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Learn how bottles tossed out along the roadside are killing small mammals in the mountains during a talk held on Earth Day at 7 p.m. April 22 at the Highlands Nature Center.

Small mammals like shrews and other rodents enter bottles in search of food or water and become trapped, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of animals over time, particularly shrews.

Highlands Nature Center Director Patrick Brannon along with students from the UNC Institute for the Environment at the Biological Station have searched roadways for bottles containing the skeletal remains of shrews and rodents. Brannon will discuss the research and implications of this phenomenon in the region and how you can help alleviate the problem.

828.526.2602 or www.highlandsbiological.org.

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out turkeysTurkey hunting season will open April 12 and run through May 10. A youth-only turkey season is already underway.

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out monarchsA multi-media program, Make Way for Monarchs, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. April 19 at the Cradle of Forestry.

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out cleanupHaywood Waterways Association is heading up several Earth Day themed activities this month, including a series of stream clean-ups. 

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art cherokeeweavingA workshop and presentation on Cherokee weaving will be held April 11-12 at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian.

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art tastechocolateAn open call for bakers is currently underway for the 15th annual Taste of Chocolate Plus, which will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. April 19 at the Maggie Valley Club.

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art mtnfaithA concert to benefit landslide victims in Snohomish County in Washington state titled “The Circle is Unbroken: A Benefit for Oso, Washington, from Western North Carolina,” will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, April 11, at Bridge Park in Sylva.

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To the Editor:

Sen. Kay Hagan’s path to Washington began in high school when she helped elect her uncle Lawton Chiles to the Senate. It was a low-budget campaign which he won by walking from the Florida Panhandle to the Florida Keys, listening to thousands of voters along the way. Hagan walked with him on occasion and distributed bumper stickers.

The voters were eager to elect and re-elect someone who cared so much about them. When Chiles won re-election in 1976, it was with a voluntary $10 limit on contributions to his campaign. In later and more difficult campaigns for governor, the self-imposed limit was $100.

Just $100.

Those were the days.

Hagan, whose moderation and people skills resemble her uncle’s in many ways, is fighting for her political life against the worst onslaught of outside money North Carolina has ever seen.

The billionaire and corporate lobby, personified by the Koch brothers and Karl Rove, has already thrown $10 million worth of television smears at her without waiting to see which far-right Republican will be on the ballot in November. They know that whoever it is will be their lackey.

They intend to escape their fair share of taxes by trashing public health, education and government services all across the nation, just as they’ve done in Raleigh.

They’re sick with fear that Obamacare, given time to work, will turn out to be popular. Some polls say that’s the trend even now.

Their latest attack ad bears the signature of a front group known as 60-Plus. It pretends to be for little investors and mortgage holders. It’s really about hedge fund managers, the parties actually affected by the bipartisan legislation Hagan supports.

Please pay no attention to any of that propaganda. The fundamental issue in this race — the only issue, really — is whether North Carolina’s junior senator’s loyalty will lie with the people of our state or with selfish and arrogant out-of-state forces like the Koch bullies.

The Supreme Court’s wretched campaign finance decision last week, erasing a reasonable lid on aggregate contributions, is another reason to reelect Kay Hagan. We need a senator whose instinct is to vote for the people instead of for the money.

It runs in her family.

Martin A. Dyckman

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

The Haywood County Emergency Management Ordinance was signed into effect Nov. 16, 2009, by J.W. “Kirk” Kirkpatrick, then chairman of the board of county commissioners, from a motion made by Mark Swanger (the present chairman) and seconded by Commissioner Kevin Ensley. It appears that very few people know about this ordinance, and even fewer are aware of the fact that their commissioners are signing away their rights.  

The Emergency Management Ordinance for Haywood County is part of a larger state and national scheme to protect citizens during a state of emergency. Outside of the debate on whether we actually need an emergency management scheme here in the county or not, there are a few very alarming parts of the ordinance, which should cause every innocent citizen concern.

In my view, the most important part is statute 31.07, sections 1-4, which state that the county manager, under the auspices of the board of commissioners, can do whatever it takes to make sure that the public complies with all emergency management measures. He/she can fire any public official who refuses to obey his/her will and can control all movement within the county, including the method of transportation, as well as the entrances and exits of the county. He/she can also determine where people may stay during an emergency, in what numbers, and control all “materials” and “resources” including — but not limited to — your food, clothing, home, fuel, income, etc., and can ration these at his/her discretion. One wonders what else could be considered a county “resource”? Your car? Your guns? I find it upsetting that while 31.03 defines the terms used throughout the document, what is meant by the terms “materials” and “resources” is left undefined at any point.

Perhaps the most alarming part of this entire document is section j, which states that the county manager has the authority during a state of emergency to take by any means, including “seizure” and “condemnation,” “materials and facilities” for said emergency “without regard to the limitation of any existing law.” This statement seeks to override the constitutions of both the U.S. and N.C. and gives the county the power to condemn its citizens in order to seize their “materials.” 

While this is clearly not ethical, it is also not legal, as it violates the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects citizens against property seizure, as well as Article I:5 of the state Constitution, which states that no law or ordinance can be contrary to the Constitution of the US. What’s more, in the case of a hazardous material spill, §31.08 gives the Haywood County Emergency Management Director the authority to “enter public or private property, with or without the owner’s consent”, again violating the Fourth Amendment, and §31.10 states that any official acting with regard to this ordinance during an emergency cannot be held liable for any damages to a person or their property.

I wonder: if the government’s role, as established by the constitution of the US, is to protect the rights and property of its citizens, then why in the world are our elected officials signing away our rights? Serious reconsideration needs to be taken with this ordinance. While some citizens may think these measures necessary during an emergency, surely something as sweeping as this needs to go to referendum before our rights are threatened without our knowledge.

