To the Editor:

What an ignorant letter (“People, not dogs, are the problem,” Aug. 1, The Smoky Mountain News) written by Mylan Sessions of Clyde.

We were the second homeowners to build in our area — nice, quiet and lonely — no log mansion. We have had people move in and are raising big barking dogs — fenced a run for them very near the road. Nothing or no one can come up the road; no one can walk the road without the dogs barking day or night. Someone walks four beautiful black and white dogs on our road and not a single leash. I was cornered by three big dogs not on a leash, as was my neighbor, and was nearly scared to death. We are afraid to walk our road anymore. It simply isn’t safe. I have a big plastic dog bone left in my yard by someone’s uninvited dog.

We certainly do need a countywide ordinance concerning leash laws, breeding or housing standards, and registration of animals by their owners.

Edith Barton

Waynesville

To the Editor:

As Western North Carolina strives to attract more businesses into this area, a major selling point is the natural beauty of our mountains. Not only does this incredible natural resource promote a high quality of life, but it also draws millions of tourists every year. Our magnificent forests and pristine waters lure visitors from all over the world for activities such as hiking, whitewater rafting, fishing, canoeing, and sightseeing. These visitors shop in our stores, stay in our hotels, eat in our restaurants, and visit our attractions. According to the North Carolina Department of Commerce, domestic travelers to Western North Carolina spent $18.4 billion here in 2011, a record high visitor-spending figure, and their expenditures directly supported 187,900 jobs for North Carolina residents.

One might expect that any action that would adversely affect this highly desirable natural resource would draw the swift condemnation of our local and state governments. After all, who supports unhealthy air, dirty water, and contaminated soil? Who wants to kill the goose that lays our golden eggs?

Surprisingly, there appears to be a significant number of legislators who have not made the connection between clean air, clean water, and good jobs. The General Assembly’s focus on rolling back the environmental regulations designed to protect our air and water is short-sighted in the extreme. Slashing clean water funds and weakening the state air-toxic standards for power plants and paper mills does not create jobs; it only creates problems for the citizens that these legislators are supposed to represent.

We all understand that not caring for our bodies can lead to expensive, long-term health problems. Not caring for our natural environment can also create costly and possibly permanent damages. Degrading the air we breathe and the water we drink causes health problems among our citizens, adversely affects our vitally-important tourism industry and lowers the overall quality of life. No matter which economic area you examine, all benefit from a healthy and beautiful natural environment. We need to let our legislators know that we value our precious natural heritage.

Neva Duncan Tabb

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I have been in such a state of shock over a letter published in your newspaper (“Obama wants to limit free speech rights,” Aug. 1 edition) that it has taken me this long to respond.

I have known the author, JoAnna Swanson, almost as long as I have lived here, having attended special evenings at her bed and breakfast 12 or so years ago. I remember these evenings of enlightened discussions as opportunities to explore diverse spiritual subjects, and would have thought they were meant to foster peace and understanding between people.

I also worked with Ms. Swanson on the Commission for a Clean County for a number of years and thought she was interested in community and bringing people together to achieve a common good.

I would like to ask Ms. Swanson how her negative, accusatory letter, full of blatantly incorrect suppositions, would achieve any of the above goals. I would also like to suggest that she may wish to stop reading much of the mail that must be pouring in through her mailbox.

I wish to thank a group of friends — they know who they are — for inspiring me to step forward and speak out against such negativity and ill-purposed letter writing.

Let us, one and all, come up with constructive criticism, not destructive inflammatory name calling and accusations.

Kaaren Stoner

Haywood County

The Franklin Angel Medical Center is hosting the kick-off for its third team weight-loss competition 9 a.m. Aug. 25 in the hospital dining room.

The competition is call Lighten UP 4 Life and consists of four-person teams who face-off against each other to lose the largest percentage of weight. The competition is Internet-based, and the top three teams who lose the largest percentage of weight win prizes. Healthy recipes, weight-loss advice and exercise videos are available at www.angelmed.org.

All weight information is kept confidential and is self-reported by the participants. 828.349.6639.

The Sarge’s Animal Rescue Foundation in Waynesville is lowering the fee to $5 to adopt cats five months or older. The promotion will run for five days starting Aug. 14.

The unwanted cat population increases in the summertime, and many owners dump felines at the rescue shelter’s doorstep or release them on the street. Unwanted cats are bound for euthanization if no willing person steps up to adopt them.

