter) April 24, Kessler Watson (singersongwriter) April 25, Doug Ramsay (singersongwriter) May 1 and Sam Underwood (singer-songwriter) May 2. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.742.5700 / happsplace.com.
‘Concerts on the Creek’ nominated for award
The popular “Concerts on the Creek” summer music series at Bridge Park in Sylva has once again been nominated for the prestigious USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards in the category of “Best Outdoor Concert Series.”
This national recognition highlights the series’ continued impact as a beloved community event and regional attraction. Voting is now open to the public and runs through 11:59 a.m. Monday, May 11.
Supporters are encouraged to cast their vote daily during the four-week
voting period using the following link: 10best.usatoday.com/qr/59093.
The 17th annual “Concerts on the Creek” season will start on Friday, May 23 (Memorial Day weekend) and end on Friday, Aug. 29 (Labor Day weekend). That will be 17 Fridays of “Concerts on the Creek,” with the “Fireworks Festivities” and concert on Friday, July 4. The series is free and open to the public.
For more information and a full schedule of live acts to appear at the series, visit mountainlovers.com/concerts-on-the-creek.
• Highlands Smokehouse (Highlands) will host live music from 1-3 p.m. Sundays. 828.526.3554 / highlandsmokehouse.com.
• Innovation Brewing (Sylva) will host “Monday Night Trivia” every week, “Open Mic” on Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows and events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.586.9678 / innovation-brewing.com.
• Balsam Mountain Inn (Balsam) will host “Picking on the Porch” (open community jam) 6 p.m. Tuesdays, “Trivia Night” 7 p.m. Wednesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.283.0145 / thebalsammountaininn.com.
• Bread Heads Tiki Shak (Sylva) will host “Tiki Trivia” at 7 p.m. every other Thursday of the month and Bird In Hand (Americana/indie) with Hotdog Sunrise (rock/jam) starting at 3 p.m. April 25. 828.307.2160 / breadheadstikishak.com.
• Bryson City Brewing (Bryson City) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0085 / brysoncitybrewing.com.
• Cataloochee Ranch (Maggie Valley) will host Marc & Anita Pruett (Americana/bluegrass) April 22, A. Lee Edwards (Americana/indie) April 26, Kelly Morris (indie/soul) April 29 and Darren Nicholson Band (Americana/bluegrass) May 1 ($50 adults, $42 children ages 3-11, kids under two are free). All shows begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Admission is $25 per person
• Currahee Brewing (Franklin) will host “Music Bingo” Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.634.0078 / curraheebrew.com.
• Episcopal Church Of The Incarnation (Highlands) will host Terra Quartet (classical/world) 5 p.m. May 2. Free and open to the public.
• Farm At Old Edwards (Highlands) will host the “Fireside at the Farm” on select dates. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Admission is $40 per person, with discounts rates available for hotel guests and members. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Folkmoot Friendship Center (Waynesville) will host “World Drum Classes” every Friday at 2:30 p.m. (adults, free) and 4 p.m. (family friendly, all ages, free), “Waynesville Acoustic Guitar Group” 2-4 p.m. every second and fourth Saturday of the month (free) and semi-regular live music monthly. 828.452.2997 / folkmoot.org.
• Frog Level Brewing (Waynesville) will host “Jazz On The Level” 5:30 p.m. Tuesdays, Rocky Colin (singer-songwriter) 5:30 p.m.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host Styx (classic rock) 7:30 p.m. April 25 and ZZ Top (classic rock) 9 p.m. May 1. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• High Dive (Highlands) will host “Trivia” 7 p.m. on Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.526.2200 / highlandsdive.com.
Lazy Hiker to rock out
• Innovation Station (Dillsboro) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All events begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.226.0262 / innovation-brewing.com.
• John C. Campbell Folk School (Brasstown) will host a “Community Jam” 7 p.m. Thursdays at the nearby Crown Restaurant and semi-regular live music on the weekends. folkschool.org.
• J.R. Chophouse (Franklin) will host semiregular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.369.3663 / jrchophouse.com.
• Las Barricas (Franklin) will host C-Square Band 11 a.m. on the fourth Friday of each month. Free and open to the public. 828.349.4484 / lasbarricasmexicanrestaurant.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Franklin) will host “Board Game Night” 5 p.m. Mondays, “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Tuesdays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, “Open Mic Night” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, “Karaoke By Spoon” April 24 and Alma Russ (Americana/folk) April 25. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Highlander Mountain House (Highlands) will host “Blues & Brews” with Scott Low 6-9 p.m. Thursdays, Zorki (singer-songwriter) 13 p.m. Saturdays, “Bluegrass Brunch” 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sundays and the “Salon Series” with Tyler Ramsey & Carl Broemel (Americana/indie-folk) 8:30 p.m. April 30 ($58.93 per person, tax included). Reservations encouraged for all performances. 828.526.2590 / highlandermountainhouse.com.
at Lazy Hiker Brewing in Sylva.
