Swain County Manager Kevin King made another trip up to Washington, D.C. last week, though this time the visit was not strictly for Swain County’s benefit.

The National Association of County Commissioners paid for King and 24 other county leaders from 13 states to fly into Washington and lobby for continued funding for the PILT, or payment in lieu of taxes, program. The program provides federal payments to counties with national park and national forest land to offset the losses to the county’s property tax base. The government doesn’t pay property taxes on land it owns, so counties with a lot of federally owned land like Swain miss out on the property taxes they could otherwise collect if the lands were privately held.

About 87 percent of Swain County’s acreage is federal land, either owned by the Forest Service, National Park Service or the Tennessee Valley Authority. Swain gets about $575,000 per year in PILT due the large amount of federally owned land — and thus non-taxable land — in the county.  It’s a sizeable part of the small county’s budget.

No PILT funding is included in the federal budget right now, however, which could hurt counties that expect the annual allocation. 

“Without mandatory funding, PILT will revert to a discretionary program subject to the annual appropriation process, which could jeopardize continued full funding for PILT. We can’t afford to let this happen,” said King, who has gone on PILT lobbying trips before.

King just got back from a trip to Washington last month with Swain County Commissioners Phil Carson and David Monteith to meet with National Park Service and Forest Service leaders.

— Caitlin Bowling

To the Editor:

Congratulation, the Republican legislature just gave everyone in the state a tax cut. Well, maybe not, just those whose income is over $84,000. If your income is over $400,000, your tax cut may be as much as $10,000. More great news if you are a major corporation, you tax rate was cut substantially. Of course, if you are a small business, you probably will see your overall tax bill go up.

In fact, two out of every three dollars in tax cuts dollars will go to the top 1 percent of North Carolina’s wealthiest citizens. But 80 percent of North Carolina citizens will pay more in taxes under this new budget.

In essence, the Republicans have replaced a progressive income tax system with a flat tax. A flat tax, by its nature, is a very regressive tax. In simple terms the wealthy pay less and the lower and middle class pay more in taxes as a percentage of their income. In case their intention was not clear enough, they eliminated significant tax credits and exemptions that primarily impacted those in the lower income levels.

Here are just two examples: the Republicans eliminated the Earned Income Tax Credit that was implemented to help low-wage workers. Their taxes will now go up significantly. Retirees will lose both a $4,000 deduction for government retirement income and a $2,000 deduction for private retirement income. But the wealthy still get a $1,500 cap on sales tax for their corporate jet or new yacht.

When asked why this change in the tax code, one answer given is that it will be fairer. Is it fairer to the 80 percent who will pay more? 

But the reason most often cited is that this business-friendly budget will bring in new business, create jobs and stimulate the economy. No matter how much Tea Party types advocate this discredited policy, study after study has proven that more money given to the wealthy in tax cuts does not mean more money in your pocket. 

CEOs say they are looking for world-class schools, a robust health care system, strong middle-class economics, modern infrastructure, and a culture that promotes upward mobility, not one that creates a permanent under class.    

The real losers in this budget are the citizens of North Carolina. The General Assembly’s own Fiscal Research Division estimates this budget will cost the state at least $1 billion a year when the changes take effect.

If the Tea Party Republicans are out to destroy state government, this is a good start.

Louis Vitale

Franklin

To the Editor:

In a recent letter titled “New laws bring advantages to N.C. citizens,” the writer stated “It’s time to speak the truth about the gains made by the N.C. legislature in its 2013 session.” While most of the facts stated are true, the writer didn't tell the whole truth! The rest of the truth follows in the areas addressed by the writer. 

Education: it is true that the appropriation is $361 million more than the previous year, but it is $120 million less than what the state budget office said was necessary to maintain education at the 2012 level. The rest of the education story: $10 million in public funds were allocated for private school vouchers; 5,200 teaching positions lost and 4,580 teacher assistant positions cut in the new budget; starting salary for N.C. teachers is $30,800 which is less than $15 per hour;  2,400 at-risk children are cut from pre. How do these budget realities bring advantages to the state's students and teachers?  

Election process: early voting reduced by seven days even though 56 percent of voters used it in 2012; no same day registration, no straight ticket voting; 25 percent increase in contribution limits on what private donors can give candidates; ID requirement means that 318,000 registered voters that do not have a driver's license or state-issued ID will have to get one — even IDs issued by state-supported colleges and universities will not be accepted. “Free” IDs will cost taxpayers $834,200 in 2013-2014 and $24,100 every two years after that. Out of almost seven million votes cast in the last election, only 121 were referred to the proper authorities for investigation. No doubt these were cast by both parties. Does any of this give an advantage to N.C. voters?  

Tax Reform: 170,000 workers will lose benefits; 907,000 low-wage workers will have a tax increase because the Earned Income Tax Credit is ending (64,000 military families claimed this credit in 2011); millionaires will get an average tax cut of $10,000 while 80 percent of taxpayers will get an increase; $50 million a year lost by cutting out the estate tax. 