The foundation said it euthanized about 100 cats during the month of July at a cost of $5,148 to taxpayers. The shelter estimates that it costs an average of $87 per cat in medical care to prepare a cat for adoption.

828.246.9050 or www.sargeandfriends.org.

The HRMC Foundation is hosting its 21st annual Charitable Classic Golf & Gala, a two-day fundraiser Aug. 28-29 to benefit MedWest-Haywood.

The tournament will kick off with the men’s golf tournaments at 8:30 a.m. at the Maggie Valley Club and at 12:30 p.m. at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa on Aug. 28. The following day, a ladies’ golf tournament starts at 8 a.m. at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa, followed by men’s golf tournaments at noon at the Laurel Ridge Country Club in Waynesville and at 1 p.m. at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa.

The format for the tournaments is captain’s choice with two-person teams. Box lunches and beverages will be provided for all golfers and volunteers at each tournament.

The gala celebration from 6 to 10 p.m. Aug. 29 at the Waynesville Inn Golf Resort & Spa will feature a dinner buffet and live music by the band Orange Krush.

Individual tickets to the gala are $50 each. Individual golf tournament slots are $150 each and include one ticket to the gala. Discount tickets for men participating in two tournaments are $250 each and include two gala tickets.

The HRMC Foundation promotes and administers charitable gifts for the advancement of MedWest-Haywood’s abilities to respond fully to the changing and growing health care needs of local citizens.

828.452.8343 or 828.452.8343.

The Maggie Valley Board of Aldermen will vote this week whether to relax restrictions on sweepstakes machines for businesses that plan to make their money mostly from the controversial mechanisms.

If the ordinance passes as is, sweepstake-specific businesses can have one machine per every 50 square feet. Video sweepstakes parlors will be required to be at least 1,500 feet away from each other and any established religious institution, school, daycare, library, museum and public park, and the gaming-specific business must also be housed in a building that is a minimum of 2,500 square feet.

The Friends of the Library will present the final novel in the “Let’s Talk About It: Civil War Novels” discussion series, Lincoln’s Dreams, at 4 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Waynesville library auditorium. Emory Maiden, professor at Appalachian State University, will lead the discussion.

Written by Connie Willis, an award-winning science fiction author, Lincoln’s Dreams focuses on a young woman, Annie, who is haunted by nightmares and seeks out the historical context of her visions. In the novel, the readers discover a somber connection between Annie’s tribulations and the haunted, tragic lives of real historic figures like Robert E. Lee and Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln’s Dreams is one of the most unusual and powerful Civil War novels in recent years.

See Teresa Glance to sign out a copy of the book between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

“Let’s Talk About It” is made possible by a grant from the North Carolina Humanities and the North Carolina Center for the Book.

828.456.5311 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Jody Kraner, owner of Amaste Woman, will speak from 1-3 p.m. Aug. 20 in the conference room of the Cooperative Extension Office.

Amaste Woman is a company that creates and offers sewing patterns for making flattering, asymmetrical robes or tunic tops with soft draping fabrics for women who have had a single-side mastectomy. The clothing can be adapted for either right or left side mastectomy.

The public is invited to this event, and there is no charge. The N.C. Cooperative Extension and the Sew Easy Girls are sponsoring the seminar.

Register. 828.584.4009.

Members of the Western Carolina Civic Orchestra — conducted by William Henigbaum — will present a string chamber orchestra concert at 7 p.m. on Aug. 21 in the community room of the Jackson County Public Library. 

The string players of the orchestra include area residents who are amateur musicians, as well as local violin teachers and their students.

“We enjoy playing together and are glad to have an excuse to practice in the summer,” said orchestra member Kathy Arps.

The program at the library will include some favorites from Bach and Mozart, as well as music for the young at heart, like a fiddle tune medley titled “Bluegrass Country.” The orchestra will also play one movement from the Simple Symphony by Benjamin Britten, who composed the melodies when he was 10 and 12 years old and orchestrated them for strings by his early twenties. The program will conclude with dance movements from the “Capriol Suite” by Peter Warlock.

This program is co-sponsored by the Friends of the Jackson County Public Library.

828.586.2016 or www.fontanalib.org.

