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Derreck Kayongo, a former child refugee who now serves as the senior advocacy coordinator in the Southeast for the CARE International relief organization, will deliver the keynote address at Western Carolina University’s the 11th annual Gender Research Conference on Thursday, March 15.
The conference, themed “Women and Poverty in the Global Economy,” will be held at WCU’s A.K. Hinds University Center. Registration begins at 9 a.m.
Kayongo will speak on “The Role of Women in the Fight against Global Poverty” during his address, set for 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in Grandroom A of the University Center.
Kayongo’s family fled Uganda during the tyranny of Idi Amin in 1979, and he has gone on to become a voice for marginalized and vulnerable people around the globe. Now a naturalized U.S. citizen, he has worked with the American Friends Service Committee as program director for the Southeast Peace Education program and has been director of the Southeast region for Amnesty International.
Following Kayongo’s address, a series of presentations will be offered by WCU faculty members and students from 11 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The conference will also offer lunch for $10 from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. in Illusions, and Mary Jean Ronan Herzog, professor in WCU’s School of Teaching and Learning, will present the lunchtime address “Faculty Women and the Glass Ceiling at WCU: Differences in Salary and Position in Academia.”
Lunch will be followed by more presentations and discussion from 2 to 4:50 p.m.
828.227.3839 or www.wcu.edu/25228.asp or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The American Legion will observe its 93rd anniversary March 15-17, and Legionnaires of Jackson and Swain counties will celebrate that milestone at their regular 7 p.m. meeting at William E. Dillard Post 104, Sylva, on Monday, March 12.
Founded in Paris, France, at the close of World War I, the organization now includes men and women veterans of World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Lebanon/Grenada periods, Operation Just Cause in Panama, Desert Storm, Iraq and the ongoing conflicts in Afghanistan and elsewhere.
Aikido, a form of martial arts that means “the Way of Spirit Harmony,” will be offered in Sylva from 7:30 till 9 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday evenings at the White Dragon Academy. An initial meeting and free introductory class will be held at 7:30 p.m. on March 5.
Unlike karate and other “hard” arts, aikido allows someone to protect themselves against an attack without necessarily harming the other person. When presented with an attack, an aikido practitioner uses gravity, momentum, and a variety of throws, wristlocks, and other unbalancing techniques to blend with an attacker, bring them under control, and resolve the situation. This strategy is not only effective against physical attacks, but can be used to diffuse a verbal attack or calm a heated argument as well.
Since aikido relies on timing and blending, more than on strength or size, it is well-suited for both men and women of all ages and sizes. Aikido, a modern Japanese martial art, was created in the 1940’s after the end of WWII.
Class size will be limited to a maximum of eight students. Previous martial arts experience is helpful, but certainly not required. Past experience with dance, gymnastics, or other activities that emphasize circular movement will prove helpful in learning aikido. Students must be at least 16 years old, and in reasonably good physical condition.
Aikido classes will be taught by Sensei Timm Muth, who trained for 14 years under Sensei Ned Danieley and the late Shihan Fumio Toyoda.
828.269.8144 or call Muth at 828.507.1800 after 5 p.m.
Runners will have a chance to mix running and chicken-wing-eating as a Western Carolina University student organization, the Western Athletic Training Association, hosts the Zaxby’s Finger Lickin’ Fun Run at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 10.
Runners who register for the two-mile race have the option of signing up to eat six wings at the halfway mark. The event is sponsored by Zaxby’s Sylva location and is a fundraiser for the athletic trainers’ group, with proceeds to be used to help students attend conferences.
Registration is available at active.com. Fees are $5 for the run only, $10 for the run and wing-eating, $15 for the run and a T-shirt, and $20 for the run, wings and T-shirt. Online registration closes at 5 p.m. Friday, March 9. Registration also will be available at the start area the morning of the race.
Packet pickup will begin at 10 a.m. race day at the fountain in the center of campus. The race will start from the corner of Central Drive and Killian Building Lane.
Other sponsors include Carolina West Sports Medicine and RoadID.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.227.3530.