Individual Rights: are the rights of women really being protected? The writer states that Medicaid will be “more patient oriented and fiscally responsible.” How so when 500,000 low-income adults will be without health insurance because legislators voted against participating in the Affordable Care Act? What advantage is there is allowing guns at schools and in bars? Will this make anyone safer? The writer concludes by saying “Fair thinking voters will see that they made the correct choice in electing a majority Republican legislature.” I suggest that a majority of voters will see that the “advantages” the writer identifies are in fact disadvantages for the majority of us and will vote accordingly in the future. 

Linda Fulk

Sylva

To the Editor:

The 2013 North Carolina legislature has enacted numerous measures to benefit corporations and attract new business to our state. Tax reform is reducing corporate income tax and the state excise tax is being repealed. Middle- and lower-income earners will experience increased taxes, a necessary sacrifice to attract new business and jobs. Unemployment in North Carolina remains at one of the highest rates in the nation. The legislature did not create programs for workers since prosperity will trickle down as new businesses create jobs. Trickle down policy in the “good old days” of the 1920s contributing to the stock market crash in 1929. A Pope (Art Pope) presides over state economic policy and plans a different outcome for us.

A major factor in attracting new business is the quality of a state’s education system. Public school teachers’ pay in North Carolina has dropped to 46th among the 50 states. Many public school teachers are leaving our state for better jobs elsewhere. Factoring in inflation and student population growth, North Carolina is spending less on public education than in previous years. The legislature has provided millions of dollars in scholarships so students can attend private schools. We are returning to the “good old days” of the 19th century when private schools dominated education unrestricted by 20th century state regulations.

Teaching jobs in private schools will be easily filled since state certification and special training are not required. They are exempt from providing for special needs students and any state curriculum requirements. Private schools may teach students that global warming does not exist; religion may be a required subject and evolution an unproven theory. They may learn poverty stems from people grown dependent of living on government handouts. Private schools might adopt textbooks similar to those in Texas, which eliminate Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin from U.S. history. This education uniquely prepares private school graduates for 21st centaury jobs in science, technology and humanities.

The voter reform law enacted by the legislature returns us to “the good old days” of voting restrictions. This law will eliminate the less than 1 percent of illegal voters in North Carolina while leveling the voting field for all white voters under age 65. Elderly voters, college students and minorities may confront major obstacles to voting. Those who can’t overcome restrictive voting requirements have only themselves to blame. They’re probably too naive, ignorant or senile to vote right anyway.

The legislature is eliminating many environmental protection regulations, saving businesses money. Fracking may now occur on private land without owner’s permission. Funding for the unemployed is cut or eliminated along with other social programs. These reforms fund tax cuts for wealthy job creators. People on welfare must live within the means of those poor paying jobs available to them. They are probably drug addicts. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, sponsored the new law requiring welfare recipients pass drug testing to receive state food assistance. He suggests this law will teach their children a lesson.

North Carolina’s legislative actions have been in the spotlight of the national news media. Our state was also mentioned by several speakers at the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington. We were featured in a Rachael Maddow show broadcast live from North Carolina. With this national publicity just imagine which corporations will wish to relocate here! N.C. voters preferring 21st century values over “the good old days” must overcome voter restrictions and elect new legislators in 2014.

Margery Abel

Franklin

To the Editor:

In the winter of 1979, in the midst of studying for a degree at a large university, things weren’t going well. Academically I was OK, but emotionally, spiritually, I needed a break. One afternoon I returned to my dorm room, tossed my books, and headed out for a walk to clear my head. I wandered the main commercial drag. The scent of stale beer wafted from open doors of bars lining the street, calling to mind some weekend hangovers.

I ended up perusing an outfitter store’s bookshelf, finding Appalachian Hiker, about hiking the Appalachian Trail. I bought that book. It changed my life. I dropped a course and used that time to prepare for an AT section hike. On April 1, this fool began a memorable eight-week journey that took me 700 miles from Georgia to Virginia.

In retrospect, that journey was a pilgrimage. 

In her book Fumbling, a tale of her journey on an ancient Catholic pilgrimage trail in Spain, author Kerry Egan cites anthropologists Victor and Edith Turner, who describe the pilgrimage experience as “a time in which a person is separate and apart from everyday life and expectations, apart from the normal patterns and strictures of society. A pilgrim is in an in-between space for a little while, a time of both great transition and great potential. In this place you can learn and experience things that it would not be possible to learn while not on pilgrimage.“ That AT experience helped me understand who I am. 

I also experienced wonderful people on the AT — fellow hikers and trail angels. As Egan puts it, “a pilgrim experiences communitas, the elimination of differences between people of different ages, classes, and nationalities. Barriers between people are thrown aside as a great feeling of unity and connectedness brings people together in a way that seems impossible within the regular structures of society.“

I also experienced for the first time extended vistas of deep forested mountains. I had not realized such views were possible in the eastern U.S. — blue and smoky ridges extending to the horizon, unmarred by development. The Southern Appalachian Mountains are a unique and, for me, sacred place. After other adventures elsewhere, including the Andes and Himalayas, I returned 11 years ago to make this area my home.

Last week, again on the AT, I enjoyed the pristine view from Standing Indian Mountain, and recalled my pilgrimage of 33 years ago that, as Egan says, “is transformative, cleansing and purifying.”

Let’s maintain this AT experience for others. 

