By Mark Jaben

Last time, we talked about EMTALA (the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act), managed care and how far the pendulum has swung, leading to decreased capacity in the system. The availability and provision of health care is not determined by system planning, but by unintended downstream effects, resulting in uneven, unfair health care rationing. Do the rules of the system still work?

By Chris Cooper

Though Sylva might not qualify as a simmering hotbed of musical and cultural hipness, to a degree it does have it’s own thing going on. We have a reasonable variety of musicians and bands, with several — even some surprising — genres represented.

The New Yorker

Waynesville’s James Joyce is not only an excellent writer (as evidenced in his latest work Use Eagles If Necessary). He’s also a guy who appreciates fine writing.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Cable subscribers in Jackson and Macon counties are facing the possibility of losing local ABC affiliate WLOS Channel 13 unless cable provider Mediacom and Sinclair Broadcast Group can reach an equitable agreement before Dec. 1.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Officials with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on Monday unveiled plans for a new Associate in Fine Arts degree focusing on Native American art to be offered in collaboration with Southwestern Community College.

It’s time to change the voting laws and procedures in North Carolina to reflect today’s reality and to help alleviate a confusing situation that could hurt candidates and confuse voters.

By Michael Beadle

Like artists inspired by the drama of their own lives, some art studios have their own back story.

By Chris Cooper

Music, and the artists that make it, have no choice but to evolve as time goes by. For many rock-oriented instrumentalists that came into prominence during the 80s, this has been a difficult thing.

“Dexter”

There is so much bad television that I’m usually way behind the curve on good new shows because I lack the time or patience to wade through the dreck to find the occasional jewel. But I could not resist this show, which debuted a few weeks ago on Showtime, because it stars Michael C. Hall, who played David Fisher on the late, great, and much mourned “Six Feet Under.” Hall’s new show takes his old show’s La Danse Macabre to a new level altogether — the protagonist is a serial killer, albeit a serial killer who kills only people who “deserve it.” Hall is such an amazing actor that he somehow manages to make Dexter sympathetic without pandering and without the script conveniently providing a backstory of cliches that are supposed to account for the character’s tormented behavior. The show is well written and smartly paced, and the cast, although comprised mainly of relative unknowns, is good enough that Hall will not have to carry the show alone. In just five episodes, it has already become our favorite show. I wish Rachel Griffiths’ (Brenda, from “Six Feet Under”) new show, “Brothers and Sisters,” were half as good, but I had to bail after just two episodes because I found the show too weepy and cloying to bear, and the entire family — every brother and every sister — insufferable. If Dexter were somehow to make a guest appearance, that herd of whiners would be thinned considerably. I’d tune in for that.

Tom Petty, Highway Companion

Can it really be 30 years since Petty first invaded FM radio with American Girl, followed three years later by his breakthrough album, Damn the Torpedoes, an album right up there with Peter Frampton’s Frampton Comes Alive, Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, and Cheap Trick’s Live at Budokan as 70s albums that EVERYBODY had and knew by heart. Highway Companion hardly marks a comeback for Petty — he’s been slugging away all these years, producing records on a regular basis with and without the Heartbreakers, but this is the first one since 1989’s Full Moon Fever to really register with me. Fast ones, slow ones, Mike Campbell on guitar ... all in all, vintage Petty. And on a sunny summer day tooling down the highway listening to FM radio, I’d as soon hear half a dozen of these songs as “Refugee.”

— By Chris Cox

An ongoing lawsuit against the owners of Smoky Mountain Golf Course alleges numerous problems with the course’s management under its out-of-state owners.

Recreation programs in Haywood County could get a huge boost from tourism dollars if commissioners follow through on a recommendation made at the Monday work session.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

About 80 area residents gathered at the Jackson County Recreation Center Thursday night to learn more about the county’s new land development plan and discuss the future of growth.

Haywood County Commissioners made several changes to the slope development ordinance before passing it. The ordinance kicks in when a cut-and-fill slope exceeds a certain threshold. That threshold is what commissioners altered. Here’s the net effect of the changes:

• Proposed: A slope stabilization plan is required for any cut-and-fill slope taller than 10 feet.

• Change: This measure was eliminated.

• Proposed: A slope stabilization plan is required for any earth moving activity on natural slope cuts that exceeds 40 percent.

• Change: This measure was eliminated.