Prophets of Time will play Sylva April 24. File photo
Jam-rock ensemble Prophets of Time will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Friday, April 24,
A genre-blending rock band hailing from the mountains of Western North Carolina, the Prophets of Time are composed of six freewheeling spirits, the culmination of which being an energetic live show built around danceable rock-n-roll music. The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.349.2337 or visit lazyhikerbrewing.com.
‘Concerts on the Creek’ in Sylva. File photo
Mountain Layers welcomes Russ
Rising singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist
Alma Russ will hit the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, April 26, at Mountain Layers Brewing in Bryson City.
Based out of Western North Carolina and with her unique brand of “patchwork music” (country, folk and Appalachian styles pieced together), Russ enjoys playing guitar, banjo and fiddle.
Russ was also a contestant on “American Idol” Season 16. Her most recent album, “Fool’s Gold,” was recorded in an abandoned church in the West Texas desert while Russ was on a national tour.
The event is free and open to the public. For more information on Russ, visit facebook.com/almarussmusic.
828.538.0115 or mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Lazy Hiker Brewing (Sylva) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Mondays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, “Old Time Jam” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, Prophets Of Time (rock/jam) April 24 and Sweet Tooth (classic rock) April 25. All shows begin at 8 p.m. Free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. 828.349.2337 / lazyhikerbrewing.com.
• Legends Sports Bar & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Open Mic Night” 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Karaoke Thursdays (6 p.m.) and Saturdays (7 p.m.), with live music each Friday (8 p.m.). Free and open to the public. 828.944.0403 / facebook.com/legendssportsgrillmaggievalley.
• Macon County Public Library (Franklin) will host The Vagabonds (Americana) at 2 p.m. the first and third Monday and a “Song Circle” open jam from 3-6 p.m. the first Tuesday each month. Free and open to the public. 828.524.3600 or fontanalib.org/franklin.
• Meadowlark Motel (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1717 / meadowlarkmotel.com.
• Mountain Layers Brewing (Bryson City) will host “Open Mic Night” with Frank Lee every Thursday, Mountain Gypsy (Americana) April 24, Shane Meade (indie/soul) April 25 and Alma Russ (Americana/folk) 5 p.m. April 26. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.538.0115 / mountainlayersbrewingcompany.com.
• Mountain Vibes Kava Lounge (Waynesville) will host “Trivia Night” 7 p.m. Mondays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.246.9283.
• Old Edwards Inn (Highlands) will host live music in the Hummingbird Lounge at 5:30 p.m. every Friday and Saturday. Free and open to the public. 866.526.8008 / oldedwardshospitality.com.
• Orchard Coffee (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic Night” 6 p.m. on the first Friday of every month and semi-regular live music
on the weekends. 828.246.9264 / orchardcoffeeroasters.com.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. All shows begin at 7:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted. For tickets, 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
• Quirky Birds Treehouse & Bistro (Dillsboro) will host Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.586.1717 / facebook.com/quirkybirdstreehouse.
• Rathskeller Coffee Haus & Pub (Franklin) will host “Karaoke” Wednesdays, “Trivia Night” 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, “Open Mic” 6:30 p.m. Fridays, Bo Bullman (singer-songwriter) April 25 and Jason Rogers (singersongwriter) 6:30 p.m. April 28. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.369.6796 / facebook.com/rathskellercoffeebarandpub.
• Salty Dog’s Seafood & Grill (Maggie Valley) will host “Karaoke with Russell” Mondays, Rene Russell (Americana) April 24, Wayne McAllister & Eric April 25 and Bridget Gossett (singer-songwriter) May 2. All shows begin at 7 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.9105 / facebook.com/saltydogs2005.
• Santé Wine Bar (Sylva) will host semi-regular live music on Sundays. All shows begin at 5 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.631.3075 / facebook.com/thewinebarandcellar.
• Sauced (Waynesville) will host “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. every other Wednesday (April 22 and May 6) and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.246.9585 / saucedwnc.com.
• Scotsman (Waynesville) will host “Open Mic” 7 p.m. Mondays, Woolybooger (blues/folk) April 23, Tail Light Rebellion (Americana/roots) April 25, “Celtic Sunday” with An Tir Nua (Celtic/world) 3 p.m. April 26 and Anna Victoria (singer-songwriter) April
SEE ON THE BEAT, PAGE 22
Alma Russ will play Sylva April 26. File photo
On the stage
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host acclaimed comedian Etta May at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 1. Tickets start at $15 per person with seating upgrades available. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (Waynesville) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.456.6322 / harttheatre.org.
Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.
• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort (Cherokee) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. For tickets, visit caesars.com/harrahs-cherokee.
• Peacock Performing Arts Center (Hayesville) will host “Lies & Pies: Scribes Onstage” 7:30 p.m. April 25. 828.389.ARTS / thepeacocknc.org.