While the construction of a new cell tower in the Rainbow Springs area by Pegasus Tower is a certainty — it was approved by Macon County Commissioners in July — let’s encourage the company to reduce its visual impact through measures suggested by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy, including setting the tower off the ridge, no or subtle lighting, and non-illustrative finish. 

Also, let’s encourage our Macon County commissioners to amend our Telecommunications ordinance to require notification to the ATC for any proposed tower within four miles of the AT. 

Dennis Desmond

Franklin

The Macon Aero Modelers is holding its 5th annual BBQ Charity Fun Fly at 9 a.m. Sept. 21-22, at the club’s flying field on Tessentee Road in Otto.

Each year the club, made up of radio-controlled airplane enthusiasts, hosts the Fun Fly to raise money for non-governmental, non-profit organizations. This year the club is sponsoring the event to raise money for REACH of Macon County. REACH is a non-profit organization that works with victims of domestic violence. It also has a court advocacy program, rape prevention education programs, youth advocacy programs, a 24-hour crisis hot line and provides emergency shelter for victims of domestic violence, among other services.

There is a $5 parking fee. Barbecue plates are $7 and hot dog plates are $5. 

The rain date for the event is Sept. 28-29.

828.421.7843.

MedWest-Haywood is asking the community to step up to the plate and do their best rendition of the ‘Pink Glove Dance’ on Monday, Sept. 16.

The ‘Pink Glove Dance’ has become a national hit to raise awareness of breast cancer. There will be two sessions: at noon in front of the hospital and at 6 p.m. in the gym at the Health & Fitness Center.

Pink surgical gloves will be provided and dance participants should try to wear one pink item, such as a shirt, scarf or hat. People of all ages and all levels of mobility are invited to join in.

No experience is necessary, but be forewarned, the dances will be taped and a video submitted as part of a national Pink Glove Dance contest. The winning videos receive cash prizes donated to breast cancer charities of their choice.

Over the course of the week, videos of the Pink Glove Dance will also be captured in doctors’ practices, by nurses on the floors of the hospital, and even in the administration wing.

The first Pink Glove Dance video was created in 2009 by Providence St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore. It went viral and the national media spotlight prompted hospitals all over the world to do their own version. 

www.medwesthealth.org/PinkGlove.

The 12th annual Railfest will bring a taste of railroad food, memorabilia, storytelling, Appalachian music and dance, and special train excursions to downtown Bryson City Sept. 13-15.

The 6th annual Youth Arts Festival will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro.

Professional wrestler and country singer Mickie James will perform at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 14, at Thunder In The Smokies bike rally at the Maggie Valley Festival Grounds. 

Tree seedlings planted at McKinney Meadow in Cashiers this week may signal a new chapter for the American Chestnut in the area and its fight against blight.

The chestnut seedlings planted at McKinney Meadow are part of a unique breeding program headed by The American Chestnut Foundation to restore the American chestnut to the eastern forests of America. 

At one time, the trees stood up to 100 feet tall and numbered in the billions in the Southeast, until an Asian fungus, known as chestnut blight, wiped out about four billion trees by the 1950s. Now, assisted by nearly 6,000 members, volunteers, and partners, the TACF is planting potentially blight-resistant trees in select locations.

Helping with the recent planting were students from Summit Charter School and Blue Ridge school, along with representatives of the Village Conservancy. The Village Conservancy is working to protect McKinney Meadow and preserve the entry to the historic N.C. 107 corridor of Cashiers.

828.281.0047 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.acf.org. 

Haywood County high school students will have more educational opportunities in the areas of electronics and machining, thanks to a nearly $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

Haywood Community College and Haywood County Schools will use the two-year, $193,000 grant to create a dual enrollment electronics engineering technician option for high school students. The effort will also work to recruit females into electronics and machining careers. The goal is to train workers to meet the skilled employment needs of area manufacturers.

There has been a decrease in jobs in traditional manufacturing as they are replaced with more technologically oriented positions. Also, a high percentage of the manufacturing workforce is nearing retirement and those entering the work force are generally not trained to replace them.

Manufacturing is an important part of the economy in Haywood County, providing high wages in comparison with other sectors of the local economy. The major manufacturing employers in the county are Evergreen Packaging, Haywood Vocational Opportunities, Consolidated Metco, Sonoco Plastics, Giles Chemicals and Powell Industries. 

828.627.4632. 

A Western North Carolina farm tour provides the perfect chance to see where food comes from and to get to know the farmers who grow it.

A day full of activities at the Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor Center near Asheville promises mountain music, outdoor literature, local food, environmental education and a guided hike. Events run from 8:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 21, at the visitor center along the parkway.

Haywood Community College will soon build an experimental geothermal pre-cooling facility to extend the shelf life of produce and crops in Western North Carolina.

A walk along the Blue Ridge Parkway will take hikers on a journey to explore the mighty chestnut tree and its future in Western North Carolina.

Mast General Store is offering outdoor enthusiasts a way to get new gear while helping out the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Until Sept. 14, Patagonia footwear, apparel and gear purchased at Mast General Store in Waynesville will benefit the nonprofit Friends of the Smokies. The fund-raising initiative will culminate Sept. 14 with a celebration at the Mast General Store, at which 10 percent of the store’s sales on that date directed to the friends group.