• Proposed: A slope stabilization plan is required for a cut slope that exceeds a 1 to 1 ratio of run to rise.

• Change: Applies only to slope cuts that exceed 15 feet in height.

• Proposed: A slope stabilization plan is required for a fill slope that exceeds a 1.5 to 1 ratio of run to rise.

• Change: Applies only to slopes that exceed 15 feet in height.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

The Macon County Planning Board wants county commissioners to enact a moratorium on any construction over 38 feet in height to temporarily stop construction of a 10-story high-rise condominium just outside of Highlands.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Most business and property owners have reacted positively to a Downtown Sylva Association proposal to create a municipal service district that would tax the downtown area to pay for improvements, say DSA officials.

By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer

Several area governments are taking steps to keep constituents who subscribe to Mediacom cable service from losing the local ABC affiliate and with it their only source of local news.

The fine line between a cop doing one’s duty or overdoing his duty is once again in the grip of Monday morning quarterbacks to judge. Meanwhile, a pair of police careers are on the line.

By Jim Joyce

In five hours and twenty minutes it will be midnight and Veterans Day 2006 will be over. Thank God. I hate Veterans Day, and I don’t know why we have it. We already had Memorial Day. To me Veterans Day is painful and celebrating it is out of the question.

It’s time to end this debate.With another pro-settlement county board, the election of Swain Count native and pro-settlement congressman Heath Shuler, a new study showing the economic benefits of a cash settlement and an ever-increasing price tag for construction, it’s time once and for all for Western North Carolina’s leaders to take advantage of the moment and demand a cash settlement of at least $52 million in lieu of the construction of the North Shore Road.

By Michael Beadle

North Carolina’s population is expected to rise by nearly 3 million people in the next two decades. As we use up more and more natural resources like oil and coal, how will we handle the energy needs of the future?

Talking Trees Children’s Trout Derby is set for Saturday, Aug. 3, at the Oconaluftee River Islands Park in Cherokee. The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians is hosting the event, which is open to children ages 3 to 11 years old. Pre-registration is from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2, at the Cherokee Indian Fairgrounds. Fishing begins at 8 a.m. Saturday and ends at noon with awards and prize presentations afterward.

On Friday, there will be traditional music and dance, food, games, zip lines, animal exhibitions, professional bull riders and the Madison Hornbuckle Children’s Cancer Foundation Cornhole Tournament with a $500 first prize. This is a non-sanctioned tournament, but American Cornhole Association rules are followed. All boards and bags will be provided. Registration is required. .

This event is accessible to Children with Disabilities.

843.909.0847 or www.cherokeetroutderby.com. 

The Tsali Challenge Triathlon will take place Saturday, July 27, and Sunday, July 28, at the Tsali Recreation Area outside of Bryson City.

The annual triathlon will feature a paddle, run and bike on some of the most famous trails in the Eastern United States. Racers will start out paddling a calm 3-mile water loop around Bear Island in Lake Fontana. Then they will head to the hills for a 5-mile run on the mountain bike single track at Tsali before ending with a 12-mile spin on mountain bikes.

The solo event will take place on Saturday and the team relay event on Sunday. Early registration is 4 to 6 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Bryson City Bicycles and day of registration is from 7 to 9 a.m. Saturday and Sunday at the race site.

www.goneriding.com or 352.873.9279.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is accepting submissions for the “I am the Appalachian Trail” video contest, a nationwide search for the best video about the trail. 

Contestants will submit video shorts, no longer than three minutes, emphasizing how they are connected to the trail.

The creators of the top three videos with the most votes will each win a one-year membership to the ATC and be featured in an issue of A.T. Journeys, the official magazine of the ATC. The winner will have his or her video featured in theaters during the 2014 ATC Membership Drive, shared with thousands of followers across ATC’s social media sites. The winner also will receive a hammock.

The public will vote for its favorite video through ATC’s Facebook page. Submissions are being accepted until Sept. 15, and voting will take place from Sept. 16 to Nov. 8. Winners will be announced on Nov. 11.

www.appalachiantrail.org/2013videocontest. 

The Haywood Chamber of Commerce has released the 2013 Blue Ridge Breakaway jersey design.

The Aug. 17 ride will feature a custom jersey that combines the adrenaline-pumping nature of the breakaway with the needs of the everyday cyclist. The Hincapie Axis jersey features an edgy design, touting the mileage and cumulative elevation gain of each route in the Breakaway. The Axis is a relaxed, traditionally-styled jersey, featuring a lightweight fabric, a full-length hidden zipper and three pockets. 