Again, I refer to the state constitution of North Carolina, Article I:9, which states that it cannot be amended outside of the electoral process. Therefore, I suggest that our county officials become more comfortable with the referenda process before becoming so comfortable with unconstitutional executive orders. (To read the ordinance yourself, and draw your own conclusions, see haywoodnc.net/ordinances. To compare with the N.C. Constitution, see www.ncconstitution.com.

Windy McKinney

Jonathan Valley

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To the Editor:

Wondering what all the fuss is over the use of Common Core standards in school, I looked up what information I could find.

Frankly, it gets pretty weird. One expert said that requiring kids to meet certain standards at each grade level was demeaning and destroys their creativity. Hmm, I’ve seen some of that creative math at work when a kid at McDonald’s can’t make change.

One must dismiss opinions that teachers come up with because they are, after all, union members and unions exist to protect teachers, not students. 

Large companies point to the need for newly hired young people to take remedial classes in math and just plain old spelling and often must send their new hires off to take remedial classes before they can be put to work. Truly, a sad commentary on our educational system.

The other complaint I’ve heard is that the Common Core standards are federal standards and few want the federal government telling teachers how to teach. Actually, we gave up that privilege a long time ago when school boards accepted the first money from the federal government.  

One other complaint is that students should not be required to know things like the multiplication tables or how to spell. Their theory is that knowing the multiplication tables requires students to learn by rote, or, putting it another way, by memory, and all this is stressful for students. Or, is it stressful for teachers? I would suppose this has something to do with fuzzy math and certainly has much to do with fuzzy thinking.

Is it really destructive to ask a child to memorize something? Next thing, we’ll do away with homework because it interferes with a child’s ability to go on Facebook. How terrible!

True, as Einstein once said, everyone learns differently, and he used the example of trying to teach a fish to climb a tree. Good point, but how has learning to spell changed that?

Don’t we need our kids graduating with enough knowledge to be admitted to a college, and if they don’t go to college, don’t they need to be able to compete within our society?  Does it really matter how someone learns algebra or math as long as they can meet a minimum standard and prepare for real life? Life is sometimes tough.

Sure, in some areas, we have special needs kids, some involving mental disorders, but a lot is the result of broken families, single moms and parents too lazy to make sure their kids are taking their education seriously.  

Ultimately, this leads to a two-tiered society; the educated and the uneducated, with the result that the educated end up ruling over the uneducated.

Common Core forces teachers and students to live up to a standard of education that holds the promise of opportunity for our young people. Do we need unions controlling our educational system? Good grief, surely our kids can survive the stress of memorizing the multiplication tables.

Bob Wilson

 Franklin

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Cultural heritage demonstrations will kick-off the new season for The Cradle of Forestry in America on Saturday, April 12, along with a debut of new exhibits.

David and Diane Burnette of Haywood County will be plowing the Cradle’s vegetable garden with their Percheron draft horses. Other living history interpreters stationed at historic buildings will showcase woodcarving, candle-making and other old-time skills.

Keep an eye out for several new exhibits. Changing Climate, Changing Forests explains what climate change means for forests, and Fire in the Forest traces fire’s use as a tool, from American Indians to today’s land managers. An art exhibit, Painting Western North Carolina by the Mixed Nuts plein aire artists, will be displayed through the end of May along the Cradle’s Gallery in the Woods. 

The Cradle of Forestry is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. through fall, with living history demonstrations and special events happening regularly. $5 for adults and free for children 16 and under.     

Located on U.S. 276 four miles south of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

www.cradleofforestry.com.

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Learn how communities are dealing with coastal erosion, storms and rising sea levels with a screening of the critically acclaimed documentary “Shored Up” at Western Carolina University as part of its Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines. 

Rob Young, director of the WCU Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, is one of the policy and environmental experts who appears in the documentary.

A discussion and reception will follow the screening, which will take place at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 6, in the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center on the WCU campus. Young and Director Ben Kalina will be on hand to discuss the film. 

Free. Call 828.227.7519. 

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out runningThe fourth annual Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5K race are expected to draw an estimated 300 runners and walkers to Western Carolina University in Cullowhee on Saturday, April 5. 

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out fishingWomen of all skill levels are invited to a women-only weekend of flyfishing from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission, offered April 4-6 at Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education and Davidson River Campground in Transylvania County. 

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out sciencefestThe Mountain Science Expo will feature science programs and exhibits designed to interest kids and adults from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 5, at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.

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out trailcrewLearn the basics of trail construction and environmental stewardships by volunteering with an Appalachian Trail Conservancy trail crew.

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out fruittreesLearn how to grow fruit trees successfully at a fruit tree workshop coming up in Jackson and Swain counties through the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service. It will cover site selection; the differences between dwarf, semi-dwarf and seedling trees; proper soil conditions; pollination requirements; differences in cultivars; chilling requirements; fertility need; tree spacing and general pruning principles.

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art shoredupWestern Carolina University’s Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines will screen the film “Shored Up” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 6, at the theater of A.K. Hinds University Center in Cullowhee.

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art internationalfestThe 35th annual International Festival will be held from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 9, on the lawn of A.K. Hinds University Center at Western Carolina University.

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art heritagetrailA workshop focusing on regional points of musical interest, entitled “Why and How to Connect to the Blue Ridge Music Trails of North Carolina” will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Thursday, April 10, at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.

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art melangeThe Mélange of the Mountains culinary celebration will run from April 10-13 around Haywood County. 

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To the Editor:

Recently, I became curious about the N.C. Opportunity Scholarships (a new name for vouchers) that are being billed as a way for families in poverty to have more choices for their child’s education by allowing them to choose private schools.