Runners still have time to register for Western Carolina University’s Valley of the Lilies Half Marathon and 5-K at early registration rates before March 1.
The half marathon held Sunday, March 25, and take runners on a 13.1-mile journey through the WCU campus and along the Tuckaseigee River. The 5K run-walk is a new addition this year.
The inaugural half marathon at WCU last year proved to be very popular with runners around the region, with a total of 188 athletes registering for the race. Registrations for this year’s half marathon are already well ahead of numbers from last year, with nearly 100 half marathoners having signed up by mid-February.
Online registration is available at active.com. Fees are $40 for the half marathon and $20 for the 5-K through Wednesday, Feb. 29. Beginning March 1, the fees increase to $60 for the half marathon and $25 for the 5-K. No registrations will be accepted after Wednesday, March 21, including on race day.
Race hosts are WCU’s School of Health Sciences and Department of Campus Recreation and Wellness. Proceeds will be used to support professional development opportunities for students.
The historic Cherokee trails in Jackson County and the surrounding areas will be highlighted during program held at 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 6 at the Jackson County Public Library.
Lamar Marshall, cultural heritage director of Wild South, will be the presenter. Marshall has researched and mapped historic trails in the Southeast for more than 40 years, and the Cherokee Preservation Foundation has funded the Cherokee trails research in Western North Carolina for the last two years.
The early Indian trails evolved as the result of thousands of years of Native Americans’ interactions with animals, tribal migration, relocations, population shifts and lifestyle changes due to European contact and trade.
Geographical features were the key factors that led to the establishment and development of village sites and trail locations. Dividing ridges, passes and gaps, springs, river shoals, shallows, waterfalls, fords, and valleys all determined ultimately where trails were established.
“Where these trails remain visible today, old beech trees with carvings and trail marker trees might still be found nearby,” Marshall said. “Abandoned segments meander through fields and forests, and loops that followed the natural contours of the land can be found veering off of paved highways.”
828.586.2016.
Thanks to an $8,000 grant from WNC Agricultural Options, the Jackson County Farmers Market in Sylva will open a community commercial kitchen for farmers to process, preserve and package foods.
Classes in cooking, nutrition and food safety and sanitation will also be offered at the venue.
Other farm groups and 23 farmers throughout Western North Carolina were awarded a total of $150,000 through the grants, intended to increase profitability of diverse farms. Other grants of $6,000 include:
• Lambert Farms on the Cherokee Reservation to assist with a grass-fed beef grazing operation and pastured poultry processing.
• Water quality improvements at Sunburst Trout Farm in Haywood County.
• A truffle project at Tri-Lynn Plantation in Jackson County.
• Hydroponic greenhouse operations at Nantahala Farms and Nursery in Macon County.
• High Mountain Meadows farm certified creamery and kitchen in Clay County.
The grant program has been funded exclusively by the N.C. Tobacco Trust Fund Commission since 2003.
The Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance will hold a workshop on shiitake and oyster mushroom cultivation at 2 p.m., March 24, at the Bascom Art Center in Highlands. The event will take place in the adult studio room downstairs.
Rodney Webb, member of the N.C. Mountain Mushroom Cooperative, will present tools and tips for growing edible mushrooms. Following the presentation, Webb will help attendees inoculate their own log. Logs, tools and supplies will be provided by the alliance and be available for sale during the event. Participants will be able to purchase additional logs that have been pre-inoculated. Each log, if properly cared for over time, will produce several pounds of mushrooms.
The hands on portion of the workshop will entail drilling the mushroom logs, plugging the holes with mushroom spawn and sealing them with hot wax. 828.526.0890, ext. 320.
The N.C. Cooperative Extension Service will hold free fruit tree workshops that will cover the basic needs of apple, pear and peach trees.
Learn about site selection, the differences between dwarf, semi-dwarf and seedling trees, proper soil conditions, pollination requirements, yearly fertility needs and tree spacing. Common diseases, insect problems and possible control options will be discussed.
• 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Feb. 27, at the Swain Extension Center on Almond School Road in Swain County.