There is a parallel event in the company’s Knoxville store, and this is the fourth year of the fund-raising campaign.

Representatives from Friends of the Smokies will be on hand Sept. 14 to share information about projects in the park. Currently, the organization’s trail crew is working on the Chimney Tops Trail. Information about volunteering with the crew will be available on-site as well.

This month also marks the 20th anniversary of Friends of the Smokies.

“Twenty years ago this month, our organization was established to help the Smokies. We wouldn’t still be here without the support of businesses like Mast who recognize what an economic engine Great Smoky Mountains National Park is for its surrounding communities,“ said Holly Demuth, North Carolina director of Friends of the Smokies.

www.friendsofthesmokies.org or www.mastgeneralstore.com. 

• Western Carolina University will host information sessions on a new part-time MBA program starting in January and held in Cherokee. Sessions will be held from 4 to 5 p.m. Sept. 12 in the hotel ballroom at Harrah’s Cherokee Casino and from 12 to 12:45 p.m. and from 5:15 to 6 p.m. Sept. 16 in WCU’s Forsyth Building. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• A free small business workshop will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 16 at Southwestern Community College in Sylva. Learn about loan programs offered through SCC’s Small Business Center and WCU’s Small Business and Technology Development Center. Registration required. 828.339.4211 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• A resume preparation workshop will be held from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18, at the Jackson County Public Library. Register. 828.586.2016.

• A free seminar entitled “Small Business Taxes” will be held from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 19, at Southwestern Community College’s Macon Campus. Register. www.ncsbc.net/center.aspx?center=75490.

• A seminar titled “Your Rights and Responsibilities as an Employer” will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Sequoyah Fund office in Cherokee. Learn basic employment laws and regulations, how to deal with employees fairly and legally, what you need to know when hiring employees, and how to get your ducks in a row should you need to fire someone. $5, lunch included. www.sequoyahfund.org/classes.html or 828.359.5006.

• Learn how to increase the return on the personal investment you make in your business with a financial management seminar sponsored by the Cashiers Chamber of Commerce-sponsored seminar at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, at the Cashiers Community Library. Free for chamber members. $20 for non-members. Register. 828.743.5191 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Three “how-to” eBay workshops are being put on by the Haywood Community College Small Business Center. The eBay Marketplace is used by millions of sellers daily, as a source of side-income, supplemental business revenue or a full-time occupation. A beginner’s workshop will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, September 18; an advanced workshop will be from 1 to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, September 19; and a free eBay store workshop will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, September 19. Free. 828.627.4512.

• The 2014 Apple Harvest Festival, held Oct. 18 in Waynesville, was a tremendous success. The estimated attendance was 50,000-plus festivalgoers. Planning is underway for the 2015 event. 

• Hunter Banks Co. has been fly fishing the South since 1985. The store, specializing in fishing apparel and gifts, has opened a new location at 48 N. Main St. in Waynesville. 828.251.9721. 

• Students in Western Carolina University’s master’s degree program in business administration recently created export business plans for six North Carolina companies. The reports were for companies such as Equilibar, based in Fletcher, and Microbroo, which is located in Asheville.

• Rita Willis was recently named branch manager for Champion Credit Union’s Arden office. Willis has over twenty years of experience in the financial industry.

• Eric’s Fish Market, which has been operating in downtown Sylva since 2008, recently opened a new location in Waynesville. The new fish market is located on Depot Street, just below the historic courthouse.

• In her first year as director of Southwestern Community College’s Small Business Center, Tiffany Henry more than doubled the number of free services available for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs. Henry seeks out new seminar topics that will benefit entrepreneurs throughout Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties as well as the Qualla Boundary.

• Highlands Dermatology, which has served Macon County from its office in Highlands for the past decade, recently opened a location in Franklin. The new office of is located at 118 Holly Springs Park Drive.

• Mountain Laurel Gems & Jewels recently celebrated a move. The store, offering local jewelry and art, relocated to 304 Depot St. in Franklin. 

• Champion Credit Union recently participated in a CU Lunch Local event in Canton. The CU event, held Oct. 14, is part of a larger nationwide cash mob event. 

• The Haywood Tourism Development Authority, along with Blue Ridge National Heritage Area, invites the public to a workshop titled “Servicing the Group Tour Market: Parking, Pricing, Potties and More!” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Nov. 13. The workshop will be held at the Colonial Theater Annex in Canton. 828.298.5330.

• Kimberly (“Kim”) Carpenter has joined the law office of Earwood & Moore in Sylva. For the past eighteen years, Kim has practiced law with the local firm of Melrose, Seago & Lay, PA and had been a partner since 1998. 

• The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a seminar, “Modern Tourism Drivers: Authenticity, Community & Sustainability,” Thursday, Nov. 6, from 6 to 9 p.m. in the Haywood Community College Creative Arts Building. Free. To register, call 828.627.4606.

• The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce is currently accepting nominations for its 2014 Volunteer, Educator, Business Person, Citizen of the Year and the Evergreen Award. Nominees must be submitted to the chamber by Oct. 31, with winners announced during the chamber’s Nov. 13 meeting. 

• Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort will recognize U.S. military veterans on Tuesday, Nov. 11 with a free meal at Chefs Stage Buffet. The meal is offered from noon until 10 p.m.

• Otto resident Amy Poirier recently won a free laptop, the grand prize for Southwestern Community College’s seminar series focused on preparing students for a job search. The Dell Inspiron 15 was donated by Drake Enterprises. 

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is expected to come under the umbrella of Mission Health in coming months.

The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is current a stand-alone, independent hospital, but has been engaged in talks with Mission for a year about entering an affiliation.

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital is now on the verge of finalizing a deal with Mission. The two signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding last month as they enter the final throes of due diligence. The memorandum outlines the major terms of the proposed relationship between HCH and Mission Health and sets the stage for the final negotiation of terms.

“Mission Health is invested in our community, and our membership with Mission Health positions us well for the future so that we can keep physicians in our local community, ensure that our facilities in Highlands and Cashiers remain current and continue to deliver the outstanding local care our patients have come to expect from their hospital,” said Craig James, President and CEO of Highlands-Cashiers Hospital.

Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the local hospital board of trustees will maintain a strong, long-term voice in the strategic direction of the hospital.

Mission Health and Highland-Cashiers Hospital will now enter into a more detailed, joint planning process to define and quantify the initiatives and resources that will be required to address existing and future needs of the HCH service area. The planning process will focus on capital requirements, medical service providers and new and expanded services. It will also drive the long-term investment plan for HCH facilities, providers and programs.

Angel Medical Center in Franklin recently came under ownership of Asheville-based Mission Hospital as well. The hospitals in Brevard, Spruce Pine, and Marion are also owned by Mission.

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians held tribal council elections last Thursday (Sept. 5).

All 12 seats on tribal council were up election, with two seats representing each of the reservation’s six communities. All the sitting council members ran for reelection, but only two-thirds of them held on to their seats.

Come next month, the Eastern Band’s governing body will feature four new faces:

• Bo Crowe from Wolftown.

• Brandon Jones from Cherokee County/Snowbird.

• Albert Rose from Birdtown.

• Teresa McCoy from Big Cove, who has held a tribal council seat in the past.

Those no longer in office are:

• Council chairman Jim Owle from Birdtown

• Mike Parker from Wolftown

• Diamond Brown from Cherokee County/Snowbird

• Bo Taylor from Big Cove, who lost in the primary.

Owle, who only lost by eight votes, took it in stride.

“That is the way it goes sometime. You have to live with it,” Owle said. “It was a good clean race.”

The current chairman said he was unsure if he would run for a seat on Tribal Council in the future, but he does plan to sit back and take it easy for a bit once his term officially ends starting in October.

Fellow ousted council member Diamond Brown was shocked that he was beaten out by just 60 votes.

“I was surprised,” Brown said. “I really was.”

Brown said he thinks a high number of votes cast by enrolled members who live off the reservation partly accounted for his defeat.

The town of Waynesville will soon put in temporary restrooms next to the popular children’s playground on Marshall Street.

They will be a step up from the status quo of two lone portable potties plunked down at the edge of the parking lot. But they will fall short of full-blown restrooms, although that may still be in the cards in the future.

The new toilets will be housed in an elevated mobile trailer at a cost of $40,000. Old restrooms near the Waynesville Kiwanis Community Playground became run-down, were plagued by vandalism, and were eventually shut following arson in 2011. The old concrete structure, which was originally a pool bath house, will be bulldozed to make way for the mobile restroom unit. The cost will be paid for out of $97,000 in insurance money the town received after the fire.

Town leaders had contemplated using the cinderblock shell of the old restrooms as the backbone for a new restroom facility to include meeting space and a concession area, and even had architectural plans drawn up. But trying to salvage the old structure proved more costly than simply tearing it down and starting anew, so the town has gone back to the drawing board on a long-range plan. 

Rhett Langston, director of Waynesville’s Parks and Recreation Department, said one benefit of the new restroom trailer is it can be picked up and moved if needed elsewhere for festivals or town events.

“It will be a very good and sound investment,” Langston said.

— From staff reports

Waynesville plans to repair the six cracked and aging tennis courts in its recreation park, as long as the local tennis community chips in.

The town board authorized the Waynesville Park and Recreation Department to spend about $50,000 to resurface the courts, which will add five to seven years onto their useable life. However, it came with one condition. The Waynesville Tennis Association had to raise enough money to cover 10 percent of the cost, which was easily said and done.

The association meet its $5,000 goal in nine days, said Linda O’Neil who has advocated for the project on behalf of area tennis players. 

With that secured, the town can now bid out the project, which will include pressure washing the courts, patching holes deeper than one-eighth of an inch, installing a fiberglass membrane over cracks, seal the courts with acrylic resurfacer and repaint the court lines.

Once finished, O’Neil said she hopes to get more young people playing tennis on the courts.

“My goal is to get the kids out there,” said O’Neil, who is a former cardiac surgery nurse. “It’s all about the health of the kids.”

— Caitlin Bowling

Clyde Police Chief Gerard Ball won’t return to work until Oct. 5 after the Clyde Board of Aldermen decided to suspend him without pay.