I am perplexed as to how these vouchers of $4,200 a year could possibly benefit families that are truly low-income. Most private schools charge between $18,000 to $20,000 a year. In addition, the private schools do not provide transportation, a serious barrier for most low-income families. Likewise, the private schools charge large fees for after-school care and do not provide subsidized lunches.

These Opportunity Scholarships are really designed for the middle class that have the resources to bridge the gap between the $4,200 voucher and the true costs of a private school education. In 2015, the vouchers will be available to middle-income families.

Opportunity Scholarships would not really make a private school education any more accessible for children from low-resource families. The claim that these vouchers are designed to benefit children in poverty just doesn’t make sense. Maybe Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, can explain this.

Clayton Ramsey

Franklin

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To the Editor:

It should be reassuring that so many groups are concerned about “voter integrity” on Election Day, making certain that a voter’s physical address squares with the voting rolls. No problem there.

However, the opportunities for voter challenges have been significantly increased under the new N.C. voter laws: in addition to the two poll observers from each political party to monitor polling places, we now learn the chair of each political party in a county may designate 10 additional at-large “observers” who reside in the county, and may attend any voting place in that county.

Also under the new laws: any registered voter of the same county has the “right” to challenge the right to vote of any registered voter on the day of a primary or election. Election Day challenges are no longer limited to voters who reside in the same precinct.

This hardly “restores confidence” in elections and paves the way for burdensome delays and more confusion at polling places. A well-organized minority can easily intimidate voters under the guise of voter integrity. Are we creating more observers than actual voters at polling places?

Roger Turner

Sylva

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To the Editor:

TV host Glenn Beck and other stalwarts of the Christian right have attacked the recent blockbuster “Noah”as being “pro-animal” and unfaithful to the Bible. Well, yes and no. The film is pro-animal and faithful to the Bible, at least to the Book of Genesis, our only source for the story of Noah.

After all, Genesis 1:29 admonishes, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree that has seed-yielding fruit — to you it shall be for food.” It is only after the flood, with fruits and vegetables no longer abundant, that humans get permission to eat animal flesh. Even then, the Bible stipulates that only select animals may be taken and always with reverence and minimal cruelty. This is certainly a far cry from today’s factory farm and slaughterhouse practices. 

Regardless of how we may feel about “Noah’s” interpretation of the Bible, each of us can recreate the recommended diet of the Garden of Eden in our home by dropping animal products from our menu.

Weston Madrigal

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

We must speak out against this proposed room tax increase.

The county leaders may want it, but the citizens of this county do not want another tax increase. Our tax-and-spend county commissioners and their band of socialists want to increase the TDA tax from 4 to 6 percent. That’s a 50 percent increase in their taxes.

We the people do not want any more tax increases.

Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, is the hardest working and most conservative representative we have ever had. She works for the people, not the county leaders who have already put us in debt to the tune of $68,713,290 and climbing, not to mention some $10 million in special revenue funds.

When will the county leaders start to listen to their constituents the way Ms. Presnell listens to hers? We the people put Ms. Presnell in office to stop people like our socialist county leaders, and I applaud her for her hard work and perseverance! 

And I can assure you, Ms. Presnell will get my vote again.

Eddie Cabe

Canton

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To the Editor: 

In a recent article about the sad state of North Carolina teacher salaries, Rep. Michele Presnell was quoted as follows: “We cannot help education until we get a handle on Medicaid. Obamacare has thrown all these additional people in there. That is the problem with giving educators more of a raise.”

Is something wrong with Rep. Presnell’s memory? Last year she voted for Senate Bill 4, No N.C. Exchange/No Medicaid Expansion. This bill became state law March 6, 2013. Medicaid expansion would have changed the Medicaid eligibility rules, allowing very low-income adults to use Medicaid for their health care. The federal government would have paid 100 percent of Medicaid costs for the first three years, then no less than 90 percent for subsequent years.

However, this did not happen in North Carolina because of Senate Bill 4. All who receive Medicaid in North Carolina are subject to the strict Medicaid eligibility rules set by state lawmakers long before the Affordable Care Act. 

The reason the state doesn’t have money to give our teachers a long overdue pay raise is because Republican lawmakers and the governor chose to give big tax cuts to corporations and wealthy individuals while cutting education funding. Rep. Presnell voted for this also.

Any legislator using Medicaid costs as an excuse not to reward our teachers either has convenient amnesia or thinks we are all so stupid we would forget what happened last year.  

Carole Larivee

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

I find it noteworthy that in the March 26 column on Rep. Michele Presnell’s opposition to the proposed 50 percent increase in the room tax there is no clear indication that the writer had attempted to go into depth with Rep. Presnell, R-Burnsville, herself concerning the reasons why she says the bill is “still controversial.” If in fact such an attempt was made, her answer for some reason best known to the editor was not shared with his readers, which would seem to constitute a disservice to them, even in an opinion piece.

It may be that the reason Rep. Presnell opposes the increase has to do with the knowledge that tax increases often have the opposite of their intended effect — in this case by encouraging people to find better deals elsewhere or to stay in places where the room tax rate is the same but where there are more local attractions. It could be that she is aware of the tendency of our local governments to be rather vague and general about what they intend to spend the money on. It might be that she — and a substantial number of her constituents — have concerns about the fairness of imposing a tax that burdens one sector of the local economy but not others. All these reasons may be in play, but we do not know, because either she wasn’t asked or her answer was not shared with us.