• 2 to 4 p.m. Monday, March 5 at the Jackson Extension Center on Scotts Creek Road in Sylva.
Additionally, a workshop on how to train and prune is set to take place from 10 a.m. until noon on Friday, March 2, in Swain County at an orchard location. Meet at 9:30 a.m. in the parking lot in Bryson City on Main Street behind the old courthouse.
828.586.4009 in Sylva or 828.488.3848 in Bryson City.
A bass tournament hosted by Fontana Village Resort will be held on Fontana Lake March 17 and March 18.
With water temperatures and lake levels already rising, local anglers are reporting an increase already in the action on the lake. Fontana Marina and Dock manager Ronnie Crisp said that he expects quite a turnout this year.
“Local anglers and folks from neighboring states have already been calling to register for this year’s tournament,” he said.
This year’s purse is $5,000 with first place garnering $2,000 in prize money and $1,000 for second place. Prize money will be awarded for third through eighth places and $100 each for the biggest smallmouth, large mouth and spot bass.
Fontana Village Marina will be hosting the event on their docks located at the west end of Fontana Lake.
828.498.2211 or www.fontanavillage.com/marina/springtournament.pdf
A special StarLab Planetarium presentation will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9, at the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) in Pisgah Forest.
PARI Science Educator Stephen Hawk will share stories of the spring constellations. The evening’s activities will include a tour of the PARI campus and celestial observations using PARI’s optical or radio telescopes.
The presentation is part of PARI’s monthly Evening at PARI series and will be conducted inside PARI’s StarLab Planetarium.
“We’ll be celebrating the Vernal Equinox, the first day of spring,” Hawk said. “I’ll share stories of several prominent springtime constellations around Leo the Lion and also point out where to locate Ursa Major and Minor, as well as Hydra the water snake, the longest constellation in the sky.”
Afterward and outside, weather permitting, PARI staff and volunteers will share observations of visible objects.
Reservations are required and will be accepted until 3 p.m. the day of the event. The cost is $20 per adult, $15 for seniors/military and $10 for children under 14.
www.pari.edu or 828.862.5554.
The Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust was awarded an honorable mention in “eco-preservation” category of Southern Living magazine’s “Heroes of the New South” edition because of the group’s efforts to preserve the region’s heritage.
Highlands-Cashiers Land Trust currently protects 2,400 acres of land in Macon and Jackson Counties.
Asheville resident, Trey Carland will read from and discuss his book A Seeker’s Guide to Inner Peace at 2 p.m. on March 3 at City Lights Bookstore.
The book is a collection of blogs written about his experiences and is intended to bring the life lessons he learned to a broader audience and offer insights to happiness and spiritual enlightenment.
828.586.9499.
Jane Grahl, a Waynesville resident, has published a new book, Just One Won’t Hurt, about the demands of high school and peer pressure.
The story focuses on 15-year-old Kellie Jamison, the perfect daughter who found the transition from middle school to high school a greater undertaking than she’d anticipated. Already stressed, she falls prey to peer pressure and makes decisions that will affect the rest of her life.
Grahl graduated of UNC at Charlotte with a degree in business and is currently working on three other novels. She has already penned and published Is Having a Boyfriend Really Necessary?
Bob Plott will revisit City Lights to present his newest book Colorful Characters of the Great Smoky Mountains at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 2.
The Smoky Mountains have been the home of many fascinating individuals, and this book details the legendary lives of a few of those people. Whether it is French and Indian War hero Captain Kennedy or the author’s relative Von Plott, Bob Plott crafts each narrative to honor the legacy of some of the area’s most interesting and influential people. Plott has also written Story of the Plott Hound, History of Hunting in the Great Smoky Mountains and Legendary Hunters of the Southern Appalachians.
828.586.9499.
The King’s Messengers, a Southern Gospel music quartet who will soon celebrate 48 years singing, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 3, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are $10 each.
Based out of Gainesville, Ga., The King’s Messengers have performed throughout the Southeast. They are a non-profit ministry made up of four singers and four band members.