Following a three-hour discussion, the town board voted unanimously last Wednesday (Sept. 4) to suspend Ball for 30 days for “personal misconduct” related to his job, though they would not go into more detail because it is a personnel matter.

“We just aren’t at liberty to release that,” said Town Administrator Joy Garland, who has received a few emails from the public asking for more information.

In the meantime, Captain Mike Lindsay will serve as interim chief.

Ball was placed on suspension the prior Friday, waiting for the Board of Aldermen to meet and decide whether to keep him or fire him. Ball will be placed on probation for one year. During that time, the town can fire him without warning if the leaders find his work or conduct unsatisfactory.

Ball was hired a little more than a year ago after the previous chief, Derek Dendy, was fired for personal misconduct. When each officer is hired, they are automatically on a one-year probation. Ball’s probation period just ended this July.

— By Caitlin Bowling

The annual Dam Race at Fontana Dam — featuring a run over the top of the towering dam itself — was held last week, attracting runners from throughout the Southeast to race against the backdrop of mountain peaks and Fontana Lake.

Daniel Brooks from Cullowhee placed third in the 10K race. The 5K race included two Robbinsville High School Cross Country Team members finishing ahead of the field, Irvin Portugal placed first and Zach Beasley placed second. The female race went to two Robbinsville High School Cross Country Team members as well, Kaitlyn Carringer placed first and Madison Dockery placed third.

Olympic silver-medalist Lauren Tamayo from Asheville was among the 460 riders from 18 states who pedaled the scenic roadways, byways and Blue Ridge Parkway during Haywood County’s Blue Ridge Breakaway, Aug. 17.

The event featured rides of varied distances, from 24 to 105 miles, up and down the Appalachian Mountains.

The breakaway, in its fourth year, is sponsored by the Haywood Chamber of Commerce. 

www.BlueridgeBreakaway.com.  

A program about climate change in Western North Carolina will explore how oldtimers and scientists alike view changing weather patterns in the mountains.

The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River will hold two meetings on the topics on Monday, Sept. 9.

The first discussion, from 3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Senior Center off Hughes Branch Road in Swain County, will explore climate change as experienced by local residents. Connie Southard will present her personal weather records and lead a discussion with other long-time WNC residents and scientists on weather.

From 6:30 to 7:45 p.m., there will be a similar program at the Jackson County Library in Sylva. This program will include personal and scientific presentations.  

Both programs will include staff from the University of Georgia’s Coweeta Listening Project, a group that promotes communication between scientists and non-scientists. Partners in the events are the Canary Coalition and the Tuckaseigee Chapter of the Western North Carolina Alliance.

Those with questions or looking to make their own presentations can contact the organization by phone.

828.488.9337 or 828.488.8418.

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission has promoted Tim Sisk to the position of captain for the state’s western counties, covering a district that stretches from Madison to Cherokee counties.

Sisk will manage enforcement operations for hunting, fishing and boating, and coordinate boating safety and hunter education programs. He will supervise 23 wildlife officers and a hunter education specialist in Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Swain, Macon, Jackson, Haywood, Transylvania, Madison, Buncombe and Henderson counties. 

The 26-year veteran with the commission was previously a lieutenant in the district. His predecessor, Greg Daniels, recently retired. 

“This region has a rich heritage of hunting and fishing, boating and wildlife watching,” said Sisk. “We have numerous game lands, state and national forests and parks, rivers and lakes that are world-renowned for outdoor recreation. I look forward to my new position and continuing role in serving conservation and public safety in these beautiful mountains.”

Sisk holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from UNC- Charlotte and is a 1987 graduate of the Wildlife Basic Law Enforcement Training School.

Michel Hicks, Principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, has been appointed a commissioner on the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

The Blue Ridge Parkway has reopened a closed section of the motor road — from Ox Creek Road in Asheville to Mount Mitchell State Park — using temporary bypass lanes.

Friends of the Smokies will host a guided, 9-mile roundtrip hike, Tuesday, Sept. 17, along Noland Creek Trail. The hike runs along a rushing creek and through cemeteries and remnants of home sites in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Bryson City.

The Old Cullowhee Canoe Slalom, a family-friendly paddling competition on a calm section of the Tuckasegee River, is set for 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 14.

The 60th annual Macon County Fair will be Sept. 11-14 at the Wayne Proffitt Agricultural Center in Franklin.

Highlights of the event include opening ceremonies at 1 p.m. Sept. 11, cross-cut saw demonstration at 6 p.m. Sept. 12, barbecue supper at 3 p.m. Sept. 13, kids pedal tractor pull at 6 p.m. Sept. 13, cake contest at 11 a.m. Sept. 14, tractor driving contest at 2 p.m. Sept. 14. There will also be numerous livestock shows, entertainment and live music throughout the fair. 

For a complete schedule, click on www.themaconcofair.com/agricultural-fair-franklin-nc.

828.369.3523.

The Boots and Bling benefit will be held at 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Bloemsma Farm Barn in Franklin.

“Boots and Bling,” a new fundraiser for Zonta Club, will benefit REACH of Macon County, which provides free and confidential services and a shelter to victims of domestic violence and sexual assault in Macon and Jackson counties. The second nonprofit beneficiary, New Life Women’s Center in Hayesville, is a 90-day emergency shelter for women and women with children, which serves Clay County and surrounding counties in Western North Carolina and North Georgia.