“This year’s jersey design represents the Blue Ridge Breakaway’s reputation as a beautiful but very challenging ride,” said Brian Birthright, one of the ride’s committee members.

The cycling event brought 500 or so riders to Haywood County last year.  Early registration is open until Aug. 2 for this year’s ride and costs between $54 and $39, depending on the distance of the route. Jersey quantities are limited. Both can be purchased online. 

BlueRidgeBreakaway.com or 828.456.3021.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has a new executive director and CEO.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park is offering a citizen scientist program for a chance to be part of ongoing research program.

A 21-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina is closed — from Ox Creek Road to Mount Mitchell State Park.

Recreational Equipment Inc. has donated $5,000 to support trail work in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The red wolf is one of the most endangered animals in the world and a native of North Carolina.

Wildlife expert Ron Sutherland will lecture about “Restoring the Endangered Red Wolf to the Wilds of the Southern Appalachians” at 7 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 1, at the Highlands Nature Center. The talk is part of this summer’s weekly Zahner Conservation Lecture Series.

Sutherland will talk about a recovery program that has released red wolves into northeastern North Carolina and into the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Sutherland is a conservation scientist for Wildlands Network where he focuses on creating habitat for the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Plain and wildlife corridors connecting the coastal plain to the Southern Appalachians. He completed his Ph.D. in environmental science and policy at Duke University, where he studied wildlife species, urbanization and car traffic in the Sandhills region of North Carolina.

828.526.2221.

Support your local library by coming to the Haywood County Library annual Book Sale from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. July 25, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. July 26, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville. 

The Friends of the Haywood Library Book Sale Committee has been working since last year’s sale, collecting nonfiction, biographies, religious and children’s books, as well as hundreds of cookbooks, westerns and light romance. There are all forms of music from CDs, vinyl records, cassettes, to sheet music and hymnals. 

All of the money raised each year goes back to support the Haywood County Library System. The Friends of the Library is a non-profit organization that provides quality programs for the library patrons and the community for all ages. Volunteers needed.

828.627.2370 or 828.452.5169.

The Light of the Lake, a theatrical production evoking 100 years of Lake Junaluska history, will have its premier performance at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, August 3, in Stuart Auditorium.

Described as a multimedia experience, the production will incorporate photography, acting, and a heavy musical influence with performances by the Lake Junaluska Singers and a small orchestra.

Jerry Sipp, the playwright commissioned to write the production, said he was tasked with creating “an honest portrayal of the struggles and triumphs of Lake Junaluska that have led up to all the good things at Lake Junaluska today.”

The production will incorporate visual projections from the past and present to illustrate the story as well.

“Not only will the audience get to use their imaginations as the actors are performing, but they will see the main events we are chronicling through photography,” Sipp said.

Sipp spent hours researching in the SEJ Heritage Center and interviewing residents of Lake Junaluska.

“The personal anecdotes and stories of the people of Lake Junaluska were so interesting,” said Sipp, calling that one of the most rewarding aspects of the project.

www.lakejunaluska.com/light-of-the-lake or 800.222.4930.

People of any skill level will have the opportunity to make their own pottery from 7 to 9 p.m. Friday, July 26, at Pincu Pottery in Bryson City.

Make your own cup or mug. Stamp, draw on or texture a slab of clay and shape it into a useful cup or mug. This is a great way to make a gift or just have fun and make a useful, beautiful item. In three weeks, you will have a functional, personalized cup to use, dishwash or microwave. Cost is $25 per person, per cup/mug.

828.488.0480 or www.pincupottery.com.

The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre (HART) in Waynesville reached its fund-raising goal of $600,000 sooner than expected, thanks to John and Susie Harmon.

Gem, mineral dealers and rock hounds will converge on the 48th annual Macon County Gemboree July 25-28 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin. Hours for the event are from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Supporters of Francis Mill recently helped celebrate the mill’s designation as a National Register of Historic Places site. 