To reserve tickets, stop by the theatre’s box office on Georgia Road in Franklin.
866.273.4615 or greatmountainmusic.com.
Aaron Tippin, Sammy Kershaw and Joe Diffie — all platinum-certified country music recording artists — will come together for a country music super show March 9 at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts.
The show, a part of their Roots and Boots tour, is set for 7:30 p.m., and tickets start at $27 each.
Aaron Tippin is best known for great hits such as “You’ve Got to Stand for Something” and “Workin’ Man’s PHD.” Sammy Kershaw is famous for such songs as “She Don’t Know She’s Beautiful” and “Queen of My Double Wide Trailer.” And, Joe Diffie holds claim to great songs such as “Prop Me Up Beside the Jukebox” and “John Deere Green.”
These three county music sensations will unite to sing their timeless hit songs together on one stage.
866.273.4615 or www.GreatMountainMusic.com
The Vienna Boys Choir, one of the most celebrated choirs of all time, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 6, at the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western Carolina University.
The choir, founded in 1498, has a repertoire that includes medieval, contemporary and experimental music. Long a fixture in Austrian musical life, the choir performed only for imperial courts, in church and at private functions until 1918. Now, four choirs of 24 schoolboys between the ages 10 and 14 from Austria and neighboring European countries perform hundreds of times a year worldwide.
The performance is part of WCU’s seventh annual Galaxy of Stars Series.
Tickets for the Vienna Boys Choir are $20 for adults and seniors; $15 for WCU faculty and staff; $10 for groups of 20 or more; and $5 for children and students.
828.227.2479 or bardoartscenter.wcu.edu.
City Lights Bookstore will host an evening of music and storytelling with local performer Lee Knight at 7 p.m. on March 3.
Knight lives in Cashiers and currently works as a folk singer, storyteller and outdoor activities leader. He leads hikes, canoe trips and guides whitewater rafts. He also plays various instruments, including the five-string banjo, guitar, the Appalachian dulcimer, the mouth bow, the Cherokee flute and the Cherokee rattle.
828.586.9499.
Haywood Community College’s Continuing Education Department will hold a Great Smoky Mountain Bladesmithing Symposium “Spring Hammer In” on campus from March 8-11.
All events are tailored to the knife enthusiast, knife collectors and knife makers from beginner to master.
Demonstrators will include Jerry Fisk, forging, heat treating, and grinding; Greg Neely, hand finishing blades, finishing Damascus, and ABS judging standards; Burt Foster, knife photography and laminated blades; and B.R. Hughes, presentation on Jim Bowie and ABS judging standards.
From 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. March 9, there will be blade forging and demonstrations. Battle of the Bladesmiths will be held from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. Blade forging and demonstrations will be held from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m. on March 10 A free knife show will be open to the public from 1 p.m. until 3 p.m. Auction will be from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. A cutting demonstration will be held from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m. On March 11, blade forging and demonstrations will be held from 8 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Cost of the Great Smoky Mountain Bladesmithing Symposium is $65.
828.565.4244 or www.americanbladesmith.com.
Western Carolina University will offer a course on creating stained glass from 6-9 p.m. Thursdays from March 8 through April 12 in the Cordelia Camp Building’s south lobby.
Course instructor Moya O’Neal is an active member of the International Guild of Glass Artists and has worked with stained glass for more than 20 years. O’Neal teaches the “Tiffany method” of stained glass where each piece of glass is wrapped in copper foils and then soldered.
Students will learn important safety precautions, proper cutting techniques, foiling methods, soldering techniques and simple metal framing.
The cost for the course is $85, and registration is required. Students will be required to bring safety glasses, pens, pencils, a felt-tipped pen, paper for notes, 12-inch-by-12-inch box to carry glass, adhesive bandages and cotton garden gloves. Other tools will be provided.
828.227.7397 or learn.wcu.edu.
Cook Smart, Eat Smart Cooking School is hosting a four-part class on preparing simple, healthy and delicious food during March and April in Sylva.