The event will feature music, dancing, specialty foods provided by a number of area restaurants from Franklin, Highlands, Dillard, and Hayesville, and a silent auction. The silent auction will include various forms of art, along with jewelry, food baskets, numerous gift certificates, and more. 

Individual tickets for Boots and Bling are available at the Franklin Chamber of Commerce. Table sponsorships are available. 

828.349.9194. 

A cookbook tasting experience will be at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, at The First United Methodist Church in Sylva.

The Burningtown Music Festival will be Sept. 14 in the Nantahala National Forest in the Burningtown Township of Macon County.

Works by artist Dominick “Nick” DePaolo will be on display throughout the month of September in the lobby at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

The St. John the Evangelist Catholic Women’s Circle will hold its annual “Baskets and Bags Bingo” charity event at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at the Haywood County Fairgrounds.

Monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery will demonstrate the art of mandala sand painting and perform sacred music and dance on Sept. 9-13 at Western Carolina University 

Acclaimed gospel groups Mountain Faith and the Primitive Quartet will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, at The Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Legendary country singer Merle Haggard will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 6, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

To the Editor:

The 50th anniversary of the “March on Washington” and Martin Luther King’s “I have a Dream” speech have been recently observed. King hoped to see a generation of black Americans who would “not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

For the past 40-odd years we have indulged a system called affirmative action, which demands a person be evaluated by skin color. We have added equal opportunity to the mix, so now we have affirmative action based on gender as well as race.

As we celebrate King’s vision, the dreams, hopes and aspirations of white male Americans — for my two sons, my three grandsons and 10 great grandsons — are substantially over, or greatly inhibited, or even seriously imperiled. I naively allowed my own career to be halted early and abruptly by Jackson County Schools and WCU because of my lack of appreciation of changes in the workforce.

For 50 years we’ve been mesmerized by King’s words, and now we’re equally enthralled with more euphemistic drivel of liberal origin such as diversity, social justice, and (my favorite), multiculturalism. In 50 years of strengthening the weak by weakening the strong all we’ve accomplished is to trade one model of discrimination for another.

A French writer, Charles Louis de Secondat, (1689-1755), stated: “There is no crueler tyranny than that which is perpetuated under the shield of law and in the name of justice.” Would that our leaders could even begin to grasp such a passionate and straightforward warning, much less heed it.

David L. Snell

Dillsboro

To the Editor:

We live in the greatest country the modern world has ever known. Our president has not been able to energize our economy and has passed thousands of new regulations that hinder rather than promote employment. The most disadvantaged people  — which includes the poor and many minority groups that elected him — have been hurt the most by these regulations. 

Many liberal newspapers have given this president a pass on his handling of the economy. The entire world needs a thriving U.S. When our economy is booming, we are world’s greatest market for the world’s goods. For many years people around the world have depended on the U.S. to buy their goods and services to bolster their economies. Under this president, the United States’ economy has let them down. 

However, in North Carolina Gov. McCrory and the Republicans have revamped our tax rules to encourage manufacturers to return to our state. Many Carolinians have been out of work for two years or more. With these revised tax laws in North Carolina we can attract new industries to move to our state and help our unemployed men and women find jobs. This should also help our young college graduates find jobs in their home state. 

It now appears our tax revenues will actually be going up because businesses are starting to expand. Watch our state grow for the next four years. Our young entrepreneurs have been turned loose. It is too bad the president did not try and do the same thing in the USA when he was elected.

Jim Mueller

Glenville

To the Editor:

Domestic abuse, according to statistics, has increased. Although the exact reasons cannot be pinpointed, the latest analysis points to the possible presence of a “warrior/bully” gene which can manifest all the time or just activate when the person gets under excess stress. And, of course, one of the causes of excess stress is fear of economic loss. This may explain why recession can bring out the worst in anyone with this gene.

However it may be, abuse — whether committed by a male or a female — is ugly and potentially lethal.

A new project is beginning, called AWAY TO GO. The aim of this program is to help re-locate abused spouses, as well as children and abused elderly, to other counties within the state and also to other states. This program would be a victim protection program, similar to the well-known witness protection program. The idea for this project was that of Haywood resident Preston Tinsley. To speak about this program, he can be reached at 828.646.8667. 

If there is no answer, leave a clear message with your name and phone number and he will call you back.

The program is in a fledgling state, as there are many facets to consider, such as means of transportation, job training provision in the new location, temporary shelter until housing can be found, food, clothing and medical supplies needed until a means of income is established and, of course, notification of protective police agencies in the new location, as well as help from police agencies and the sheriff’s office in Haywood County. 

Domestic violence is against the law and victims have the right to take legal action to end the abuse. The U.S. Department of Justice defines domestic violence as “a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain control over another intimate partner.” If you, or anyone you know needs immediate assistance, the National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800.799.7233 (SAFE). 

The many forms of abuse defined are:

• Physical abuse includes hitting, biting, slapping, battering, shoving, punching, burning, cutting and pinching and pulling hair.  

• Sexual abuse is any coercion of a victim into having sexual contact without the victim’s consent.