The Talleys and Brian Free & Assurance will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 26, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

To the Editor:

Had I been a student at Western Carolina Teachers College (WCTC) in the late 1920s, I might have taken a walk down the hill from my dorm on the “old campus,” down the road to the campus entrance on Highway 107, on down past Brown’s Store,  Battle’s Grocery (subsequently the Village Store), which also housed the Cullowhee Post Office, on to what is now  Monteith Gap Road, at that time a dirt road running parallel to the railroad track that ran parallel to the Tuckaseigee River. 

Pushing on, I would have crossed a rickety bridge across Cullowhee Creek and, if continuing along the railroad, merged onto another dirt road, which is now Ledbetter Road. After some 200 yards, I would have come upon a field with players engaged in various games. In fact, I would have arrived at what was then WCTC’s athletic field.

To bring a part of this history full circle, had college students of the mid-1970s era traced the route the student of the 1920s took,  they would have walked along paved roads, seen no trace of the railroad tracks, but would have felt safer crossing the sturdier bridge that had been built across Cullowhee Creek. Proceeding along Ledbetter Road, they would have observed that the former athletic field had now become a small mobile home park, River Park.

Fast forward to today when pedestrians, cyclists, or anyone picking up litter along Ledbetter Road literally take their lives in their hands due to the large volume of traffic moving along this road, some travelling at double the posted speed limit, some drivers being distracted by texting or cell phone use, thereby drifting into the opposing lane of traffic. All of these circumstances are made much more hazardous due to an imposing guard rail about two feet from the edge of the roadway that can trap any potential victim — pedestrian or motorist — attempting to take evasive action.

Having wandered dream-like through the last number of decades, let me describe the Ledbetter Road of today: During the last decade, the small mobile home park that was once the athletic field of the college has now more than tripled in capacity with three entrances onto Ledbetter Road, all three near or in dangerous curves. And within the last six or so years, we have seen built on Ledbetter Road three large housing complexes: University Suites, Maples Apartments and Cullowhee Villas, altogether accommodating a total of 381 bedrooms. 

Ledbetter Road, prior to the building of these three complexes, already served as the ingress/egress for Sleepy Hollow Cottages, the 46-home University Heights subdivision, and various other single- and multi-family homes in the vicinity of where Ledbetter Road dead ends. We now have being planned (the land currently is being cleared) the Western Carolina Apartments complex that is to have an additional 490 bedrooms.

Monteith Gap Road leads to another housing complex, various apartments and other single- and multi-family homes, as well as the university’s landfill.  This road ends near the acreage recently purchased for one of the end-point anchors to the Greenway.

There is also a second housing complex being considered for South Painter Road opposite the current Community Garden site, and a bed and breakfast planned for Monteith Gap Road between the Laundromat and the Cullowhee Creek bridge. These come when the university is considering the discontinuance of the off-campus shuttle bus service, and the fall opening of “The Pub” at the former Papa Pizza/Hardies building.

With the impending increase in the volume of traffic, we have circulated a petition signed by sixty-four of the occupants of all but four of the homes of our subdivision asking that DOT address several safety issues. Among these are: widening the lanes, leveling and resurfacing, constructing a sidewalk, installing guard rails where the road parallels the river closely, making provision for bicycle traffic, implementing a reduction in speed limits, installing rumble strips to both slow the traffic and keep traffic from crossing the center line into the opposing lane, and installing additional signage warning of the intersections to these soon-to-be five housing complexes.

In addition to compiling the petition which was addressed to Mr. Joel Setzer, Fourteenth Division Engineer, we sent copies to Mr. Jonathan Woodard, District Engineer for the six westernmost counties of which Jackson is one; Mr. Jack Debnam, Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners; Mr. Chuck Wooten, County Manager; and Mr. Gerald Green, County Planner.  We followed up by meeting with Mr. Woodard for additional discussion and exploration.  

During this discussion Mr. Woodard noted that Jackson County is part of the Southwestern Rural Planning Organization (SWRPO), which has a role in ranking potential transportation projects. The DOT Fourteenth Division Office in Sylva also has a role in ranking projects for this area.  Mr. Woodard then emphasized that the RPO ranking is based largely on the needs expressed by local government officials.  

Woodard assured us that DOT will share our concerns with Jackson County officials and the SWRPO, and that his office intends to submit a request to improve these roads  in the next project ranking cycle that is scheduled to begin in January 2014.

So, in conclusion, our work is ongoing as we attempt to bring our concerns to the attention of those who are in position to effect change. We pledge a cooperative effort as we continue to move along this path.