The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays — March 14 and 28, and April 11 and 25 — at the Disabilities Partners Office on Mineral Springs Drive.
“Cook Smart, Eat Smart” is designed for adults and older teens, and the curriculum emphasizes healthy preparation techniques, simple ingredients and limited use of prepared foods. In addition, information will be presented to help participants plan, shop and stock a pantry that encourages simple meal preparation.
Participants will be involved in hands-on food preparation and get to taste the variety of foods created at each session.
Interested people are encouraged to pre-register by March 9 as space is limited.
828.586.4009.
Bethel Rural Community Organization’s Historic Preservation Committee will be entertaining bids from Haywood County artists who are interested in painting historic sites and rural scenes of Bethel. The project is an ongoing program for BRCO each year, with the historic or agricultural subject selected by BRCO’s Historic Preservation Committee.
Artists may select watercolor, oil, acrylic or pencil medium. Canvas size will be 20-by-15 inches so the paintings can be displayed on the walls of the community hall between the windows. The first painting will be a rendering of Bethel Presbyterian Church as it when built in 1885 by the Rev. Jesse Stalcup.
Email inquiries must have the word “painting” as the subject line. Artists will be asked to complete an application and include their resumes and photos of their work. Finalists will be asked to meet with the Committee and bring samples of their artwork.
828.646.0303 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The next contra dancing event in Sylva will be from 2:30 to 5 p.m. on Sunday, March 11.
The dance will be held on the second floor of the old courthouse in the Jackson County Library. Frederick Park will call the dance to the music of Out of the Woodwork.
There will also be a potluck dinner following the dance, starting at 5:30. Attendees are asked to bring a covered dish, plate, cup and cutlery and a water bottle. All dances are done to live music and local musicians are invited to sit in with the band, to jam and learn how to play music for dancing.
No previous experience with contra dancing is necessary and all dances will be taught and walked through before dancing. No partner is required.
Contra dancing is a form of English country dancing and uses many of the same figures as square dancing such as circles, stars and swings.
Pam Garrett at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Macon County Library will display paintings, drawings, furniture and photographs by Justin Moe in its meeting room throughout the month of March.
“I have always felt compelled to create. It was not until 2002 though that I started painting and realized creating is something I must do,” Moe said. “For me, art reinforces my humanity. It is my mirror and a filter for how I experience and interpret reality.”
The Cherokee Language Program at Western Carolina University is collaborating with EarlyLight Books of Waynesville to publish a bilingual and Cherokee-only version of a book titled “Animal Colors,” which is designed to teach early readers about colors and animals.
The book has already been translated into the Cherokee syllabary and should be available to the public in July, said Dawn Cusick, owner of EarlyLight.
The publisher, who graduated from WCU in 2008 with a master’s degree in biology, also envisions an audience for the book beyond schoolchildren.
“The book seems like a great souvenir,” said Cusick. “The Cherokee syllabary is absolutely beautiful in its printed form.”
The Cherokee Language Program helps produce materials for a Cherokee language immersion program on the Qualla Boundary for children from 6 months old through second grade. The program is an effort to keep the Cherokee language alive.
The program has produced two books in the Cherokee language, “Grouchy Old Woman” and “Spearfinger,” both based on Cherokee legend.
828.227.2303 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Author and inspirational speaker Kim May will lead a workshop from 1 to 4 p.m., March 3, at The Creative Thought Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville.
The event, titled “Tools for Change,” is free and open to the public.
May, a personal fitness trainer and wellness coach, will highlight six tools for change, including breathing techniques, meditation, EFT/Tapping, and quantum touch. The workshop will focus on ways to alleviate stress, cope with difficult changes and to optimize one’s overall wellbeing.
RSVP by Feb. 29.
828.734.0305.
The Haywood Arts Regional Theatre will hold auditions for its spring production of the Thomas Wolfe classic “Look Homeward Angel” at 6:30 p.m. on March 4-5.
The production is being directed by Steve Lloyd and will have a two-week run, starting on April 27.