I also find it noteworthy that in the same column, when writing of the recent Haywood County GOP resolution opposing the room tax increase, the editor neglected to mention that the vote of delegates from all parts of the county in favor of the resolution was overwhelming. This fact seriously calls into question Commissioner Ensley’s claim that a “small faction” has taken over the county party. This sort of spin is typical — if illogical, given the nature of majority rule — when one’s own faction has been defeated, and that decisively.

 It is also worth noting that Mrs. Presnell’s brief is to represent all her constituents — those who do not serve on elected or appointed boards as well as those who do. These boards (whose political composition is not nearly so bipartisan as Mr. Ensley’s statement would make it appear, by the way) are not supposed to constitute some sort of impermeable barrier between the citizens of the county and their representatives in Raleigh, nor is their opinion necessarily worthy of being given greater weight than that of those citizens whose money they propose to tax and then spend.

 Samuel Edwards

Canton

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op frBy Doug Wingeier • Columnist

For some years now I have been promoting fair trade products as a means of helping organic farmers and cooperatives in the Third World get just prices and living wages, improve living standards, educate their children, build stable communities, and protect the environment from toxic chemicals destructive use of land and water. 

My wife and I use fair trade coffee, tea, cocoa, and chocolate from farmers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia, and Palestinian olive oil — all organic, high quality, and reasonably priced. I sell it at cost, and have encouraged its use at church functions. My interest in this has grown out of visits to coffee farms in Nicaragua, Colombia and Chiapas, Mexico, where I have seen first-hand the struggles of farmers who operate at the mercy of the fluctuating world market with prices set in New York, unpredictable weather patterns, an invasive and destructive rust, and exploitative middlemen called coyotes who buy cheap at the peak of the season from small farmers with no storage facilities. I encourage you to join me in bringing your purchasing and dietary practices into conformity with the values of compassion and justice for the “least of these.”

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Great Smoky Mountains Association earned two first-place awards and four honorable mentions last month for its work in media and partnership. 

The park’s quarterly newspaper, Smokies Guide, garnered first from the Association of Partners for Public Lands in the informational publications category for delivering “well-written content in an engaging style and design.” The video series “An Island in the Sky: Clingamans Dome and the Spruce-fir Forest” got first in electronic media as “a gorgeous video that is thoughtful and insightful.”

www.smokiesinformation.org or 888.898.9102.

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out fishingAnglers will have a chance to compete for $20,000 in tagged fish March 28-30 at the Cast Into Spring Tournament, hosted by the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians.

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 Duke’s profits off the hydroelectric power dam on the Pigeon River in Haywood County have funded another round of environmental water quality projects in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties.

The annual fund was created in 1996 thanks to the Clean Water Act, which requires power companies to provide environmental compensation in exchange for harnessing the river with dams. Ten projects totaling $258,552 were recently awarded by the Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation, including:

• Haywood Waterways Association: $56,000 to continue coordinated community efforts to address water quality issues, implement the Haywood Watershed Action Plan and increase public appreciation of water resources through educational programs and publications. 

• Haywood Waterways Association: $30,800 toward the costs of repairing failing septic systems in the Richland Creek area of Haywood County for low-income homeowners.

• Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council: $14,120 toward the Envirothon and Youth Environmental Stewardship Camp programs that engage middle and high school youth in hands-on learning about water quality issues.   

• Southwestern NC Resource Conservation and Development Council: $30,000 for a stormwater assessment of the Maggie Valley commercial area and creation of a plan to minimize runoff pollution into Jonathan Creek.

• Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy: $20,000 to conduct a natural heritage inventory and update the water quality assessment of the Plott Balsam Mountains, which in turn could help win funding for land conservation. 

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out dukeIdeas are being solicited for riparian habitat enhancement projects in Jackson, Swain and Macon counties as part of Duke Energy’s requirement to carry out conservation projects in exchange for harnessing the region’s rivers with hydroelectric dams.

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out hikerbreakfastAppalachian Trail hikers can get a free breakfast in Franklin through April 11. First Baptist Church in Franklin has offered this four-week period of “trail magic” for eight years, last year feeding 595 hikers from 44 states and seven countries.

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Whether you’re roughing it on the AT or just looking for a fun way to spend your Saturday, several upcoming AT festivals in Western North Carolina are sure to fit the bill. These events celebrate hikers, hiking and all things AT-related, just in time for the glut of through-hikers reaching the area after stepping off from Springer Mountain in Georgia earlier this month.

 

Hiker Haze at Fontana Village

Check out Fontana Village’s AT celebration March 26 and 27. Each day is packed full of events ranging from a corn hole competition to a Native American artifacts presentation. Try your luck at Karaoke or roast the perfect smore over a campfire. The full schedule is online at www.fontanavillage.com/events. 

 

April Fool’s Trail Day in Franklin

Festivities spread across three days, March 28-30, and include everything from guided hikes to movie screenings to a celebration of the Wilderness Act’s 50th anniversary. Check out the schedule and mark your calendar. 

Friday, March 28

• Guided hike to Siler Bald, leaving from Wayah Gap. 4 miles, medium, RSVP 828.369.1983

• 6 p.m. Hiker Bash at Sapphire Inn. Food, trail stories and hiking advice.

Saturday, March 29 

• 11 a.m. to 12 p.m.: Beginning Birding workshop with local birder John Sill. Learn where to look, what they eat, what you need and how to identify local birds. Franklin Town Hall, bottom floor.

• 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.: Path of Life, a presentation from through-hiker and author Amy Allen. Allen’s book Summoning the Mountains: Pilgrimage into Forty tells of the 2006 hike she shared with her two teenage sons as a divorced, single 40-year-old. Franklin Town Hall, bottom floor.

• 2 p.m.: Amy Allen book signing, Franklin Town Hall, bottom floor.