The Haywood County Arts Council will host its 12th annual “Wine for the Arts” from 7-9 p.m. Aug. 23 at The Classic Wineseller as part of the 2012 FUNd Party Series.

The Classic Wineseller, which is located on Church Street in Waynesville, will sponsor “Wine for the Arts” in its recently renovated wine bar and restaurant, Angelino’s. Partygoers will enjoy a variety of wines paired with delicious small bites. In addition, there will be a silent auction including artwork by local artists, spa packages, and more.

Tickets are $50.00 per person, $25 of which is tax-deductible. The registration deadline is Aug. 20.

“Wine for the Arts” is part of the Arts Council’s distinctive FUNd Party Series, which offers an eclectic array of social excursions featuring delicious food, unique experiences, and entertainment to benefit the arts in Haywood County.

Visit www.haywoodarts.org, stop by the Haywood County Arts Council office at 86 N. Main St. in Waynesville, or call 828.452.0593 to purchase tickets.

Western Carolina University’s Fine Art Museum will host a reception from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 23 for its biennial School of Art and Design faculty art show.

The exhibition features the work of WCU faculty members, all teaching artists, who work in a wide range of media including ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing, printmaking, installation, book art, photography, graphic design, new media and video.

The collection of works demonstrates not only the diversity of the School of Art and Design but also the creative innovation and conviction of its faculty members, who teach and exhibit their work nationally and internationally.

The exhibit will remain on display until Oct. 5.

The Highlands Cashiers Players’ will premiere an uproarious, laugh-out-loud new Ken Ludwig comedy “The Fox on the Fairway” Aug. 23.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. Aug. 23-25 and Aug. 30-Sept. 1 and 2:30 p.m. Aug. 26 and Sept. 2.

The play concerns two rival country clubs that are preparing for their annual golf tournament against each other — a contest that the Crouching Squirrel Club always wins. Quail Valley manager Bingham is determined to win the trophy even if he has to bend the rules a bit. With a sizable wager at stake between the two managers, the contest plays out amidst several love affairs, including man’s eternal love affair with golf, and ends with a surprising twist.

The 18th season will continue with the following plays:

• October — “Jake,” about a puppy that is taught how to behave with humans by an older dog.

• February-March: “Social Security,” about an elderly widow who surprises her children with a love affair.

• May: “Love, Loss, and What I Wore,” about women remembering events in their lives and the clothes they wore.

Subscriptions are $70 per person for the four plays and can be purchased by mailing a check to Highlands Cashiers Players at P.O. Box 1416, Highlands, N.C., 29741.

828.526.8084.

Appalachian Fire Bluegrass Band of Flat Rock will perform a concert of classic bluegrass and gospel music at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 at Swain County Center for the Arts in Bryson City. Immediately following the one-hour concert, there will be a meet-and-greet reception for the band and the 38 artists who have artwork in the community exhibit that is currently on display at the Center for the Arts. Most of the artwork is priced to sell.

The band includes Dwayne “Doc” Durham (guitar, bass and vocals), Cliff Searcy (mandolin, dobro and vocals), Jim Fox (bass), Tim Francis (banjo and vocals), and Mike Williams (fiddle and harmonica). The band just released its second CD, “Ride This Train,” which was produced by Caleb Smith and Bill McDonald. It features some fiddle and vocal work by Buddy Melton of Balsam Range.

The Center for the Arts and Swain County schools-sponsored event is free and open to the public.

828.488.7843 or www.docsbluegrass.com or www.swain.k12.nc.us/cfta.

Country legend Kenny Rogers will take the stage at Harrah’s Event Center in Cherokee at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 1.

Contemporary vocalist Sean Kingston will perform a free outdoor concert on Western Carolina University’s Central Plaza on at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 22. A DJ will kick off the event at 6 p.m.

Tennessee songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Marshall Ballew will perform at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 at the Waynesville library auditorium on Haywood Street.

Dan Cherry, associate professor in Western Carolina University’s School of Music, will take listeners on a “European Tour” when he presents a recital at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 23.

The free concert will be held in the recital hall of WCU’s Coulter Building. Andrew Adams, assistant professor of piano in the School of Music, will accompany Cherry, who plays the trombone.

