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By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Approximately 80 workers will be laid off from Cashier’s Consolidated Metco plastics plant beginning in January in the largest downsizing in Jackson County since the Ashley Company furniture plant closed in 2002.

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By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Repairs along a section of trail on the Little Tennessee Greenway in Macon County damaged by hurricane flooding have been completed and the trail reopened for use, marking the end of a successful season for Friends of the Greenway.

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An effort to install wireless Internet service throughout Downtown Waynesville is making a year-end push for donations.

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By Jason Kimenker • Guest Columnist

Winter has arrived, and the holiday season is in full swing. Wonderful and warm traditions of family and community bring us together in this cherished season.

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It’s not always about the money, at least not at first. That’s a point to keep in mind as the methane gas recovery project in Jackson County continues to move forward.

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Residents of Western North Carolina confronted many important issues in 2005, whether it was another chapter unfolding in an ongoing political feud or deep philosophical challenges like balancing growth and preservation. As we wrote about these events, the common thread was the human element, people trying to come to grips with change while holding onto what’s important. We searched our archives and retrieved some of the more interesting quotes from the stories of the past year.

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Outdoor recreation and the environment go hand in hand. Paddlers like clean rivers, hikers prefer old-growth forests over those that have been logged, road bikers generally disapprove of red alert ozone days and fishermen hate it when the property adjacent to their favorite fishing hole turns into a gated community.

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Nature’s lessons

A $105,000 grant from North Carolina’s GlaxoSmithKline Foundation to Friends of the Smokies will connect several hundred teachers in North Carolina with the resources of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park over the next four years.

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The world of outdoor recreation had several milestones this year, especially in the whitewater arena.

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For the past two years the Smoky Mountain News has culled Top 10 Albums of the Year lists from avid music listeners across our coverage area — a task both challenging and educational.

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By Joe Hooten

Throughout the 1700s, immigrants from European nations began pouring into the 13 colonies with dreams that were as unique as the people themselves, they fanned out all across the eastern seaboard and eventually made their way into the backcountry of our great state.

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out natcornI’ve recently been seeing lots of posts like these on Carolina Birders’ FaceBook page:

“… My pine siskins have departed, I am sad to say. I have not seen one in a week... It was such a pleasure having them in abundance, this year. I hope that they return, next winter!”

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Hiker Haze Weekend will welcome the season’s first Appalachian Trail thru-hikers at Fontana Village Resort March 25-26, along with a ceremony honoring the town of Fontana Dam as an official trail community.

The two-day Hiker Haze events will include presentations on native plants and Native American artifacts, karaoke for hikers, disc golf, a corn hole competition, guitar jamming and a campfire. Trail fans and local hikers are welcome to join the fun, as well as bona fide AT thru-hikers.

A program at noon Thursday, March 26, will recognize Fontana Dam as the newest Appalachian Trail Community, under the auspice of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. A short guided hike will follow at 2:30 p.m.

Representatives from a spectrum of organizations will attend and speak, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, U.S. Forest Service, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Appalachian National Scenic Trail, Fontana Dam town council and the offices of U.S. Congressman Mark Meadows and U.S. Senator Richard Burr.

www.fontanavillage.com. 

 

More AT celebrations to come

Thru-hiking season is nearly here, and towns along the Appalachian Trail in Western North Carolina are gearing up for their annual offerings of festivals and outdoor-related programs to help thru-hikers and townies alike celebrate the trail. With festivals in Franklin, Nantahala Outdoor Center, Fontana Dam and Hot Springs — as well as a month-long lineup of programs at the Macon County Public Library — there will be plenty going on. Trail volunteers have been at work getting the trail and shelters ready in anticipation of an uptick in AT hikers, following the movies “Wild” and A Walk in the Woods,” which chronicle long-distance hiking journeys.

Be sure to pick up next week’s issue of The Smoky Mountain News for a full roundup of AT-related programs and events in the area. 

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The Annual Ozone Season Kickoff will unveil the state of Western North Carolina’s air quality in 2014 with a program held 8:30 to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 31, at the Land of Sky Regional Council office in Asheville. 