• 1:45 to 2:45 p.m.: Monitoring and Management on the Appalachian Trail, a discussion about citizen science with Appalachian Trail Conservancy resource manager John Odell. Learn about invasive plant control, plant monitoring and life cycles. Franklin Town Hall, bottom floor. 

• 3 to 4 p.m.: The Wilderness Act turns 50:  History and Significance for the Southern Appalachians, a presentation on the significance of the act’s 50th anniversary by Jill Gottesman and Brent Martin of the Wilderness Society. 

• 6 p.m.: Hiker Bash at Sapphire Inn. Food, trail stories and hiking advice.

• Guided hike to Laurel Fork Falls, S.C., 8 miles, strenuous, RSVP 828.586.5723.

• Guided hike to Wayah Tower, 4.2 miles, RSVP 828.524.5298.

• Guided hike to Bartram Trail Loop from Wallace Branch, 2 miles, easy, RSVP 828.369.6820.

Sunday, March 30

• Guided hike to Wine Spring Bald, shuttle from radio tower exit to Wayah Bald entrance, 2 miles, medium, RSVP 828.369.7352.

• Guided hike to Standing Indian Mountain from Deep Gap, 4.8 miles, medium, RSVP 828.369.1983. 

 

AT Founder’s Bridge Festival at Nantahala Outdoor Center

Come out April 4-5 for an event featuring everything from gear repair to training for citizen scientists. Enjoy a hiker’s feast and live music or check out the hiker Olympiad. 

Friday, April 4

• 7 p.m. “Walking With Freedom” movie screened at River’s End Restaurant.

Saturday, April 5

• 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gear repair and vendor fair at Outfitter’s Store.

• 10 a.m. Phenology Training with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy at NOC Outfitter’s Store, a workshop on the importance of monitoring plant and animal life cycles and the process of training citizen scientists to collect data. 

• 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. OBOZ Hiker Olympiad at NOC Outfitter’s Store. 

• 2 p.m. Warrior Hike presentation about a hike organized to raise money for returning military veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress syndrome. At NOC Outfitter’s Store.

• 5 p.m. Osprey Hiker’s Feast at Big Wesser BBQ + Brew

• 6 to 8 p.m. Sourwood Honey plays live at Big Wesser BBQ + Brew

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art mannDirected by Broadway star Terrence Mann, the Tony-Award-winning musical “Les Miserables” will be performed at 7:30 p.m., April 3-5 and at 3 p.m., April 6 in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

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The Haywood County Arts Council has renamed their outdoor summer festival. Previously known as International Festival Day, the name has been changed to ArtFest. 

ArtFest will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, July 19. Though the name has changed, the festival will continue to feature food, live entertainment and children’s activities as it has for the past 28 years. 

Artists and vendors may obtain a festival application at Gallery 86 in Waynesville, or by visiting www.haywoodarts.org online.

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In 2011 a large Hollywood film descended upon North Carolina. It was a secret and it went by the name of “Artemis.” The film was actually “The Hunger Games.” 

As soon as word got out, fans and media starting flocking to the filming locations. One of those locations was DuPont State Recreational Forest near Brevard, which served as the arena in the film.

Since then, the Hunger Games Unofficial Fan Tours have been catering to the film’s fan base. Guided trips have been selling out for the past two years. 

The company offers three types of tours. Day tours are offered for DuPont State Recreational Forest and the Henry River Mill Village, which served as District 12 in the first film of the series. For fans with several days to spend in the area, the company offers a weekend package at Earthshine Discovery Center. 

www.hungergamesunofficialfantours.com

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art bascomArtists transform everyday objects into works of art in the exhibit “Out of the Ordinary,” which runs April 5 through June 15 at The Bascom in Highlands.

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art mortonAn exhibit celebrating the work of photographer Hugh Morton will open with a reception and talk March 27 at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University. 

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Budding artists from across Jackson County were recently recognized during the annual Youth Art Month exhibit hosted by Western Carolina University’s School of Art and Design. The exhibit is part of a nationwide recognition of visual arts programs and the role such programs play in the nation’s public schools.

The exhibit featured work from local students — kindergarten through 12th grade — and opened in February. Winners from the exhibit were announced during a public reception earlier this month at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center.

• Blue Ridge School — first place, Kathryn Potts (10th grade); second place, Alexis Hervert-Mezquite (fifth grade); honorable mention, Destiny Ferra-Martin (10th grade).

• Cherokee Elementary School — first place, Naomi Smith (fifth grade); second place, Miss Nipper’s Class (kindergarten); Teacher’s Choice Award, Aidan Wolfe (third grade); honorable mention, Jaelyn Lossiah (third grade), Eva Gagama (first grade), Eeyannah Catolster-Hernandez (fifth grade), Brandon Martinez (third grade) and Ayina Lambert (seventh grade).

• Cullowhee Valley School — first place, Mariana Ramirez (seventh grade); second place, Noah Hinton (sixth grade); Teacher’s Choice Award, Garrett Lindsay (eighth grade); honorable mention, Leslie Folres (second grade), Lucy McRae (sixth grade), Garrett Lindsay (eighth grade), Jessica Carter (eighth grade), Gracie Ruebel (seventh grade) and Brett Aquino-Lopez (fourth grade).

• Jackson County School of Alternatives — first place, Ronnie (10th grade); second place, Sierra (10th grade); Teacher’s Choice Award, Group Paper Design.

• Fairview School — first place, Peyten Wilson (third grade) Stillwell (third grade); honorable mention, Jack Cathcart (second grade) and Sophie Cathcart (fifth grade).