“Look Homeward Angel” was adapted for the stage by Ketti Frings and won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama when it opened on Broadway. The story, set in the fictional Altamont, is actually a loose biography of Wolfe’s youth in Asheville. The names may be different but the characters and places are recognizable. The play has 19 roles for men and women of various ages, and the lead is a young teenager.
Community theater actors will be given scenes to read from the script. Anyone auditioning as a professional actor is expected to have a headshot, resume and prepared monologue. Anyone interested in working backstage on the production is also encouraged to come by during auditions to sign up.
Auditions will be held at the Performing Arts Center on Pigeon Street in Waynesville.
Tuscola High School’s show choir will put on a country western performance, titled “Thirty Years and Counting,” to celebrate its 30-year existence March 8-11.
Summit, which was created in 1982 by former director David Traynham, performs to sell-out crowds year after year.
Since it is a 30-year celebration, director Fritzi Wise is involving former Summit members as emcees and has asked that photos from past shows be shared in a display in the lobby. This year, the Chamber Choir will also accompany Summit.
Performances are in the Tuscola High School auditorium at 7 p.m. Thursday thru Saturday and at 2p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $8 and may be purchased from Summit and Chamber members or at the door
The event will include door prizes, concessions and a raffle.
Proceeds from the show assist the choir members with expenses for their annual trip to Epcot Center in December where they participate in the “Candlelight Processional.”
The choirs are also asking those attending to bring non-perishable foods that will be donated to “The Open Door.”
828.456.2408.
To the Editor:
Back in the 1990s, I was privileged to serve several years on the Macon County Planning Board, six of those years as chairman. During that time I served with a good number of persons, some of whom had personal agendas but most of whom were caring people who only wanted to help maintain some of the characteristics which make Macon County such a great place to live.
It would be very surprising to any person who never served on an advisory board how much research, study and learning about other places and other ways, and attempting to adapt plans and regulations which serve well in other places to local problems, goes into any suggested ordinance which is presented to the commissioners. The best and most complete information which can be assembled concerning any potential project is sifted, sorted, studied, reviewed and digested by a group of dedicated board members before any suggestion is presented to commissioners. Examples of consequences arising around the subject under study are gathered from sources far and near. Experts are consulted and questioned and the knowledge and experience of many people are considered. And the board members spend their own money to serve.
When I was on the planning board, we were stopped in the middle of a project hoping to promote better, safer design for housing developments being constructed in the county – stopped by an organized group of realtors and developers who descended on a commissioner meeting protesting our actions, although no suggested ordinance had been completed. At the recommendation of the county manager at that time, the commissioners ordered that our fledgling plans be dropped. This was about the time the developers of Wildflower appeared at a commissioners meeting to tell us what wonderful advantages they could bring to Macon County if only we had no construction regulations or restriction on housing developments.
The rest of that story is history. And there are several homes built in this county to which no fire truck or emergency vehicle can be driven. A couple of those homes have already burned to the ground.
Serving on any voluntary advisory board is a thankless, sometimes frustrating undertaking. Contrary to recently published charges that planning board members wish to dictate to their fellow citizens, no planning board — nor any other advisory board — has that power. To paraphrase an old saying, an advisory board proposes actions, the county commissioners dispose of such actions, either accepting or discarding. The board on which I served was at least lucky enough not to be attacked in the public press by name and in such a personal and hurtful manner as has been endured by the present planning board members.
To disband the planning board, or to cripple the effectiveness of the members with term limits, can be likened to the situation of an ancient king who was riding into his castle one day when he saw one of his knights, wounded and bleeding, his armor dented and his horse falling with exhaustion. The knight throws himself from his dying horse and falls to his knees before his king. “Oh, my king,” he cries. “The battle is lost, your army destroyed upon the field, and only I am left to bring you the word that the enemy comes fast behind me, planning to storm your castle, kill you and your family, and lay waste your lands.” The king, in fear and anger, draws his sword and strikes off the head of the messenger who brought the terrible news before the king can learn the strength and position of the oncoming enemy, leaving himself no chance to protect himself and his people. How useless and foolish to kill the messenger.