Ralph Willis

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

I am old enough to remember the time before Roe v. Wade was passed. Almost every family I knew back then had a horror story about some member of their extended family dying from a botched illegal abortion or an attempted do-it-yourself abortion. Just because abortion was illegal in most states did not stop abortions from taking place. It just made them very risky for the health of the person seeking them. We also tried to legislate abstaining from consuming alcohol, and most of us know how that turned out.

I respect the right of anyone to have a strong personal belief that abortion is wrong, and guess what — so does Roe v. Wade! That law does not tell anyone they have to have an abortion, but it does say that anyone who chooses the abortion option has the right to a legal and medically safe procedure. I do not know anyone who has made a decision to abort that has done so without careful consideration of all her circumstance and a great deal of soul searching.    

Suppose a group of people that believed anyone on any kind of welfare should not have more children while collecting it got the legislature to consider a bill like this: “If you are already a parent of two children and you are receiving subsidized childcare so you can work, subsidized housing and food stamps because you do not get paid a livable wage, and your children, at least, qualify for the Children’s Health Insurance program, and you become pregnant, this law will require you to either have an abortion or lose all subsidies that you have been receiving to support your family and will not be eligible for any help in the future.”

I ask all of you who want to legislate your personal belief on the rest of us, “would you want that group trying to legislate a choice like I just made up on you?”  I can almost hear the outcry, “I don’t want the government, or anyone else, telling me what I need to do. I get to decide what I do with my body. I should have the freedom to choose.”   

Well that is exactly what people who are pro-choice believe, what Roe v. Wade supports, and what Dr. Jeanne A. Conry, president of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and Dr. Haywood L. Brown of Durham, Chair of District IV of ACOG, said in the Charlotte Observer on July, 16, 2013:

“… Medical decisions must be based on scientific evidence and made by patients in consultation with physicians, not the state or federal government.

“… ACOG respects our members’ deeply held personal beliefs on abortion. While we can agree to disagree about abortion on ideological grounds, we must draw a hard line against any legislation that threatens women’s health. That’s why we’re setting the record straight for all politicians: Get out of our exam rooms.”

We tried having abortion be illegal and there is abundant data that proves it did not prevent abortion but only made them unsafe. If the legislature was truly concerned about women’s health safety, and not trying to make abortion illegal, they would be working to make sure all women had access to all needed health care based on scientific fact, not political ideology. Make sure all women have access to the correct knowledge and contraception to prevent unwanted pregnancy and the abortion issue becomes mute, and the governor would not have to lie about what he would sign.

Jane Harrison

Waynesville

To the Editor:

We are thankful for The Smoky Mountain News coverage of the Lake Junaluska-Waynesville merger process. I am a full-time resident at the Lake and have served as president of the Lake Junaluska Assembly Property Owners Organization. I also served on the Municipal Study Task Force which studied in depth the pros and cons of merger. My concern is Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, and her involvement in the merger process.

Obviously, Rep. Presnell has not bothered to read any of the material and studies related to this proposal. Nor has she investigated both sides of this matter. Rather, while she represents a part of Haywood County, she has chosen to interject herself into a very local issue involving parts of Haywood County that are not in her legislative district, nor is it a matter of state or even regional concern. It is a local issue that has sufficient and appropriate representation by Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, and Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin. Rep. Presnell says those few people opposed to annexation asked her to intervene because they felt that they were not getting what they wanted from their elected representatives.

Rep. Presnell avows that somehow she knows “in her heart” that annexation is not in the best interests of Lake Junaluska. Never mind the will of the majority of property owners. Her assertion about the Lake and Waynesville making an “end run” around the official process is ludicrous, and Rep. Presnell knows it. 

The actions taken by the Lake and by Waynesville have been open to the public, subject to a survey by resident and non-resident property owners (which showed 65 percent of owners want annexation) and vetted in every way by our elected state legislators. Now, Rep. Presnell has decided she is above all that, that she “knows” better about the future of Lake Junaluska — even though she has not been elected by the persons she is seeking to represent and has no jurisdiction or stake in this conversation.  

The future of the Lake is indeed at issue here. Should not the persons who have the most at stake make the decisions in concert with their duly elected legislators?

 Don Rankin

Lake Junaluska

Towns across the mountains will hold elections for their mayors and town board leaders this fall. Some town races are shaping up to be hotly contested, like Maggie Valley with a deep bench of challengers, while others like Dillsboro have no challengers at all.