On the beat
30. All shows begin at 8 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.246.6292 / scotsmanpublic.com.
• Slanted Window Tasting Station (Franklin) will host Generations (Americana) 6 p.m. April 24 and Diana Nouveau (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. April 26. 828.276.9463 / slantedwindow.com.
• Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts (Franklin) will host Little Texas (country) 7:30 p.m. April 24. Tickets now available, with seating upgrades offered. 866.273.4615 / smokymountainarts.com.
• Stubborn Bull (Highlands) will host “Live Music Mondays” with local/regional singersongwriters. All shows begin at 5:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.200.0813 / the-stubborn-bull.com.
• Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host Double Helix (Steely Dan tribute) 6 p.m. May
• Swain Arts Center (Bryson City) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.488.7843 / swainartscenter.com.
• Highlands Performing Arts Center (Highlands) will host semi-regular stage productions on the weekends. 828.526.9047 / mountaintheatre.com.
• Trailborn (Highlands) will host its “Carolina Concert Series” on semi-regular dates on the weekends. All shows begin at 6 p.m. Free and open to the public. 828.482.1581 or trailborn.com/highlands.
• Twisted Spoke Food & Tap (Maggie Valley) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. Free and open to the public. 828.926.1730 / facebook.com/twistedspokerestaurant.
• Ugly Dog Pub (Cashiers) will host semi-regular live music on the weekends. 828.743.3000 / theuglydogpub.com.
• Ugly Dog Pub (Highlands) will host “Bluegrass Music” with Nitrograss 6 p.m. Wednesdays, “Karaoke” 9:30 p.m. Fridays, “Music Bingo” 7 p.m. Sundays and semiregular live music on the weekends. 828.526.8364 / theuglydogpub.com.
• Valley Cigar & Wine Company (Waynesville) will host Rene Russell (singer-songwriter) 4 p.m. Tuesdays and Rich Manz Trio
HART presents ‘Legally Blonde Jr.’
A special stage production of “Legally Blonde Jr.” will be held at 7:30 p.m. April 24 and May 1 and 2 p.m. April 25-26 and May 2-3 at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.
“Legally Blonde Jr.” follows Elle Woods as she trades her signature style for a new challenge at Harvard Law School. What begins as a journey to win back the love she lost quickly becomes something much bigger, as Elle discovers her own strength, intelligence and unstoppable determina-
‘Legally Blonde Jr.’ will be on select dates at HART. Donated photo
(acoustic/oldies) April 26. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.944.0686 / valleycigarandwineco.com.
• Valley Tavern (Maggie Valley) will host “Country & Western Night” Tuesdays, “Trivia With Tom” Wednesdays, “Music Bingo” Saturdays, Fineline April 24, Mile High Band (classic rock/country gold) 4 p.m. April 26 and Blackwater Station 2 p.m. May 3. All shows and events begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.926.7440 / valley-tavern.com.
• Vineyard At High Holly (Scaly Mountain) will host Cecil Thompkins (singer-songwriter) April 26. All shows begin at 2 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.482.5573 / thevineyardathighholly.com.
• Whiteside Brewing (Cashiers) will host Andy Ferrell (singer-songwriter) May 22. All shows begin at 6 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Free and open to the public. 828.743.6000 / whitesidebrewing.com.
• Yonder Community Market (Franklin) will host “Country Thursdays” (Americana/coun-
tion. Along the way, she proves that you can be both kind and confident, stylish, smart and that believing in yourself is always in fashion. Packed with catchy songs, dynamic dance numbers and a whole lot of pink, this joyful production is a celebration of confidence, friendship and staying true to yourself. Admission starts at $19 per person with seating upgrades and discounts available. For more information and/or to purchase tickets, visit harttheatre.org or call the box office at 828.456.6322.
Scotsman gets the blues
Woolybooger. File photo May 7th - 5pm & May 10th - 2pm Offering
Americana/blues act Woolybooger will hit the stage at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, at The Scotsman Public House in Waynesville. Dubbed “music to grow your hair out to,” the Murphy musician, whose real name is Gavin Graves, is well regarded in this region for his mix of blues and roots music into a unique Southern Appalachian tone. The show is free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.246.6292 or visit scotsmanpublic.com.
try) 6 p.m. Thursdays and semi-regular live music on the weekends. Family/dog friendly. 828.200.2169 / eatrealfoodinc.com.
File photo
Stumbling upon science fiction with ‘I, Robot’
When I was growing up, my father had a bookshelf with glass doors. Behind the delicate handles were elegant hardcovers, fairy tale collections with beautiful illustrations and sentimental classics, like “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy he had bought and read back in the 1970s.
But he had another bookshelf, a doorless one, that made all its books far more accessible, attainable, but in some ways slightly less alluring. That case housed mostly thriller, fantasy and science fiction, so I still perused it many times. From there I learned to recognize the names of Stephen King, R.A. Salvatore, Stephen R. Donaldson, Isaac Asimov and Michael Crichton.