The program will include eight compositions in a variety of styles and representing eight European countries, including “Triomphale” by Axel Jorgensen (Denmark), “La Femme a Barbe” by Jose Berghmans (France), “Rare” by Johan de Meij (Netherlands), “Basta” by Folk Rabe (Sweden), “Fantasy” by Sigismond Stojowski (Poland), “Liebesleid” by Fritz Kreisler (Austria), “Nessun Dorma” by Giacomo Puccini (Italy) and “Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov (Russia).

828.227.7242.

The Summer Concert series at Fontana Village Resort will feature Logan Murrell from 8-11 p.m. Aug. 17 and the Caribbean Cowboys Trio from 8-11 p.m. Aug. 18 on the deck of the Wildwood Grill.

The Caribbean Cowboys Trio play a variety of music from Jimmy Buffett to other troubadours such as Peter Mayer, Scott Kirby, Jesse Winchester and Fingers Taylor.

Murrell is a songwriter and musician from Knoxville. She will also be playing from 8-11 p.m. Aug. 24-25 on the Wildwood Deck.

Fontana Village Resort is located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains at 300 Woods Rd in Fontana Dam, just off N.C. 28.

www.fontanavillage.com or 828.498.2211.

The 15th annual Fines Creek Bluegrass Jam will take place from 5-11 p.m. Aug. 24-25 on the lawn of the Fines Creek Community Center at 190 Fines Creek Road in Clyde.

This year’s line-up consists of The Ross Brothers, Steve Brown and Hurricane Ridge, Monroeville, High Windy and Buncombe Turnpike on Friday and Southern Crescent, Leroy Troy, and Eddie Rose and Highway Forty on Saturday. Clogging teams include The J Creek Cloggers, Fines Creek Flatfooters, and the Southern Appalachian Cloggers.

Tents on the lawn provide shelter. Bring a chair or blanket. Food is available, as are limited RV parking reservations.

Tickets for adults are $15 for one night and $25 for two nights; 16 to 18 year olds are $10 for one night and $15 for two. Children under 16 are admitted free with a paying adult. Proceeds go to the Fines Creek Seniors Scholarship Fund. So far, 42 scholarships have been awarded to students continuing their education.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at Ferguson Supply.

828.627.1912 or www.FinesCreek.org.

Land of the Sky Barbershop Chorus will perform at 3 p.m. Aug. 19 in Tartan Hall at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Franklin.

With more than 30 members, the Asheville-based, all-male chorus sings lively a cappella renditions of old-time and contemporary favorites in four-part harmony. The program has a comedic Olympic theme and features many classic hits including “Anything You Can Do I Can Do Better,” “By The Beautiful Sea” and “Scarborough Fair,” with dueling quartets, costumes, props and a heavy sprinkling of rib-tickling humor throughout.

Complimentary ice cream sundaes will be served. Admission is by donation; $5 is suggested.

Land of the Sky Chorus is a chapter of SPEBSQSA, one of about 800 society chapters in North America.

First Presbyterian Church is on Church Street at Harrison Avenue, a block north of Franklin’s Main Street. The performance is presented by the Arts Council of Macon County.

828.524.7683 or www.artscouncilofmacon.org.

The Jeff Little Trio will perform at 7:30 p.m. Aug. 18 at the Stecoah Valley Center as part of the Appalachian Evening series.

Little has a remarkable piano style influenced by the mountain flat-pick guitar style of Doc Watson. With a rack-mounted harmonica and vocals, he can also be a one-man show. Little grew up in Boone where his family owned Little Music Store and he began playing piano at age 5. A professional musician since the age of 14, he is conversant with traditional jazz, old-time, country, bluegrass, rockabilly, and blues.

Prior to the concert, 10 people can enjoy an intimate dinner with the band at 5 p.m. following the band’s sound check. Tickets for the dinner with the band and show are $35 and must be purchased online or in the gallery three days in advance of show date.

A family-style dinner will be served at 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. in the Schoolhouse Café. Dinner is $15.95 for adults and $9.95 for children 12 and under. Tickets to the show only are $15 for adults and $5 for students (K-12). Children under 5 are free. Reservations required.

828.479.3364 or www.stecoahvalleycenter.com.

The Cruso Friendship Club will host its 23rd Quilt Show Aug. 24-25 at the Cruso Community Center on U.S. 276 South. The show will be open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.

Haywood County Arts Council is now accepting applications for North Carolina Arts Council’s Grassroots Arts Program sub-grants through Sept. 20.