• Emotional abuse is just as serious and involves deflating a victim’s sense of self-worth by constant criticism, name-calling, injuring a person’s relationship with his/her children. 

• Psychological abuse involves an attempt to invoke fear through intimidation, verbal threats to physically hurt him/herself, the victim, the children, family, friends or pets. It also includes destruction of property and preventing the victim from going to work or school

• Also in the abuse category are stalking and cyberstalking. Stalking involves continuous spying, watching, following, sending gifts, collecting information about a victim, making phone calls, leaving written messages, showing up at a victim’s home or workplace. Cyberstalking refers to any online action or unwanted repeated emailing.  

• Dating violence is actually considered another form of domestic violence. 

North Carolina law also protects disabled adults and disabled elderly, both male and female. Abuse is not exclusive to Haywood County. It exists in every state and nationally and internationally.

JoAnna Swanson

Waynesville

Clyde Police Chief Gerard Ball was suspended last Friday for five days without pay until the town board was able to meet and further discuss his employment status. 

The Clyde town board will hold a specially-scheduled meeting Wednesday, Sept. 4, but discussions about Ball would be held behind closed doors due to personnel confidentiality issues, according to town officials.

Ball was named police chief just over a year ago in July 2012. Ironically, Ball’s predecessor — Chief Derek Dendy — was put on 30 days of unpaid suspension before ultimately being fired for misconduct last January.

Ball was previously the chief of the Cherokee Alcohol Law Enforcement division under the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian.

Smoky Mountain Cinemas in Waynesville shut its doors last week, leaving Haywood County residents with no full-sized movie theater playing current releases on a local screen.

“We have put forth every effort to keep operating the theater. Unfortunately we were just another causality of our time due to the crossroads of film changing to digital,” according to a recorded message at the theater’s phone number.

The long-time movie theater in Waynesville still had film projectors. New movies will no longer be put out on film, so the movie theater would have to convert to digital, but the volume of customers the theater gets wasn’t enough to justify the cost.

“We had no choice but to close the theater,” the message states.

The owners could not be reached.

Waynesville leaders as expected lifted a de facto ban on street performers last week, opening the door for musicians to play on the sidewalks of town as long as they get a permit first.

“We have already received our first application this morning,” Town Manager Marcy Onieal said the day after the new ordinance was passed.

The town has been considering the change for weeks. Previously, buskers soliciting money from passersby were considered panhandlers and not allowed. Now, there is an exemption for performers who get a permit.

Performers must provide a detailed description of their act, what instruments or props the act includes and two 2-by-2 color headshots. They must also undergo a background check by the Waynesville Police Department and pay a $25 yearly fee. And when performing around town, they must wear a special town-issued photo badge. No busking is allowed prior to 11 a.m. or after 9 p.m. everyday. Also, buskers may not perform within 50 feet of any school, library, hospital, church, funeral home, courthouse or cemetery, or within 100 feet of a town-approved special event. They may not impede the flow of vehicle or foot traffic, and if playing on private property, buskers must obtain written permission from the owner.

— By Caitlin Bowling

Western Carolina University announced an enrollment milestone this week — enrollment for the fall semester topped the 10,000 mark for the first time in school history.

University officials said the record-breaking enrollment was due in large part to a 5 percentage point increase in the freshmen retention rate. The freshmen retention rate — the percentage of first-time, full-time freshman in the fall of 2012 who returned to WCU as sophomores this fall — jumped to nearly 79 percent.

Enrollment figures are up across the board, however, with increases in the numbers of first-time freshmen, undergraduate transfers, graduate students, distance education students and students taking classes at the university’s instructional site at Biltmore Park, said Chancellor David Belcher.

Distance education enrollment has jumped 9 percent, from 1,747 last fall to 1,897 this year. Enrollment in WCU’s programs at Asheville’s Biltmore Park stands at 524 students this fall, up 3 percent over last year’s tally of 507.

The total number of continuing and returning students is 6,817, compared to 6,500 last year.

WCU’s first Open House of the fall semester will be Saturday, Sept. 14. Prospective students will have a chance to tour the campus, learn about the university’s wide array of academic programs, find out topics such as financial aid — and get free ticket to see WCU’s football team take on the Citadel that afternoon.

www.openhouse.wcu.edu or 828.227.7317.

State and local officials are advising people to avoid contact with Long Creek in Graham County after recent water quality sampling found wastewater.

The partially treated wastewater is making its way into the creek because of a malfunction at the Robbinsville treatment plant. An official with the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources first discovered the problem while doing some routine water sampling two weeks ago downstream of the plant.

Tests revealed fecal coliform in the water exceeded levels considered safe by the state. High fecal coliform counts can indicate that disease-causing bacteria are present. 

Public water supplies appear to be safe, as there are no public drinking water sources in the affected area downstream of the plant. 

However, state officials are saying no one should fish, drink, swim in or otherwise come into contact with the water in Long Creek.

State and Graham County officials, meanwhile, continue to investigate the problem and seek a solution to better treat the wastewater before it is discharged into Long Creek. Long Creek flows into the Cheoah River in Western North Carolina, which in turn flows into Santeetlah Lake on the Tennessee border.