• Scott’s Creek School — first Place, Dayle Joseph (third grade); second place, Samantha Rosario (fifth grade); Teacher’s Choice Award, Jalyn McSpadden (fourth grade); honorable mention, Keria (second grade), Nevaeh Biddle (second grade), Julianna Welch (fifth grade), Lily Lenart (kindergarten), Emma Colindres (fifth grade), Hayes Stewart (second grade), Sebastian Hornbuckle (second grade), Alexis Hopper (seventh grade) and Will Morris (seventh grade).

• Smokey Mountain Elementary School — first place, Elijah Smoker (fifth grade); second place,  sixth grade class; Teacher’s Choice Award, Katelin Pelkey, (eighth grade); honorable mention, Miley Holder (kindergarten), Abby Branning (second grade) and Malia Little (seventh grade).

• Smoky Mountain High School — first place, Taylor Stack (12th grade); second place, Erin Nicholson (12th grade); Teacher’s Choice Award, Morgan Carpenter (9th grade); honorable mention, Marah Stefanisko (12th grade), Darion Powell (12th grade), Hollis Ayling (11th grade), Kendall Rhymer (10th grade) and Briseida Palestine (10th grade).

• Summit Charter School — first place, Peyton Kaylor (first grade); second place, Jacob Hudson (seventh grade); Teacher’s Choice Award, Colin Stoltzfus (seventh grade); honorable mention, Ajani McIntosh (seventh grade).

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Acclaimed bluegrass acts Balsam Range and The Boxcars will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 4, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. Tickets are $10 and $15.

Balsam Range won the Album of the Year at the 2013 International Bluegrass Music Awards for their record “PAPERTOWN.” Performing around the country and beyond, the group is one of the fastest rising bluegrass ensembles in the music industry today.

www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

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art crookedpineThe 2013-14 First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series continues with Crooked Pine at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 3, in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

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Established and emerging authors of poetry, fiction and creative nonfiction will discuss and read from their works at Western Carolina University during the 12th annual Spring Literary Festival from Monday, March 31 to Friday, April 4, in Cullowhee. All events are free and open to the public and held in the A.K. Hinds University Center theater, unless otherwise noted.

• The Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poets Series featuring Richard Chess will be at noon March 31. The series will also feature student poets Samuel Fox from WCU, Patrick Bahls from the University of North Carolina at Asheville, Teleia Tollison from Spruce Pine and Grace Wester from Odyssey Community School.

• Historian/writer David Cecelski will lead a discussion at 4 p.m., March 31. Cecelski is the author of “The Fire of Freedom: Abraham Galloway and the Slaves’ Civil War.” His work centers on history, race and culture in the American South. Cecelski has been honored with awards including the Outstanding Book Award from the Gustavis Myers Center for the Study of Human Rights.

• Pulitzer Prize-nominated Mexican-American author Luis Alberto Urrea will read from his works at 7:30 p.m., March 31. His focuses include poetry, fiction and nonfiction. A winner of the Lannan Literary Award and Pacific Rim Kiriyama Prize, Urrea uses his dual-culture life experiences to explore greater themes of love, loss and triumph in his writing.

• Appalachian poet Ron Houchin will present at 4 p.m., April 1. Houchin, whose published poetry collections include “The Man Who Saws Us in Half,” has been a recipient of the Poetry Book of the Year from the Appalachian Writers’ Association.

• A tribute to the late Robert Conley will be at 7 p.m., April 1. Conley was WCU’s Sequoyah Distinguished Professor of Cherokee Studies before his death on Feb. 16. The tribute will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a presentation by Native American author Linda Hogan. Conley, who was a registered tribal member of the Cherokee Nation, authored poems, short stories, nonfiction and more than 80 books ranging from The Cherokee Encyclopedia to award-winning Westerns. Hogan, a Pulitzer Prize finalist for her novel “Mean Spirit,” writes books, poetry and essays, and has a special interest in exploring environmental issues and indigenous spiritual traditions and culture in her work.

• Donna Glee Williams and Charles F. Price will present at 4 p.m., April 2. Williams’ first novel “The Braided Path” was released in March and grew out of her award-winning short story that appeared in the anthology “The Year’s Best Science Fiction.” Price has authored historical fiction and nonfiction works ranging from “Hiwasee: A Novel of the Civil War,” set in Western North Carolina, to a book about a terror outbreak in 1863, set in Colorado.

• Fiction writer Jill McCorkle will present at 7 p.m., April 2, in the Community Room at the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva. McCorkle has had five works named New York Times notable books. Her most recent novel, “Life After Life,” was released in November.

• Fiction writer George Singleton will present at 4 p.m., April 3. A Southern author who has written collections of short stories and three novels, Singleton was recipient of the 2011 Hillsdale Award for Fiction by The Fellowship of Southern Writers.

• Award-winning authors Column McCann, Ron Rash and Lisa Consiglio will hold a presentation about their work with the organization Narrative 4 at 7:30 p.m., April 3 in the Coulter Building at WCU. Narrative 4 is a global organization that seeks social change through encouraging diverse people to share stories in a way that builds empathy and understanding. McCann is the Irish-American author of “Let the Great World Spin” and “TransAtlantic,” and co-founder of Narrative 4. Rash is the WCU Parris Distinguished Professor of Appalachian Culture and author of acclaimed books including “Serena,” “One Foot in Eden,” “Saints at the River” and “The World Made Straight.” Consiglio is the executive director and co-founder of Narrative 4.

• On April 4, there will be several presentations in the University Center theater by more than a dozen authors from the WCU community. Faculty and staff members who will present at 10 a.m. are Mary Adams, Catherine Carter, Deidre Elliott, Rosemary Peek and Rash. Alumni writers and artists presenting at 11 a.m. will be Anna Browning, Josh Crawford, Caroline Holland and T.J. Holland. Alumni authors presenting at 1 p.m. are Sue Ellen Bridgers, George Frizzell, Dawn Gilchrist-Young, Leah Hampton and David Joy. Students will present at 2 p.m.