Application forms and grant guidelines are available at www.haywoodarts.org or may be picked up at the Haywood County Arts Council office between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Haywood County Arts Council will also mail or email applications and guidelines upon request.

Haywood County Arts Council is also hosting a Grassroots Arts Program Grant Workshop to assist interested applicants in preparing competitive grants at 5:30 p.m. Aug. 30. New applicants are strongly encouraged to attend.

Applications are available for nonprofit organizations whose purpose is to promote and develop diverse cultural arts programming in Haywood County. Funding priority is given to qualified arts organizations (theaters, galleries, choral societies, festivals), arts in education programs conducted by qualified artists, and other community organizations that provide arts programs in the county.

Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.452.0593.

The Jackson County Arts Council is now accepting applications for arts program grants for the fiscal year 2012-2013.

The grant application will be reviewed twice during the year. Applications are due by Sept. 20 to be reviewed in October at the arts council meeting and due in Jan. 20, 2013, for review in February at the arts council meeting. Advance planning must occur for the two new due dates and review.

Practitioners in any of the arts, as well as nonprofit organizations, may apply for funding. Colleges and universities may apply for funding if the proposed program will serve the broader countywide population. Public schools may apply if the proposed program supplements education in the arts.

Program activities funded through these grants must be completed during the fiscal year. A grant report will be due within the month of program completion.

The Jackson County Arts Council receives funding from the North Carolina Arts Council, the Jackson County government and from member contributions. Application forms are available at www.JacksonCountyArts.com.

828.507.9531 or 828.354.0253.

Gary Carden, storyteller and humorist, will once again visit Highlands at 4 p.m. Aug. 28 at the Hudson Library to share excerpts from his latest work, “Outlander,” a play about the creation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The outlander is Horace Kephart, a travel writer and librarian who in the 1920s had a desire to come to the mountains of North Carolina. Carden will be discussing the play and sharing some of the stories from the creation of this national park. Much of the dialogue in the play connects to the mountain families who had lived on the land for several generations. This is an issue that people are still sensitive about today.

Copies of his play will be available for purchase. The Hudson library is located at 554 Main St. in Highlands.

The Jackson County Green Energy Park will host a reception at its art gallery from 5-7 p.m. Aug. 23 for Western Carolina University alumnus and ceramist Preston Tolbert.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Blue Ridge Paper Products, long one of the largest employers in Western North Carolina, is no longer — at least in name.

An internal memo sent to employees Aug. 24 announced that the company’s name has officially been changed to Evergreen Packaging Group to reflect its new ownership by the New Zealand-based Rank Group.

When we were having record and near record heat back in August, I did what any overheated mountain dweller would do — I packed up the family and headed to the beach.

We don’t have air conditioning in our rural Clyde home; my wife and I tell ourselves that we don’t need it. However, in recent years there seems to be a 10-day to 2-week period in late summer that the humidity and increasingly hotter temperatures make us question why we are denying the obvious.

When the new owners of the Canton paper mill announced a few weeks ago that company headquarters were being moved to Memphis, it was seen as mostly a footnote to the larger story of Blue Ridge Paper’s sale to the Rank Group of New Zealand. That story of the mill sale became public back in April.

But the move to Memphis is symbolically important in many ways, and at least two of them are worth noting for the potential impact on Haywood County and the region. First, the successful sale of Blue Ridge Paper to the Rank Group was the culmination of what some mill insiders describe as an almost miraculous story of survival, one in which every employee will benefit.

Secondly, the move marks the end of a 100-year tenure of Canton-based mill managers and company executives who cared deeply about their community and their employees. That story is one unique to mill towns, one that is fading into history as the global economy changes the fundamental nature of the manufacturing industry.

A survival story

The impact of the paper mill on Canton and on the region is a story of epic proportions, and entire chapters could be written on its environmental, economic and cultural legacies. Books are already in print on the subject, and it’s very likely that more will be published. But these last eight years have been, perhaps, the most remarkable in the mill’s history.

When Champion announced plans to sell its Canton mill in 1999, the likelihood of closure was high. That would have put nearly 2,000 people out of work. But through community support, especially the work of many regional leaders, a plan was developed. KPS, a New York investment company that was well known for working with unionized companies, provided the cash to buy the mill while workers agreed to a series of pay cuts, wage freezes and benefit reductions. In exchange, the employees got 40 percent of the mill’s ownership and profit sharing.

