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Five Jackson County women were given the Governor’s Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service during a recent awards luncheon in Sylva. These winners were Mary Adams, Joyce Cooper, Margie Hall, Stella Hall and Elaine White.
The Friends of the Macon County Library have received a $200,000 pledge of support from The Janirve Foundation of Asheville.
The Waynesville Main Street Historic District has been accepted to be on the National Register of Historic Places.
By Sarah Kucharski • Staff Writer
A recent statement that Cashiers area residents will be footing the majority of the bill to build a new library in Jackson County and that construction of a less expensive, joint library with Southwestern Community College is still an option is misleading, county leaders say.
About this time each year, when the days and tempers get short and the traffic lines get long — when I begin to see people trudging wearily in and out of stores and shopping malls — I think about the Grinch Club. I start fantasizing about an imaginary organization founded in honor of that nasty, green fellow who stole Xmas — which is not a bad idea. For thousands of people like me who exist in the lower economic strata of this country, Mr. Grinch could become a folk hero — a creep that had the moxie to speak for us all.
By Kirk Adcock • Guest Columnist
I would first like to thank Gen. Geoffrey Higgenbotham (“Playing politics at the expense of our soldiers,” Nov. 30, Smoky Mountain News) for his long and distinguished service to our country. I very much respect the sacrifices he has made so that our country can remain free. I would also like to thank the general for clearly helping me to grasp and understand why the founding fathers wanted our country governed by ordinary citizens, with our commander in chief being the president rather than an Army officer.
Editor’s note: This article was written by Mallory Martin and Carl Kittel of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. Martin is the Mountain Region Fisheries Supervisor. Kittel is the Coldwater Production Coordinator.
Those sporting the trendy turquoise and pink Great Smoky Mountains National Park license plates on their bumpers raised $181,800 this year for projects sponsored by the Friends of Smokies, making 2005 the most productive year yet for the specialty license plates.
By Michael Beadle
Laura Boosinger was a student at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa in the late 1970s when she decided to take a banjo class for a college credit.
The Land Trust for the Little Tennessee was recently awarded a portion of a $200,000 grant from the North Carolina Tobacco Trust Fund Commission.
By Chris Cooper
If you didn’t know already, Jamie Cullum is that kid who was on Pay-Per-View last summer. It was a “freeview” concert, I think, during which he ran around like a complete nut on a huge stage, before an equally large crowd, in front of a gigantic English castle somewhere.
Christmas shopping
Granted it’s four days before Christmas and those of you that haven’t yet gotten your shopping done are most likely in the throes of anxiety, making a mad dash to get something – anything – for your loved ones. That, or you just don’t care period, and everyone’s getting slipper socks this year. That’s OK.
By Michael Beadle
The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will probably have to rebuild its box office and concession stand after a pipe burst earlier this month, flooding the floors of the lobby, auditorium and lower-level rooms of the Performing Arts Center in Waynesville.
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.
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.
An effort to install wireless Internet service throughout Downtown Waynesville is making a year-end push for donations.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The world of outdoor recreation had several milestones this year, especially in the whitewater arena.
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.
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.
I’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!”
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.
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.
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
Each 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.
By 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.
The Nantahala Racing Club’s Whitewater U.S. Open will keep the river churning at Nantahala Outdoor Center March 27-29.
A 550-acre prescribed burn will start soon near Cataloochee Valley in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
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
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
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..
The 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.
Country star Joe Diffie will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.
The 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.
QUESTION: 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.
Gardeners can get a head start on the growing season by renting greenhouse space for their seed trays at the Old Armory Recreation Center in Waynesville.
You pay only $5 for a tray and greenhouse space, but plant your own seeds. Trays are watered daily by staff onsite. Stop by from between 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. March 16-20 to sign up. 828.456.9207 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
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.
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..
Les Saucier, a professional nature photographer, will speak at the Sylva Photo Club at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 14, at the Cullowhee Methodist Church.
A 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.
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.
Brevard-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.
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
The 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.
The 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.
The bodhran, a traditional percussion instrument of Ireland, will be the focus of two presentations Thursday, March 19, at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee.
QUESTION: 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.