Ground-level ozone, a dangerous compound that forms from pollution in the presence of sunlight, can present summertime health hazards to humans and harm plant and animal life as well. North Carolina has been seeing a downward trend since 1999, with 2013 coming in as the lowest season on record — an outcome likely due to a combination of state and federal regulations to improve air quality and cool weather that summer. 

Speakers from the N.C. Division of Air Quality, Duke Energy, the WNC Regional Air Quality Agency and the Land of Sky Clean Vehicles Coalition will discuss conditions, trends and initiatives for their improvement. 

Free, with registration required. www.conta.cc/1EDBNpn

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out lakejEach year, the Family Nature Summit is held in some part of the country known for its special beauty and recreation value. This year, it will be based in Lake Junaluska, June 27 to July 3.

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out familynatureBy Danny Bernstein • Guest columnist

When I first thought about taking my granddaughter, Hannah, on an outdoor experience, I looked at various intergenerational offerings but realized that she and I would be doing the same activities.

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out whitewaterThe Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29.

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out burnA 550-acre prescribed burn will start soon near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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To the Editor:

Sen. Tom Tillis, R-N.C., is probably not a traitor, but he surely is an embarrassment to the state of North Carolina.

About as soon as his hand came down from swearing in, he allowed as how restaurant workers should not be compelled by law to wash their hands after a restroom visit. Government was being a big bully in this case by forcing them to wash their hands. 

So, if we take Tom’s logic to its logical conclusion, we shouldn’t have to pay taxes, obey speed limits, or bother with fishing regulations. That’s just government being a  big bully.   

But the issue of Tillis being a traitor has to do with this smarmy letter to which he put his signature, the one that advises the nation of Iran to ignore the President of the United States, the chief foreign policy officer of the nation. Citizens and even senators are constrained by law from negotiating foreign policy with foreign governments. The law has been on the books for almost as long as the U.S. has been a nation. Tillis and 46 other senators chose to ignore it.

Realistically, because of his office, Tillis and the “gang of 47” will not be tried in federal court for treason. Too often holders of high office and position escape punishment due them.  

But there is a price to be paid for political stupidity and embarrassing those who elected you. Tillis can be tried in the court of public opinion and found to be ... irrelevant.

Rick Bryson   

Bryson City 

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To the Editor:

For years I have promoted downtown. I tell my friends to shop locally, eat at our local restaurants and enjoy our festivals. If the smoking ban goes into effect, I won’t be doing any of those things anymore.

That means I will not be coming to your store for my Christmas shopping sprees. I will no longer spend money at the kitchen store, jewelry store, fish market or general store.

I will not be coming to your restaurant with my family and friends. I will not be dropping into your pub for a local brew. I will not be bringing my out-of-town guests for a visit to quaint downtown Waynesville for shopping and dining.

Think about it. I won’t be the only one.

Bob Nowakowski

Waynesville

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Haywood Community College’s Creative Arts Professional Crafts and Continuing Education departments recently participated in the American Craft Council show March 13-15 in Atlanta. 

This initiative is designed by the American Craft Council to bridge the gap between educational curriculum in craft and the marketplace by providing undergraduate students a venue for a curated, collective exhibition of their work.

HCC was among more than 250 of the country’s most talented contemporary jewelry, clothing, furniture and home decor artists. The platform highlighted the talents cultivated by the emerging artists in the Creative Arts Program and exposed the work generated in the program at a national level.

The American Craft Council (ACC) is a national, nonprofit educational organization founded in 1943 with a mission to promote understanding and appreciation of contemporary American craft.

828.565.4240 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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art ronrashThe film adaptation of the Ron Rash novel The World Made Straight will make its Western North Carolina big-screen premiere at 3 and 7 p.m. Monday, March 23, in the A.K. Hinds Center at Western Carolina University.

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art diffieCountry star Joe Diffie will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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art rollerderbyThe Smoky Mountain Rollergirls and their junior league The Lil’ Nemesisters will open the 2015 home season with a doubleheader at 4:30 p.m. March 21 at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City.

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ingles dietitianQUESTION: A friend told me about your “Taste of Local” events but I have never gone to one. What are they and when is the next one? 