Over these eight years, the profits have not materialized. Many times it seemed the mill was on the verge of closing, and it had racked up a debt of $213 million by the time of the sale to the Rank Group. Somehow, though, management and workers always found a way to survive. New markets were found. Employee productivity skyrocketed. During an eight-year span when about 100 North American paper mills closed, Blue Ridge held on.

That meant that the 1,100 remaining jobs in Haywood County also survived. And, despite the debt and the gloomy outlook for the industry, a buyer emerged that at least for now plans to keep the mill open. In addition, workers will be able to get somewhere around $20,000 each for the stock they own. The deal may not have worked out as many had hoped, but in the end the jobs are still intact, the mill is in the hands of a growing force in the paper industry, and workers will get a sizeable stock bonus.

Now, a cog in a big wheel

While the last eight years are a story in survival, the move of company headquarters to Memphis marks a turning point in the mill’s 100-year history in Canton. Even though the old Champion International had headquarters elsewhere, there was always the feeling that Canton was a centerpiece, as it was when Reuben Robertson Sr. founded the mill in 1906. When Blue Ridge Paper was formed, it initially decided to locate its headquarters in Asheville but soon came back to Canton.

There has always been a symbiotic relationship between the paper mill, Canton, and all of Haywood County. Mill employees were paid well, and that prosperity brought further benefits to the region as the workers sent children off to college and spent their hard-earned wages on homes and other items that brought prosperity to lthe ocal business community.

Now, as new owners take control, differences are already apparent. The privately held Rank Group won’t be holding press conferences to announce profits and losses, and its executives are reluctant to talk to the media at all. The steadfast support that has been shown to the mill — even when it was being sued by Tennessee residents and cursed by environmentalists for degrading the Pigeon River — was always about more than just the jobs it provided.

The short history of Blue Ridge Paper has come to an end, as did the long story of Champion in 1999. Only the future will tell how Rank — and its umbrella company known as Evergreen — will treat the workers and the community that have embraced the paper mill through decades of controversy and prosperity. We can only hope for the best.

By Chris Cooper

The phrase “well rounded” gets thrown about pretty often, but it fits few people better than banjoist extraordinaire Alison Brown. Her forays into the many facets of bluegrass music, as well as her superb technical and compositional abilities have earned her Grammy and IBMA awards, critical acclaim and immense respect from music fans of every stripe.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Two of the three boat docks on the Swain County side of Fontana Lake shut their doors before Labor Day, traditionally one of the biggest money-making weekends of the season for lake businesses.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

The Jackson County Green Energy Park is slated to get even greener with the expansion of the Smoky Mountain Biofuels’ production facility and the addition of six greenhouses on the site.

By Michael Beadle

Once upon a sitcom, Linda Lavin was America’s hardest-working waitress. Remember “Alice” — a household name in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s?

What you may not know about this Golden Globe and Tony Award-winning actress is her gift as a singer. Since her stage debut at age 5, Lavin earned her chops singing in New York City nightclubs. She even sang the theme song to “Alice.” In fact, her no-nonsense character, Alice Hyatt, had big dreams of being a singer.

Southwestern Community College ranks fourth in the nation in a new listing of America’s best community colleges and was the only representative from North Carolina in the top ten.

That’s according to a report in the Washington Monthly. While colleges have been rated by guides like U.S. News & World Report, this is the first-ever ranking of the nation’s community colleges, according to Washington Monthly writer Kevin Carey, who compiled the ranking.

By Stephanie Wampler

Have you ever doubted the existence of Heaven? If so, then I will jump to the hasty conclusion that you have never picked and eaten fresh blueberries.

Yes, it seems a bold statement but entirely true as far as I can tell. Because, although there are many things that I don’t know, there is one thing that I do know: picking and eating fresh blueberries is about as close to heaven as you can get.

By Kathleen Lamont

I have had laying hens on and off for the past 20 years. My first flock of White Leghorns came from my cousin’s chicken farm. I brought them home, and after a few months of contented pecking and scratching, one grave evening an unknown nighttime predator wiped out most of the flock and thus came my first lesson in predator proofing the coop — closing the trapdoor at sunset.