Fantasy was a welcome world to me, one that I happily ran towards between the pages of a book, but horror was forbidden by my parents (I was already too much of a scaredy-cat) and science fiction went over my head, so it never quite grasped my interest. After a failed, boring attempt at “Jurassic Park” at the age of 11, I gave up on science fiction. That is, until now. My friend lent me Isaac Asimov’s “I, Robot” (Del Rey, 2008, 256 pages) and since finishing it, I now regret not giving science fiction a second chance sooner.
What began in the 1940s, as a series of sci-fi stories published in magazines, eventually got compiled and published as the book, “I, Robot.” The stories were originally read as stand-alones, but the book adds a framework narrative that connects them: an interview between a reporter and Dr. Susan Calvin. The narrator is the reporter asking questions
to Dr. Calvin, and each answer leads to another one of Asimov’s short stories. The interview takes place sometime in the 2050s or later, but the questions help give a chronological glimpse of this futuristic world, one where humans and robots interact, as they prompt Dr. Calvin to reminisce on the ethical dilemmas and new behaviors that arose in the early stages of robotics. Born in 1982 and earning her “robopsychology” degree in 2008, Dr. Calvin worked as one of the head psychologists of U.S. Robotics and Mechanical Men, Inc. She recounts stories of different robots and the various experiences in her career as a robopsychologist trying to decipher how the robots’ positronic brain functioned or sometimes seemingly malfunctioned.
These stories depict a fascinating interplay and fleshing-out of Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics. One, robots can never harm a human; two, robots must obey human orders; and three, robots must act upon self-preservation. No law can be bypassed, but the binding imperative can be affected by the others. In other words, law three cannot violate one and two, and law two cannot violate one.
All the stories feature Dr. Calvin, but there are other recurring characters too. A few of them follow Gregory Powell and Mike Donovan, two engineers for U.S. Robots who troubleshoot issues and malfunctions with robots on space stations and elsewhere. Through both lovable and entertaining characters, we’re given more insight into how the Laws of Robotics work, and more interestingly, how that doesn’t always yield positive results. In “Reason,” we see what happens when a robot starts questioning his purpose
Upcoming events at City Lights
The following readings will be held at City Lights Bookstore in Sylva:
and his creator, believing that a human wouldn’t have had the intelligence to create a superior being. Powell and Donovan are there in “Runaround” as well, when a loop between the First and Second laws seems to never end.
While all the stories deal with the Three Laws of Robotics, they also depict different types of robots, expanding even more on into this fictional world. For example, “Robbie” is about an earlier, more primitive, robot model who was used as a housemaid. In “Liar!” we meet Herbie, a robot who has telepathic powers, and we see the issues that arise for the people involved. We even touch on more humanoid type robots in “Evidence,” where a politician is accused of being one.
Not only is “I, Robot” entertaining, even humorous at times but each story is also thought-provoking. As artificial intelligence continues to grow more and more prevalent in our own age, books like this prompt questions and futures we don’t always ask ourselves. Although I can’t say I agree with much of Asimov’s implicit value judgments on technological advancements and humanity, it’s definitely given me things to think about and has been, overall, a very enjoyable thought experiment.
Another aspect worth pointing out is the lightness. I had assumed it would be darker and more dystopian, mostly based on a very vague memory of the Will Smith movie; however, I was pleasantly surprised to find it wasn’t. I appreciated reading a fiction that didn’t feel like it had an agenda and was simply an amusing read.
One last note that should be mentioned. It wasn’t until writing this review I discovered my copy, “I, Robot,” wasn’t complete. Apparently, there’s “The Complete Robot” that has even more stories than mine included. However, that version omits the introductory narrative of the reporter and Dr. Susan Calvin, and I really enjoyed that framework. It added a very nice, creative touch to the story, so my suggestion would be to read “I, Robot.” Plus, since it’s less than a third of the complete collection, that may be a good way to try out a sample size. But I have to admit, this book has left me wanting more, and now that I know there is, I’ll be happily heading to my parents’ house soon to raid my dad’s bookshelf.
(Anna Barren is a lifelong lover of books and reading.)
• Whitney Waters and Alyse Bensel will give a poetry reading at 6 p.m. Friday, April 24. Waters is an Asheville-based poet and educator; Bensel is an educator, writer and editor.
• Lee Stockdale and Greg Lobas will read at 1 p.m. Saturday, April 25, from “Bronxville” and “Left of Center.” Lobas’ collection draws on his 30-year career as a fire captain/paramedic and earned major awards.
• Rose McLarney and Braulio Fonseca will read at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 25, from “Rubble Masonry” and the forthcoming memoir “Falling Forward.”
• Catherine Carter and Jessica Jacobs will read at 6 p.m. Wednesday, April 29. Carter is a poet and scholar; Jacobs is a Guggenheim Fellow and awardwinning writer.