ANSWER: Our “Taste of Local” events are a way for our customers to meet some of our local farmers and vendors.

The public is invited to mingle with researchers from around the world March 19-21 during the annual conference of Discover Life In America, whose mission is to inventory every species that makes its home in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

The conference, based in Gatlinburg, includes a full slate of lectures and field trips, including basic field botany with retired Western Carolina University professor Dan Pittillo and a hands-on salamander study in creeks around the Chimneys with Susan Sachs, education coordinator at the Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center in the park. 

www.dlia.org.

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A campaign to introduce homeowners and businesses to the option of solar energy is underway in Jackson, Haywood, Macon and Swain counties.

The first in a series of forums exploring the viability of small-scale solar will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 17, at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Cullowhee. 

The Solarize WNC campaign, a partnership of The Canary Coalition and Clean Energy for WNC, aims to outline a clear, profitable path for people, businesses, nonprofits and government entities to adopt solar and energy efficiency technology. The sessions will include information about the technologies; details about tax credits, utility rebates and financing; a chance to meet experienced installers and a question-and-answer session.  

Future forums will be held in Franklin, Waynesville, Bryson City, Canton, Highlands and Cherokee between now and summer. 

Free. Register at www.cleanenergyfor.us/clean-energy-for-wnc.

The Canary Coalition, 828.631.3447 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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out naturephotogLes Saucier, a professional nature photographer, will speak at the Sylva Photo Club at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Cullowhee Methodist Church.

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out bbqA U.S. Forest Service project aiming to improve wildlife habitat and forest health will allow logging, fire, thinning and other forest management techniques in a small area of the Nantahala National Forest on the Swain and Macon county line.

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Outdoor lovers will get a chance to see some of the best locally made gear during Outdoor Gear Builders of Western North Carolina’s inaugural Get in Gear Fest, slated for noon to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at RiverLink Park in Asheville. 

The event will include gear demos, clinics, local beer, raffles and games including tug-of-war and a paddle down the French Broad River. But it will all center around Outdoor Gear Builders of WNC’s spirited network of manufacturers who make equipment for everything from climbing to caving to hiking. 

The mountain region’s 26 outdoor gear manufacturers provide 470 jobs and pump more than $6 million into the 24-county area. The outdoor industry sector is growing, too, with new manufacturers continually joining the Outdoor Gear Builders network. 

www.outdoorgearbuilders.com

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out sylvansportBrevard-based SylvanSport has been named a finalist in the internationally renowned Edison Awards for its product GO, a lightweight pull-behind trailer that functions as a camper and versatile outdoor gear hauler. The awards, inspired by revered inventor Thomas Edison’s persistence and inventiveness, recognize innovation, creativity and ingenuity. 

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To the Editor:

You're 83 years old, on a fixed income of out-of-state retirement and Social Security, living in Franklin. Your 2013 North Carolina state tax was $37. You get your 2014 state tax done by AARP as usual, and you are informed that you owe $227 N.C. state tax. Your income has not increased, you own no property, nothing has changed, just the tax laws.

“How is that possible?” you scream. You are retired in another state, under the new tax law passed by the legislators in their Raleigh power center, this leaves you deprived of the tax deduction you were always entitled to. That's the explanation given.

You have to pay the $227 by April 15 or you pay that plus interest. This you are also advised. It isn't going to be easy. You have rent and everything that goes with that, plus other bills. The extra $227 was not budgeted. 

You have two check periods, March and April to deduct $100 from each only from your food budget. This leaves very little for food, for prescriptions and leaves out medically prescribed supplements. You’re on a special diet due to health problems. For two months you are in serious health and financial trouble.

I had heard that families with children would no longer receive the earned income credit for each child. These are working families who can ill afford to lose these deductions.

The new tax bill adversely affects mainly working families and middle-class seniors who didn’t come to North Carolina loaded with excess cash.

I am the senior and the new tax certainly hurts me. Of course, the legislators representing this area, like Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and Rep. Roger West, R-Marble, and N.C. Gov. McCrory could care less. They just make certain their extremely wealthy constituents stay ahead of the game maintaining the tax loopholes which those less moneyed never had.