Festival sponsors include WCU’s Visiting Writers Series, Department of English, College of Arts and Sciences, ACE series, Parris Distinguished Professorship, Office of the Chancellor, Office of the Provost and Division of Student Affairs and the Jackson County Public Library and North Carolina Center for the Advancement of Teaching. The project also received support from the N.C. Arts Council, a division of the Department of Cultural Resources.

www.litfestival.org or www.wcu.edu or 828.227.3926

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To the Editor:

Here is what I think about Jackson County’s revised steep slope ordinance: self-serving, self-serving and self-serving.

But here’s the real question: what does one think the results will be when you elect or appoint builders, developers and realtors as county commissioners or members of planning boards?

Frank Parrish

Sylva

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To the Editor:

Just an observation that I am sure others have made also, but what about all the trash along the roadside all over our beautiful Haywood County? People what is going on? What happened to all the volunteer groups that have their signs posted for being responsible for those areas? All along N.C. 209, Richland Creek, the access roads, it’s crazy. Soon the summer growth will creep over to hide some of the garbage, but this has got to stop. No wonder tons of junk winds up in Lake Junaluska. Please stop throwing trash out of your window. It is a shame and a big eyesore.  

Mylan Sessions

Clyde

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To the Editor:

I attended a political club meeting last night. I purchased tickets for a fundraiser — a dinner — to be held in a few weeks. I was asked to please provide user names, addresses and phone numbers on the back of tickets. I assumed it was simply a handy way to gain names for future contact. I was wrong.

During the course of the meeting I learned why this was necessary when another attendee spoke about experience gained as a past candidate for office. A goodly sum of money had been donated during a fund raiser. All money had been raised from individual attendees’ donations, a cake auction, and other enjoyable contests. These funds, relatively small from private friends and like-thinking persons, were necessary to pay the expenses of the campaign and were required to be reported. Not easily. Not simply. Not in lump sum. Each donation had to be reported individually, person by person. It took the candidate, who naturally did not have a staff, many after-work hours over four days time to fill out the required forms to report each donation.

Most candidates for local government do not have an office or staff to care for the nitty-gritty required by election laws that are designed to keep campaign spending honest. Indeed, they’re lucky to have willing family members or a few personal friends to help.

Similar rules apply to all politically connected organizations, clubs and political party offices. Funds need to be accounted for. Who they’re from, and how they’re spent. Keeping our campaigns and elections honest! Remember that word, “honest!”

This is incredibly labor-intensive as we compare these relatively minuscule donations to the huge donations and spending of dark money from nefarious political action groups. Particularly evidenced are enormous fund amounts funneled and tracked from state to state in order to promote their desired candidates for office, intentionally skewing the balance of power, with obvious purpose to influence these candidates’ future votes in state and national offices.

We all want honesty in our elections, but honestly, is this honest? Look at the other unnecessary recently enacted requirements for future N.C. elections, hindering the peoples’ right to vote but all purported to be in the name of honesty! Really?

We the voting public, no matter our political party, can’t tolerate this hypocrisy? Think about it. It’s our voting rights at stake. Who, or what, is running you and me? Do you tolerate or even support this? We invent, impose and keep some rules of honesty, but discard others? Large coalitions of corporate big money are OK, but we peasants (you know, we the people) are to be tabulated?

Where’s the oversight? Where are the regulations? Where oh where is this endlessly touted honesty? 

Shirl Ches

Franklin

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To the Editor:

Welfare cheats. It seems that every conservative has a favorite story about how someone on public assistance is cheating the system. Food stamp cards used for fancy food, having babies to get more money, living off unemployment, phony disabilities claims; all these takers are wasting my tax money. It does not matter if these stories are true or not. Conservatives believe them, and they are mad. More proof, to them, that we are heading into a socialist hell.

There is no doubt, given human nature, that there are bad people out there cheating the system. Every government program, in fact any system involving money, can be cheated. And, until we as humans evolve to a higher level of spirituality, it will always be thus.

But why pick on welfare cheats, who in fact are very few in real numbers, and whose actual cost to the taxpayer is minor compared to say, actual tax cheats. Why not get mad about the people who really cost the taxpayers tens of billions every year? How about giant agribusinesses that are paid not to grow food? What about billionaire investment bankers who pay a lower tax rate for moving money around than we pay for actual work, or giant multinational oil companies that pay no tax at all while making huge profits on the American market? Where is the outrage?

The answer is simple. It’s called the golden rule: “He who has the gold makes the rules.” While the 1 percent grows even more wealthy and more powerful, they need a diversion to keep the voters’ attention off of them. It is a classic case of blame your troubles on the other. Powerful interests have been using this tactic since the time of Machiavelli.

The poor, the disabled, minorities, the slackers, the “takers” are the ones to blame. We are bombarded by story after story about how these cheaters are dragging this country into dreaded socialism. Whether it is right wing media or Paul Ryan, the story is always the same: those “other” people are cheating the government out of our tax money.

Of course the facts, those pesky facts, show just the opposite. Socialism is the distribution of wealth from the rich to the poor. What we have in the United States of America, however, is just the opposite. The middle class is disappearing, real income is decreasing, and the effective tax rate for the wealthy is at a historic low. The concentration  of wealth at the top is now greater than any time in U.S. history.

So the next time you hear a story about some surfer dude who is using his food stamp card to buy wax for his surf board, remember that someone of great wealth is paying a good-looking talking head to tell you that story, over and over and over again.