All events are free and open to the public. For more information, call 828.586.9499 or visit citylightsnc.com.
Writer Anna Barren
Word from the Smokies
BY JENNIFER FULFORD FOR SMOKIES LIFE
Love of place inspired remarkable
history collection
Bill and Alice Hart know each other’s stories by heart, have been known to finish each other’s sentences and share an obvious trait — the calm satisfaction of having led purpose-filled lives.
The seeds of that satisfaction began the old-fashioned way — through courtship. William “Bill” Hart, of rural Buncombe County, met Alice Huff, of Sylva, 67 years ago at Western Carolina Teachers College. They fell for each other, notably on a hike in the Smokies. In September 1960, they married at the Sylva First Baptist Church, honeymooned in Gatlinburg and soon started a family. Early on, they resolved to spend their lives in Western North Carolina and began a lifelong study of the area’s history and culture.
Bill is a sixth-generation Western North Carolinian, a descendant of one of the first settlers in the Sandy Mush region of Buncombe County, who arrived in 1799. Alice, also a native North Carolinian, has ancestors who were original settlers of Jackson and Madison counties. Her grandfather taught Bill’s mother at what was then called Mars Hill College.
“We are children of the Smokies,” Alice said in her living room during an afternoon visit. “And we spend our time together there.
It’s just part of who we are.”
Their love for the Smokies began when Bill and Alice were young, experiencing Great Smoky Mountains National Park for the first time on childhood trips. But their factual knowledge of the land was thin.
“Back in the mid ’60s, I was scheduled to go on a fishing trip in the Smokies and really didn’t know much about the park,” Bill said.
That is when he purchased some books to gain understanding. Those volumes marked their library’s beginning. Bill and Alice became serious collectors of regional materials, all while raising a family and pursuing professional careers — Bill in human resources and Alice in education.
As his interest grew, Bill cultivated a habit of purchasing materials for reference and finding resources in every nook and cranny.
Two Asheville antiquarian booksellers mentored Bill and placed many important and rare items in the Harts’ possession. Year after year, the Harts’ knowledge and collection expanded.
“One day, we looked around, and we had a library,” Bill said. “I liked to say, ‘I never let one get away.’”
From bookstores, friends, flea markets, and online sources like e-Bay, they collected thousands of historical treasures: books, documents, pamphlets, letters, magazines, advertisements, hiking and trail guides, audio recordings, photographs and ephemera of the Smokies, Appalachia, and Western North Carolina. Bill had collected so much informa-
THE HART DONATIONS
Not long after their 80th birthdays, the Harts decided to secure their treasures for posterity. Almost all of the items they acquired about regional and Smokies lore now live in special collections at the University of North Carolina-Asheville and Western Carolina University. At UNC Asheville, one portion spans 25 linear feet, slightly longer than a bowling lane. The shelves are higher than Bill is tall. By scholarly standards, the quantity and quality of the materials they’ve saved is virtually priceless.
At UNCA, which acquired the materials in 2022, archivist Ashley Whittle praises the new additions there. Whittle had the pleasure of processing the innumerable items from the Harts with her predecessor, Gene Hyde, who has since retired but helped sort and record them. It was an archivist’s dream.
“I’d be in my office and call out to Gene, ‘You should see this,’ more than once,” Whittle said.
tion, in fact, that they built a house with a library and file room dedicated to their acquisitions.
Not only did the collection change their home, on occasion it changed their lives. One book he acquired, an early edition of Colin Fletcher’s “A Complete Walker,” affected how he hiked — he switched to a particular down sleeping bag brand that he used for 50 years.
Bill has read nearly every item in the donated collection. He has equally extensive first-hand experience in the Smokies, making him a rare source of experiential knowledge. He has hiked thousands of miles in the Great Smokies, including all maintained trails in the national park. He wrote stories from his journeys and Alice compiled them into his book “3000 Miles in the Great Smokies” (Arcadia Publishing 2009). He also section-hiked the Appalachian Trail, completing it in 2002.
Bill has also written extensively about the remarkable life and legacy of Japanese photographer George Masa. Bill and Alice collected Masa materials for decades. In 2024, they donated their Masa collection to Western Carolina University, where it joined a larger collection of Masa materials.
A PURPOSEFILLED PURSUIT
More than once, friend and historian Daniel Pierce has turned to the Harts to flesh out his research. Pierce, a UNCA emeritus professor of history, served on the board of Smokies Life (then Great Smoky Mountains Association) with Bill and also facilitated the transfer of most of Hart’s documents to UNCA. Pierce found the collection helpful for researching his book “Hazel Creek: The Life and
Bill and Alice Hart visit the collection with their friend author Janet McCue, who drew from it for her research into the life of Smokies photographer George Masa. UNC Asheville Special Collections photo F
Ashley Whittle, archivist at UNC Asheville Special Collections, spent hours parsing through the Harts’ donation, often pleasantly surprised by the documents she and her predecessor Gene Hyde catalogued for posterity. Jennifer Fulford/Smokies Life photo
Death of an Iconic Mountain Community” (Smokies Life 2017). The Hart collection included virtually every column by John Parris, a popular newspaper columnist in Asheville, whose writing in the 1940s informed “Hazel Creek.”