Sleep well harmful legislators. Pray constantly for God's forgiveness for the harm you do.

Selma V. Sparks

Franklin

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art musclesThe inaugural Western North Carolina Natural Bodybuilding & Physique Federation Competition will be at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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art langstonhughesThe Langston Hughes Project, a multimedia concert highlighting a “jazz poem” written by the late poet, novelist, playwright and social activist, will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 19, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.

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art bodhranThe bodhran, a traditional percussion instrument of Ireland, will be the focus of two presentations Thursday, March 19, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.

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ingles dietitianQUESTION: What are the different grades of meat and what does it mean?

ANSWER: The major grades of meat are: Prime, Choice, Select. These are known as “quality grades” and reflect the tenderness and juiciness of the meat due to marbling (fat content) of the meat.

ingles dietitianQUESTION: I have heard a lot about quinoa but I don’t know how to cook it.

ANSWER: Quinoa is often called an “ancient grain” and it is a relative of spinach. It is primarily cultivated in South America and is gluten-free.

To the Editor:

If you are over 65 (and maybe even younger) you will remember a wonderful phenomenon of the good old days. And what was this marvel? The doctor who made house calls!

What a source of comfort he was. As a child, I remember he would examine me, and then sit on the bed holding my hand and uttering soothing words. I bet many of you remember his cheerful bedside manner and the touch of his cool hand on your forehead.

Not every illness or injury is serious enough to warrant being in a hospital. But some are too serious for the poor patient to have to manage to drive to a doctor’s office (particularly in bad weather) and sit in a waiting room for half an hour. 

But what has happened? Now, everything is “call 911” or ”go to Urgent Care.” But a house call? Never!  

Now, 911 is important and can save lives. Urgent Care is a good alternative from having to rush to a hospital. But, they are impersonal. And that’s the key word to describe medicine today.

Which brings an idea to mind. Are there three or four family doctors in Haywood County who would be willing to form a small consortium of “Docs who would make house calls?” Think about it. These few doctors could share patient information and take turns in making house calls. These calls would be made among their own patients, not necessarily the whole county at large. It might inspire other consortiums to be formed.

Not only would it provide a good income for the medical men involved, but would inspire great gratitude and comfort in the hearts of their patients.

And maybe bring back a little of the compassion of the good old days.

My husband and I would immediately become patients of any doctor who was part of this. Wouldn’t you?

JoAnna and Richard Swanson

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

Religious folk love to talk about Armageddon and the Apocalypse with almost all major religions predicting some sort of end times. Who knows, maybe there’s some sort of ESP subconsciously telling us that eventually life, as we know it, will cease to exist on this planet. It’s happened before, several times in fact. Scientists tell us that at one point there were no more than a few thousand humans left.

Caught up in our own daily personal survival, we go through our daily routines with no thought to the future, much less the distant future, living for today only.

Environmentalists fuss about CO2 emissions but ignore discussing over-population for fear of bringing the wrath of the religious down on them. But over-population is the most threatening single issue we have on this planet as it requires humans to use up more and more of our natural resources and eventually our resources will be gone entirely.

No one knows for certain when — perhaps in 50 years or so — that the Middle East will eventually give out of oil, which is their only source of riches. Once that happens, they are doomed unless they can come up with some alternative power source such as nuclear power instead of oil. Even then they will not be able to feed their rapidly expanding population.

Egypt’s population alone will almost double at the current birth rate to 140 million by 2050, but with jobs for less than 20 million. The result, along with much of the Middle East and Africa, is people are migrating to Europe and other countries. About 200,000 are expected to head for Italy this year alone.

Much of South America is over-populated with insufficient natural resources. The lack of jobs cause people to migrate to the United States where they can reside until our own resources disappear.

About 95 percent of Venezuela’s money comes from oil, and once that is gone, who knows what will happen?

Unfortunately, we don’t have finite resources either. Eventually, we will use up our underground water and when that happens farmers will be going broke by the thousands followed by national food shortages. Fresh water is our most valuable resource.

As our population grows and we can’t feed everyone, we may have to follow China in their forced abortions and allow only one child per American family. Worldwide, we may see abortions in the billions, perhaps even millions here in the U.S. Lack of fresh water to grow crops and the resulting starvation of millions will give us no other option.