Spray Paint

Took a page from “Trading Spaces” and all those other home renovation/redecoration shows this past weekend and salvaged a light fixture with a little creativity. For the cost of a can of Rust-Oleum Stops Rust Hammered paint in dark bronze and five little faux leather lampshades — about $30 — I solved what was looking to be otherwise about a $200 problem. Thrilled with the results, I’m looking for other things to spray paint now. Lucky me, the Rust-Oleum Web site has an entire section dubbed “Inspiration.”

Homemade Pizza

Living down in the Triangle while in college I got spoiled eating Lilly’s Pizza. It was the kind of pie that they just went ahead and put “Damn Good Pizza” on the box. And boy was it. Not that there’s anything wrong with the traditionals, but I miss being able to get toppings such as prosciutto, red onions, roasted red peppers and fresh basil. So I went to the G-store and got makings for a home variety with an olive oil base, lots of herbs, spinach, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, Genoa salami, red onions and lots of garlic. It was great fun to make, more fun to eat. Rustle up the family and make an evening of topping off some pies — with all the pre-made crusts these days the hard work’s been done for you. Go healthy, go weird, just go play with your food.

Fall

The first day of fall is a mere two and a half weeks away. Fall! I love how the light changes with the season, the bugs sound different, the leaves start to turn. We’re having a rather sad apple harvest this year thanks to frost and draught, but I imagine there’ll be enough Stamens around for an apple pie or two. This time of year is great for getting outside and doing some hiking. When I was little my mom, my aunt and I would go for walks out in the woods behind my aunt’s Taylorsville home, looking for arrowheads and making our way to an old apple orchard. We’d pick an apple or two and eat it in the field, then stomp our way back through the brown, crunchy leaves. Start thinking about some fun, seasonal crafts — leaf pressings in sheets of wax paper was always an easy thrill — and plantings that will make the springtime bright.

Paul’s

On Tsali Boulevard in Cherokee this family eatery earns its recognition for offering traditional Cherokee items on its regular menu. There’s fry bread — the Indian taco version or with blueberries — Buffalo burgers and on special nights bean bread and selected greens. It’s right tasty and great to see alongside the decidedly non-traditional and more commonly found fast food chains. For those who want to try their hand at making fry bread at home, I found a mix at the Qualla Arts and Crafts Co-Op.

— Sarah Kucharski

By Michael Beadle

It’s 5:30 on a steamy Monday night at the Waynesville Recreation Park, and pairs of disc golfers are setting out to play 18 holes on the new course, which opened in April.

Kevin McBride of Clyde and David Powell of Canton take turns launching their opening drives on hole one, which has a deceptively simple layout. Hook left and you’re in the parking lot or the trees. Hook right and you’re in the softball field.

By Arthur Hancock • Guest Columnist

I had a dream that the following communication came into my hands. I read it and woke up screaming ...

TOP SECRET: CLASSIFIED!

TO: Osama bin Laden, Tribal Areas

FROM: George W. Bush, Leader of the Free World, Washington, D.C.

Dear Mr. bin Laden,

Well it’s been six years ago this week since we last heard from you (in some ways it seems like yesterday). I guess it’s true: time does go fast when you’re having fun. In any case I trust you are well and taking good care of those kidneys!

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Swain County residents will vote November 6 on whether to enact a new tax on real estate transactions to bolster county coffers.

The tax is equivalent to 0.4 percent of a real estate transaction, or $800 on a $200,000 home. It would rake in an estimated $800,000 a year at current real estate sales levels.

A new community group dedicated to revitalizing Cullowhee will host an open house at the Cullowhee Café from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 22.

“CuRvE, the Cullowhee Revitalization Endeavour, is still in the initial planning stages, and now is a great time to jump on board,” said Christopher Blake, who is co-chairing CuRvE with fellow Cullowhee resident Mary Jean Herzog.

In this day and age, as the gap between the rich and poor continues to widen and this country’s manufacturing economy undergoes a dramatic transformation, community colleges are more important than ever.

Buxton, a consulting firm that analyzes a community’s demographics, has 60 some population classes that it uses to describe the population. The Jackson County Economic Development Commission disagrees with how the firm described the Sylva area. The analysis seems to leave out the tourism base, the university and the large second-home and resort community population — all factors that don’t show up at first blush by looking at basic census information.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Sarah Rolland first connected with clay on an emotional level. With lunch plans to meet a friend who was taking a course in Haywood Community College’s craft program, Rolland walked into the school’s pottery studio — her curiosity immediately was piqued.