“Bill is highly unusual in terms of collecting,” Pierce said. “Obsessive in a good way. He’s always looking for anything related to the Smokies that he could clip and save.”
As a historian, Pierce has deep respect for the Harts’ dedication to learning and preservation. He said they demonstrate a pride of place that is rare these days.
“They are so proud of their heritage. They’re so giving and humble,” Pierce said. “There aren’t enough Bill and Alice Harts in the world.”
Bill credits his wife for supporting his collecting habits — and just about everything else. One of their most treasured books is “Gunn’s Domestic Medicine,” once a widely used medical reference, which was first published in Knoxville in 1830 by Dr. John C. Gunn. Their edition was owned by Alice’s great-grandparents. Being one-of-akind and a sentimental remembrance of family, the book remains in their personal home library.
If learning about history has been the Harts’ desire, Bill and Alice are a study in contrast against the intensely online and often nomadic lives of a younger digital generation.
They spent decades happily bird-dogging knowledge of the place they came from and never left. Their love of home and each other tied it together.
Documents from the Bill and Alice Hart Collection at UNC Asheville Special Collections can be viewed by appointment, email speccoll@unca.edu. Video interviews with Bill about the collection are available online. For assistance viewing the George Masa collection of photos at WCU, contact specialcollections@wcu.edu.
(Jennifer Fulford is editorial team manager for the 29,000-member Smokies Life, a nonprofit dedicated to supporting the scientific, historical and interpretive activities of Great Smoky Mountains National Park by providing educational products and services such as this column. Learn more at SmokiesLife.org, or reach the author at jennifer@smokieslife.org.)
A peek inside
A sampling of items found in the Bill and Alice Hart Collection at UNC Asheville exemplifies Bill’s attitude that nothing be left behind:
• The Constitution and Laws of the Cherokee Nation, 1875
• The Balsam Groves of the Grandfather Mountain, by Sheperd Monroe Dugger, signed copy, 1892
• English Folk-Songs from the Southern Appalachians, collected by Cecil J. Sharp, edited by Maud Karpeles, 1932
• The Kingdom of the Happy Land, by Sadie Smathers Patton, about an African American community in Henderson County, North Carolina, 1957
• The Blazed Trail, reissued edition by Stewart Edward White, 1955 (Bill read the book when he was 14, and it inspired him to experience the outdoors.)
• The Jack Tales: Folk Tales from the Northern Appalachians Collected and Retold by Richard Chase, 1972 (Alice hosted the writer, Chase, in her school classroom when she was a teacher.)
• The Road, by John Ehle, a novel about an ambitious railroad project to connect Western North Carolina with the East, 1967 (The Harts later met Ehle near Penland School of Craft.)
• 1927: The Good-Natured Chronicle of a Journey, by Anthony Lord and Elizabeth Kostova, 1995 (one of only 300 copies)
Extreme drought expands in North Carolina
Drought conditions continue to increase in severity across North Carolina. Thirty counties are now experiencing extreme drought, and most counties are experiencing severe or moderate drought, according to the North Carolina Drought Management Advisory Council.
For counties in extreme drought, water systems are advised to follow their Water Shortage Response Plan and adhere to water use reduction measures. They must report weekly water use and conservation status online through the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Water Resource’s Local Water Supply Plan website.
The public should check with their local
water supply system for any information on water use restrictions that might be in place. The N.C. Forest Service’s ban on all open burning remains in effect until further notice.
Based on data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center, many rain gage stations in the state are reporting their top five lowest rainfall amounts since the beginning of the year. A rainfall station at Raleigh-Durham International Airport recorded the lowest rainfall total, year-to-date, on Wednesday across a 140-year period. Many streams and rivers are at all-time low levels, according to U.S. Geological Survey data.
Franklin warns residents about grass clippings
As the spring mowing season commences, Franklin is reminding citizens that there is an ordinance prohibiting yard debris and grass clippings on streets and sidewalks.
When yard debris and grass clippings are left on sidewalks or blown into streets, there is potential for materials to get into the stormwater drains blocking them and causing water sheet flows to be rerouted and result in run off and flooding issues. Grass and debris also cause significant risk to cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians including reduced traction, visibility issues and potential for accidents.
The Town of Franklin encourages all residents to keep yard debris within their own yards and to cut grass in a way that keeps clippings on their property and to blow any clippings back from the street and off sidewalks.