Retired tennis stars Andy Roddick and Jim Courier will play a charity exhibition match, the UCB Mountain Challenge, on Saturday, July 27, at Cedar Creek Racquet Club in Cashiers. Roddick is a new homeowner in Cashiers.

Proceeds will benefit the new non-profit organization Mountain Youth Charities.

The marquee match-up brings together players who have been ranked No. 1 in the world. Roddick held that position following his victory in the 2003 U.S. Open. Courier was the world’s No. 1 player four times in the 1990s.

The UCB Mountain Challenge will also include a match between top-ranked juniors Thai Kwiatkowski of Charlotte, and Korey Lovett of Brevard, and a doubles match between the Roddick and Courier and the winners of a local pro-am tournament. Roddick and Courier will host a gala dinner Friday evening, July 26, at Lonesome Valley’s Canyon Kitchen in Cashiers. 

The VIP breakfast and the junior match begin at 10 a.m., followed by the doubles match at 11 a.m. Roddick at Courier begin play at 11:30 a.m. Tickets range in price from $100 to $5,000 for box seats. They can be purchased online.

828.743.3411 or www.cashiers.com.

A $3 million federal grant will help protect 8,000 acres of working forestland in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina from development.

The tract contains the East Fork of the French Broad Headwaters and connects to more than 100,000 acres of existing conservation lands in North Carolina and South Carolina, including the Jocassee Gorges Management Area.

The project will also expand public recreation by protecting the last privately-owned section of the Foothills Trail, opening more than five miles of trout streams to the public, and securing access to Sassafras Mountain, South Carolina’s highest point.

The project will also preserve more than 60 miles of streams and protect endangered plant species and other plant and animal species of concern.

The project is one of 16 conservation projects in 15 states that received a total of $44.2 million in grants. The grants are part of a U.S. Forest Service program called the Forest Legacy Program.

“Since 1990, the Forest Legacy Program has prevented the loss of more than 2.3 million acres of private forest lands for future generations of Americans,” said Forest Service Chief Tom Tidwell. “In an era of continued sprawl, this program protects land and keeps working forests working.” 

A project to help federally-listed aquatic species in Macon County has received $142,500 from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

The money will be used to acquire 39 acres, of which about 2,600 feet is frontage on the Little Tennessee River. The purchase aims to protect habitat and reduce sedimentation to benefit the threatened spotfin chub, the endangered littlewing pearlymussel and the endangered Appalachian elktoe. 

The award was part of a recent round of nearly $32 million in grants given out in 20 states to help conserve rare species. The grants enable states to work with private landowners, conservation groups and other government agencies to initiate conservation planning and acquire and protect habitat that benefits threatened and endangered fish, wildlife and plants.

The competitive grants were issued through the Cooperative Endangered Species Conservation Fund. 

“Private landowners play a vital role in conserving our most imperiled species, but they need our help,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe. “These grants provide a lifeline to species on the brink [of extinction] by fostering partnerships between federal, state and local governments, private organizations, and individuals.”

Mystic Lands Property Owners Association has dedicated a bridge to honor Rob Kelly, a whitewater rafting guide who saved a woman who became trapped under a tree while paddling the Nantahala River last September.

Backpackers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park can continue to keep their food and packs out of reach of bears, thanks to specialty license plate funds. 

Tyler Pace is expected to report to the U.S. Marshals Service office in Asheville next week to start serving his 90-day sentence for vandalizing parts of Max Patch, a scenic area in the Pisgah National Forest near the Tennessee-North Carolina border.

Ethnobotanist David Cozzo will lead an eco tour on July 30 to the Tessentee Bottomland Preserve to discuss how the Cherokee select river cane, an important artisan resource, and restoration efforts for this once abundant bamboo-like plant.

Chef Jen Pearson of Guadalupe Cafe will be showcasing eggplant in an original recipe during a local foods cooking demo at the Jackson County Farmers Market at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 20, near Bridge Park in downtown Sylva. 

Cooking demos are a regular event at the farmer’s market, intended to foster healthy eating and increase the sale of locally-grown fruits and vegetables in Western North Carolina. The cooking demonstrations feature a locally-grown products, the farmers who grew it and a local chef to demonstrate how to cook with fresh homegrown ingredients. 

828.631.3033 or www.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org.