Overpopulation is something that we need to begin discussions on.

Bob Wilson

Franklin

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To the Editor:

Political parties have almost destroyed our country. The greed and self-interest of both political parties have consciously eroded the rights granted to us by God and protected by our Constitution. This document is unique in history and guarantees us that the government cannot infringe on the enumerated rights, yet in their unending thirst for power, the two parties have stripped us of many of our “inalienable rights,” leaving us at the mercy of runaway power grabbing political parties.

Our government and the two major parties have been on a binge of spending the futures of coming generations. They have destroyed the respect of our allies and diminished our ability to defend the country from aggressive adversaries.

If we are to take back the country, we must elect a President that is truly unencumbered by special interests and party pressure. Is it time to let the magic of free markets grow our economy and restore the job growth needed to allow all Americans to prosper as a direct result of their efforts. We have the tools of the greatest economic engine in the history of the world.

Accountability and responsibility must protect the allocation of the taxes collected from working Americans. The 10th Amendment of the Constitution is very specific as to the authority of the federal government, assigning all other activities to the states. Not being a constitutional lawyer, even I can understand what our founders meant. Getting back to that division of powers will not be easy, but we must do just that to maximize the value of taxpayer money.

Shrimp on treadmills do not deliver full value to the taxpayers. 

Several departments in our government need to be completely eliminated, lowering the deficit and helping stop the growth of our debt. 

An effective leader does not consider himself, or herself, the smartest person in the room. They surround themselves with qualified subordinates and then listen to them and let them do their jobs.

Would you support a business, non-party-affiliated, candidate for President?

Bruce Gardner

Waynesville

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To the Editor:

If we really want to defeat ISIL, restore calm, and some semblance of peace in the Middle East, we would take one third of what we are spending on war in the whole region and spend it on a Marshall Plan (some may remember that is what “won the peace” after World War II) to restore infrastructure, water and renewable power with less emphasis on fossil fuel so people can go about their daily lives and businesses in safety. Our bombing campaign and troops only provide recruiting tools for terrorists and disruption, displacement and death for civilians. So far the only "winners" are the war profiteers who are bankrupting the U.S. financially and morally.  

If ISIL is such a serious threat to the U.S. that it requires a bill to authorize another open-ended use of military force, no such authorization should be granted without a clear plan, the re-instatement of the draft so we have enough troops to achieve it, and putting a 5 percent surtax on those making less than the congressional salary and a 10 percent surtax on those making the same or more (currently $174,000) to pay for the cost of the war. The tax will expire when the war is over. If it really is a national security issue, we all need “some skin in the game,” not just 1 percent of us.

Jane Harrison

Waynesville

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Four arrests were made yesterday (March 3) in connection with a Halloween party last fall that allegedly involved underage drinking and resulted in the alleged statutory rape of a 14-year-old girl.

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Several Western North Carolina conservationists earned a spot in Wild South’s annual list of nominees for the Roosevelt-Ashe Conservation Awards, an honor that recognizes outstanding work to protect wild places and wild things in the South.

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out badbuttercupsA new invasive plant species is springing up in moist, nutrient-rich soils across eastern North America and has been spotted in six North Carolina counties, including Swain.

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out catvalleyJanuary was a record-setting month for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with 351,670 visitors, achieving a lifetime visitation of 500 million — more than any other national park service unit aside from the Blue Ridge Parkway and Golden Gate National Recreation Area in California.

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out cheekinsFarmers in Western North Carolina will branch out with new crops and alternative growing methods, thanks to 31 grants totaling $168,000 given out by WNC AgOptions.

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out treecityWaynesville was named a 2014 Tree City USA by the Arbor Day Foundation, keeping running a streak that began in 2008. The designation recognizes a town’s commitment to keeping healthy trees a prominent part of the urban environment. 

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art plazasuiteNeil Simon’s comedy hit, “Plaza Suite” will hit the stage at 7:30 p.m. March 5-7 and at 3 p.m. March 8 in the Feichter Studio at the Haywood Arts Regional Theatre in Waynesville.

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