Louis Vitale

Franklin

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To the Editor:

Every two or three years I read in the newspaper that a homeowner shot an intruder. Typically, the homeowner hears a noise during the night, gets his gun and flashlight and goes downstairs with his wife hanging on his shoulder. He opens the door to the garage and sees a man trying to steal his new Cadillac and he blows him away.

The perpetrator is not armed, and the homeowner is now on trial for manslaughter and facing several years in jail. These scenarios happen all the time across the country because people think that they have a license to kill anyone in their home. Just last week, a local jerk told me: “If I shoot someone on my porch, I will drag him in the house so I am covered”. 

This is a common misperception. In North Carolina, we have a Castle Law that allows certain protections in your home, your place of business or in your vehicle. It includes the camper or tent you use when camping. The law makes the assumption that if someone is in the process of breaking into your home, they are not doing so to sell you a Bible. The law presumes there is an intent to commit an unlawful act involving force or violence, and you have a right to shoot them while they are in the process of breaking in, if you fear you will lose your life. 

Once the person is physically in your home, the circumstances change. If the perpetrator is armed with anything that can cause serious physical harm or death, and you fear for your life, you can shoot them. However, if there is no sign that they are armed, and they are simply there to steal something, you may not shoot. You can use physical force to protect your property, but not deadly physical force. 

For example, say you come home from shopping one evening, open your door, and you see two guys in your living room holding your new HD TV in their arms and about to walk out. If there is no sign that they are armed, you may not shoot them. Remember, we have no death penalty for larceny or grand theft, regardless of the value of the item.

In any situation where an intruder is armed with anything that could kill you, even a screwdriver in his hand, you can shoot to protect your life. You must be able to state that you feared for your life and the facts must back up that statement.

In North Carolina there is no “citizens arrest.” There is no provision to shoot someone who decides to flee, armed or not. It will be difficult for you to explain exit wounds in the perpetrators chest, or why you shot an unarmed person. In this area, you would have to be nuts to break into an occupied house because most homeowners have a gun for protection. 

It is the drugs that give the criminal the false courage to do so. The drugs also give the criminal a false sense of security. He believes you will not shoot him, especially if you are a woman, or are old, and very often they will charge at you to take your gun away. Warn them to stay back, and if they come at you, and you fear for your life, you may shoot to protect yourself. It takes eight hours to explain these laws in the Concealed Carry Pistol Permit classes. In any event, where you may use a firearm to protect yourself there is a firm requirement that you understand the laws of self-defense, whether or not you want a concealed carry pistol permit. The basic rule is that you must be in fear of losing your life!

Jim Sottile

NC Certified Firearms Instructor

Franklin

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Macon County commissioners unanimously approved the first round of bids to begin construction of a $3.8 million sports complex in Franklin.

The county will pay CTech, a Franklin-based engineering company, $49,750 for site plans, geotechnical engineering and construction oversight. Commissioners also accepted two bids from Ritter Architecture, another Franklin company. For $10,000, the company will design a building to double as a concession stand and scorer’s booth, and $6,000 will go toward designing a pavilion. 

The bids are the first concrete step the county has taken toward turning a 48-acre property it bought last year for $550,000 into a tournament-level ballfield complex. Last month, commissioners decided in a split vote to go ahead with development plans estimated to cost $3.3 million. The result will be a full-on recreation park complete with eight baseball and softball fields, a soccer field, a nine-hole disc golf course, hiking trails and picnic shelters. 

Proponents of the project hail it as an opportunity to engage the county’s youth in sports, while bringing dollars into the community through baseball and softball tournaments. Its detractors contend that those economic benefits are trumped up and that it’s not wise to sink money into a massive capital project during a recession. 

— By Holly Kays

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The Lake Junaluska Peace Conference, taking place March 27-30, will feature six leadership speakers from across the globe. The speakers will talk about the role faith communities have in combating disease, violence and poverty — often the causes of poor health. 

Dr. Christoph Benn, former member of the Global Fund, will be a keynote speaker at the conference. It will also feature local speakers, workshops and panels, including a presentation by practitioners of alternative spiritual approaches to health care.

Benn moved to southern Tanzania in 1988 to work as a doctor-in-charge at a rural hospital — young people were dying unexplained deaths. This was just at the beginning of the AIDS epidemic that would hit Africa.

Benn has more than 20 years of experience in global health, including stints as a clinician in the United Kingdom and as deputy director of the German Institute for Medical Mission, during which time he helped to initiate several pilot projects to implement antiretroviral treatment in Botswana, Kenya and Russia. 

Those efforts by Benn led in part to the establishment of The Global Fund in 2002, an international financial institution that so far has mobilized $40 billion dollars and developed partnerships between government, civil society, the private sector and communities living with the diseases to fight AIDS, TB and malaria in more than 140 countries. 

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a key supporter of the fund, has contributed or pledged $1.4 billion, and President Obama pledged up to $5 billion dollars over the next three years.

In addition to Benn, other conference speakers include: 

• Dr. Gary Gunderson, vice president of Faith and Health Ministries at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem.

• Dr. James Cochrane, professor in the Department of Religious Studies and senior research associate in the School of Public Health and Family Medicine at the University of Cape Town, South Africa.

• Dr. Henry Perry, founder of Andean Rural Health Care and senior associate at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

• Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, presiding bishop of the Raleigh area of the United Methodist Church.

Organizers of the conference view the event as an ongoing response to God’s call to peacemaking and reconciliation. Affirming the community of Abrahamic faiths, the conference seeks to work in partnership with Christians, Jews, Muslims and members of other religious traditions to advance the work of reconciliation and peace. 

www.lakejunaluska.com/peace or 800.222.4930.

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