Angi West: Orange Thread In A Blue Sea

Thoughtfully arranged tunes that wander through elements of folk, sun-dappled guitar and piano-driven pop and the occasional hint at twangy alt-country aren’t difficult to find on Angi West’s new CD.

Carried by a shape-shifting voice and nicely crafted storytelling, Orange Thread In A Blue Sea takes a few attention-grabbing turns. Check out the cabaret drama brought by the accordion halfway through “Every Drop In This Glass,” or the shimmering pedal steel and piano of “The Light In Your Eyes” for fine examples of choosing exactly the right color at the right time to enhance a song.

West demonstrates a disarming fragility in sections of “A Good Catholic Boy,” but no other tune reveals her “old soul in a young body” personality and tone as well as “Black Crow,” sung a cappella with nary a frill to be found.

“Home” shines brightly as well, and has the most potential as a song that could gain her more attention if heard by the right ears. It wouldn’t sound out of place on an older Kate Bush album, either, in the way it’s delicate verses build until giving way to a chorus and bridge peppered with strings and West’s aching delivery. And though the word “love” makes several appearances in the lyric, there’s a pervasive sense of sadness to the song that keeps you from breathing too easily. Again, it’s that sense of drama that pulls you in, marking the difference between simply hearing something that’s “good” or something that deserves another spin to really digest and enjoy.

It probably doesn’t need to be mentioned that West is a local musician, this is her very first CD, and that the majority of the recording of Orange Thread In A Blue Sea was handled right here in WNC, but just in the case it did, well, there you go. West is a musician with no shortage of potential, and seeing where she goes with it is just one benefit of having another gifted songwriter in our midst.

Corinne West: Second Sight

I swear that it’s pure coincidence that both artists reviewed this week are female and happen to have the same last name. Just wanted to get that out of the way.

Corinne West has a voice that’s sweet, but just beneath the surface is something a little coarse and blue and just waiting to jump out. Even on the first cut, during the line “you know why I lose it /and I know why you’re quiet,” it’s the way she yells “quiet,” the frustration in her voice that gives this already powerful song real wings.

Of course, having the baddest cats out of Nashville in your corner can’t hurt in the least, especially when they have names like Jerry Douglas (jedi of the Dobro that he is) and similarly talented mandolin master Mike Marshall. Toss Tony Furtado and Darol Anger into the mix and you have the makings of a fine CD.

West isn’t afraid at all to embrace bluegrass and country as her roots, but it’s a quality in her voice that keeps the music from feeling too “grassy.” At once playful and the next moment world-weary and matter of fact, her interpretive skills are truly impressive, doing great service to an already stellar bunch of songs. Wells’ ability to go straight for the gut with a tune could easily have been developed in the formative years she spent as a busker, where one’s skill ability to emote is directly related to one’s likelihood of eating that night.

Second Sight has a distinct personality as an album — the choices to keep a chuckle into the microphone at the end of “Gandy Dancer” or the birds chirping at the close of “Cabin Door” heighten the quirkiness factor. West’s voice and songwriting are chock full of humor, wit and emotion as well, and she’s endowed with an innate understanding of harmony. Creating train whistle-styled layers here and lush waves of voice there (“All Good Things” being one of the best illustrations of these qualities) she sounds like she enjoys what she’s doing, let alone how good she is at doing it. Add to it the stellar playing of the “band” and you’ve got one of the most enjoyable new bluegrass CD’s I’ve heard in months. Excellent.

(Chris Cooper can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

A petition by Maggie Valley Mayor Roger McElroy to re-zone a 90-acre tract of land to allow for higher density development is being met with vehement protests from town residents.

By Julia Merchant • Staff Writer

Much like a band-aid on a kid’s scraped elbow, No Child Left Behind was put in place to mend an educational system many claimed was in disrepair. An increasing number of critics, however, are questioning the effectiveness of the act as a permanent fix for the problems plaguing America’s schools.

By S. Michael Hewitt • Guest Columnist

Remember the game of 20 Questions? One person thinks of a thing. A second person tries to figure out what that something is by asking a series of questions that can be answered yes or no. Typically, the first question is “Are you thinking of a mineral, vegetable, or animal?” Let’s twist the rules; I’ll tell you what I’m thinking but I’ll ask the first question. Ready?