Code enforcement is responsible for monitoring and issuing of warnings and/or violations for not following the ordinance. Reports can be made by contacting Angela Green, code enforcement officer at 828.524.2516.
written by Ingles Dietitian Leah M
LOOKING FOR LOCAL
Ingles Markets is proud to work with local food and beverage makers
Ingles Nutrition N cGrath otes ge makers
from in-season fruits and vegetables in our Produce Department, artisan breads from City Bakery and Annie’s Breads in the bakery, local meat and sausage from Hickory Nut Gap Farms, trout from Sunburst T snacks from Poppy Handcrafted Popcorn and Asheville Pretzel, local beers, wine and cider like Flat Rock Ciderr, , Biltmore Wines, Fr
even our Laura L Lyynn milk comes from some local dairy farmers! Be on the lookout for some of these new(ish) local items at your local Ingles Markets:
• Hallelujah Harry’s Salsa – a veteran created salsa
tment, artisan local meat and T Trrout Farm, etzel, local French Broad mers! urlocalIngles
rooducts made using tallow oducts may not available in all Ingles stor
(*Note – all of these local prro rees and will depend on how they arre e distributed.)
Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN
Ingles Market Corporate Dietitian
Leah McGrath - Dietitian Ingles Markets… caring about your health
Puzzles can be found on page 30
These are only the answers.
National park urges visitors to plan and prepare
The National Park Service urge visitors to plan ahead, prepare for changing conditions and know their personal limits while recreating in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Park rangers have been responding to an increased number of emergencies and are reminding visitors that rescue is not a certainty.
In March, park rangers have responded to a significant volume of backcountry and frontcountry emergencies, including:
• 18 backcountry search and rescue incidents, including two Tennessee Army National Guard hoist extractions and four technical rope rescues.
• 15 front-country EMS calls, with four patients transported by UT Medical Center Life Flight.
• Five backcountry 911 calls resolved through phone contact, preventing the need for full rescue responses.
Emergencies can happen to even experienced hikers, but many are preventable with the right awareness and preparation. Reducing avoidable risks helps keep park rangers available for the most critical emergencies.
Be prepared for swollen streams, washedout bridges, downed trees and erosion. If
Rehab of Bullhead Trail to LeConte continues
Beginning May 4, Great Smoky Mountains National Park will close Bullhead Trail from Monday through Thursday each week, excluding federal holidays, through Nov. 19. During this time, the park will continue the rehabilitation of the Bullhead Trail in partnership with Friends of the Smokies.
Hikers are welcome to hike Bullhead Trail Friday through Sunday and on federal holidays.
The Bullhead Trail is one of several routes that lead to Mount LeConte, offering a challenging 13.6-mile roundtrip hike to the summit.
The park is also improving the top sections of several trails around the top of Mount LeConte to address erosion and rehabilitate parts of those trails. These efforts will also help
conditions feel unsafe or a hike becomes more difficult than expected, turn back. Visitors are responsible for:
• Researching your route and destination: Trails vary widely in difficulty, elevation gain and exposure. Whether you’re day hiking or backpacking, come with a plan before you arrive to the park. Call the backcountry office at 865.436.1297 for backcountry trip planning advice.
• Carrying the right gear: Essentials include plenty of water, warm layers, rain protection, food, a map and a flashlight or headlamp with extra batteries.
• Having a backup plan: Parking areas and popular trailheads often fill early, which may mean you need to hike a different trail. Illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed or towed.
• Knowing your limits: Choose activities that match your physical ability, comfort level and experience with backcountry terrain.
• Staying weather-aware: Conditions in the mountains can shift rapidly, especially during spring.
• Telling someone your plan: Share details about where you’re going and when you expect to return.
protect the park’s natural resources. Following the completion of the Ramsey Cascades Trail rehabilitation in 2024, the park and Friends of the Smokies began the rehabili-
tation of Bullhead Trail as the next project in the Trails Forever program. This program funds a permanent, highly skilled trail crew dedicated to the rehabilitation of trails throughout the park.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park asks visitors to plan ahead amid an uptick in emergency incidents. File photo
Vehicle-free days begin in Cades Cove
Great Smoky Mountains National Park will offer Cades Cove cehicle-free days every Wednesday from May 6 to Sept. 30. These designated days give pedestrians and cyclists an opportunity to experience the 11mile Cades Cove Loop Road without motor vehicles.
Reminders for Vehicle-Free Day:
• Vehicle-Free Days are popular and parking is limited. Park only in designated spots to protect pedestrians, cyclists and roadside ecosystems. Remember to purchase a parking tag online, at the Great Smoky Mountains Welcome Center in Townsend or at fee kiosks at the Townsend Wye or Cades Cove before parking.
• Avoid the morning rush by arriving in the afternoon. If there is no parking available in the morning, you will need to leave and return later. The park may ticket or tow illegally parked vehicles.
are permitted. Wear a helmet if you are biking, and follow the posted 20 mile per hour speed limit.
• Come prepared. The Cades Cove Loop Road has lots of hills and little tree cover. Pack plenty of snacks, water and a first aid kit. There is no cell service, so plan accordingly. Cyclists should bring a toolkit
• Only bikes (including Class 1 and Class 2 e-bikes) are allowed. No scooters, skateboards or other non-motorized vehicles
that includes spare inner tubes, pumps, tire levers and a multi-tool. Weather can also be unpredictable, so pack a rain jacket and dress appropriately for the temperature.
The Franklin Bird Club leads walks along the Little Tennessee River Greenway on Wednesday mornings at 8 a.m. through September. Walks start at alternating locations: Macon County Public Library, Big Bear Park and Salali Lane.
Walks are about two and a half hours. The public is welcome. All walks are weather dependent. Additional information, including directions to each location and a bird club check list can be found at littletennessee.org/franklin-birdclub.
for Oct. 15.
Schedule for upcoming walks:
• April 29, meet at Saladi Lane parking lot
• May 6, meet at the Macon County Public Library parking lot A full schedule and directions to each
The last birdwalk of the year is scheduled
starting location can be found at facebook.com/groups/franklinbirdclub or lit tletennessee.org/franklin-bird-club.
Students take part in conservation field days
Fifth graders from Cullowhee Valley School and Scotts Creek School participated in conservation field days at East LaPorte Park Wednesday to learn more about natural resources and conservation.
The students rotated through eight different stations — air quality, aquatics, recycling, weather forecasting, agriculture, soils, forestry and wildlife — with local resource professionals letting the students enjoy hands-on activities.
Little Tennessee River Greenway
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
• $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
STATE OF NORTH CAROLINA HAYWOOD COUNTY IN THE GENERAL COURT OF JUSTICE DISTRICT COURT DIVISION IN THE MATTER OF MASON JAMES PONDER FILE NO. 26JT000006430
TAKE NOTICE that a pleading seeking relief against you has been action. The nature of the relief being sought is as follows:
TERMINATION OF YOUR PARENTAL RIGHTS TO THE JUVENILE, MASON JAMES PONDER, BORN AUGUST 28, 2023, IN HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA
Filed January 26, 2026 in the District Court in Haywood County, North Carolina
TO: THE UNKNOWN FATHER OF A MALE JUVENILE BORN ON OR ABOUT AUGUST 28, 2023, IN HAYWOOD COUNTY, NORTH CAROLINA.
A petition seeking termination of your parental
an Answer and make a defense to such pleading no later than 30 days
publication of this notice,
May 8, 2026 and upon your failure to do so, the Petitioner, the Jackson County Department of
apply to the Court for the relief sought. Your parental rights will be terminated upon your failure to answer the petition within the time prescribed.
You may contact the Haywood County, North Carolina, Clerk of Court, at 828-454-6501, for more information and to inquire about making application for a court appointed attorney, if you so desire.
This the 8th day of April, 2026.
___ S./ Mary G. Holliday Mary G. Holliday Attorney for Petitioner Jackson County DepartPO Box 597 Webster, North Carolina 28788 (828) 631-0346
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26E000202-430 -
istrator of the Estate of Franklin D. Pressley of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Jul 01 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Executor of the Estate of Zdenko (Stanley) Koschar of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to
claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Jul 01 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of
indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Executor
91 Hacienda Lane Sylva, NC 28779
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26E000063-430
Howard E. Phillippi,
Limited Personal Repreof Jimmy Earl Phillippi of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to
claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Jul 01 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of indebted to said Estate, please make immediate payment.
Limited Personal Representative c/o Selena A. King, PLLC 37 Church St., Ste. 2100 Waynesville, NC 28786
NOTICE OF ADMINISTRATION
Case No.26E000204-430
Successor Executor of the Estate of William Thomas Hollingsworth of Haywood County, North Carolina, this is to claims against the Estate to present them to the undersigned on or before Jul 01 2026, or this notice will be pleaded in bar of indebted to said Estate, please make immediate
payment. Successor Executor 28 Kelley Street Waynesville, NC 28786
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e.g.
66 Fruit stone 68 Failing grades
70 Bit of precipitation
71 Lead-in to nuptial
72 Leb. neighbor
74 "And -- word from our sponsor"
75 Chi-Town daily paper
76 Constricting snake
81 Part of DVD
83 Cram, e.g.
84 Novelist Morrison
86 "I've got it!"
87 Mother superior, e.g.
88 Five pairs
89 Sis or bro
90 Actor Hamm
91 Single-stranded cell
stuff
93 Bronte's Jane
94 Feat of skill
98 "Come Back, Little --" (1952 film)
101 Supple
102 "Exile" New Age singer
104 "For sure!"
105 Jargon suffix
107 "Buffy the Vampire --"
108 Walk with a limp
110 "It's true!"
112 Aviator's guidepost
114 Connect
115 "Casablanca" heroine
116 Roman 1,551
117 Make anew
118 Cause of ruin
119 Mimicked
120 Chances
123 Ram's mate
124 Muhammad of the ring
125 Large
126 Money unit of Japan
ANSWERS ON PAGE 26
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