One last well worn but apt cliché: to fail to plan is to plan to fail.
Sue Waldroop
Franklin
Pardon my insensitivity. Whitney Houston was a great singing talent, indeed. That was a gift of nature. She was also a criminal.
There are over a million people in our jail and prisons today, and another two million on probation for doing exactly what she did for the better part of 15 years: buy, possess and use illegal drugs. But she got away with it and continued to reap admiration along the way.
The sports and entertainment world, and the media in general, should stop lionizing dead idols who spent a good part of their lives using recreational (and illegal) drugs. The subliminal messages they send to impressionable young people by the millions is not only powerful, it is infinitely damaging and carries long-term consequences.
While we know that hundreds of idols are unapologetic users of illegal marijuana, thousands more have made no secret of using heroin, cocaine and meth for recreation, which is not only illegal but highly addictive and destructive. When they die, mass funerals are held, long-winded eulogies of praise are heard and not a word is spoken about the horrid addiction they suffered by making stupid choices, choices that no child should ever make. Neither do they mention the lifelong pain and misery suffered by family and friends in their wake.
The list of celebrity users, dead and alive, is horrific: John Belushi, Robert Downey Jr., Tim Allen, David Bowie, Billie Holiday, Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Charlie Sheen, and on and on. That doesn’t even address idols whose addictions were confined to prescription drugs like Michael Jackson and Elvis Presley.
What is missing from Whitney Houston’s life, and from most celebrity drug addicts, is owning up, admitting openly that they have been caught up in the yoke of addiction and to use their fame, adoration and influence to steer young people away from the nightmare they will face if they get started on the drug path. Sadly, few do that.
Whitney Houston was talented but selfish. She wallowed in admiration for her musical skills while everyone turned a blind eye to the monkey on her back and her criminal behavior. Her sickness was of choice, not nature. As the world knew of her drug habits, she stood as a disgraceful role model for millions of young boys and girls, a shining example of how and why the drug scene is not so bad. “Look, Whitney Houston does it, it’s cool.” I dare to wonder how many kids vicariously entered the drug scene thanks to stars like her.
I might be inclined to feel more sympathetic if Whitney Houston had publicly used her iconic status in a crusade against drugs. Where are her video messages? Where are her billboards? Where are her ubiquitous anti-drug admonitions?
“Hi kids, I’m that Grammy winner, Whitney Houston. You think I’m cool, but I’m not. I’m a hooked drug user and believe me, I curse the first day I ever tried cocaine and other hard drugs. You have no idea the sickness and pain I have suffered every day, at my own hand. I wish, so hard, I could wipe the slate clean and start over. But it’s too late. I’m an addict. My life is busted. I’m forever craving that hit one more time, a slave to drugs for life. Being rich means nothing.
“No matter how much money I have, it makes my life miserable. I beg every last one of you, don’t ever do drugs, not even the first time. Don’t get sucked into the ‘wanna be liked’ syndrome. Don’t be fooled by people like me. Drugs will eventually kill you. If not literally, they will kill your spirit and ruin your life. Never, never do what I’ve done. You’ll be sorry. That’s a promise.”
So, let’s hear it from the Hollywood stars, the rockers and rappers, musicians and singers. Where are your voices, Robert, Charlie, Lindsey and Snoop Dog? Why aren’t you using your idol status to help save the lives of impressionable kids from the misery you have suffered? Why don’t you care?
Most celebrity druggies haven’t the courage to do that. And neither did Whitney.
(Marshall Frank is former WNC resident, a retired Miami-Dade homicide detective and the author of several books. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
To the Editor:
As of 2010, 50 million people in the U.S. had no health insurance (no doubt more now). Compared to people with health insurance, 40 percent more deaths occur among people lacking insurance. In 2009, nearly 45,000 people died from causes related to their uninsured status (no doubt more than 50,000 per year now).
Why is this tolerated? Because of the existence of the private health insurance industry and the hundreds of thousands of people who are not delivering health care (i.e., not doctors, nurses, pharmacists, etc.) who are being paid by insurance companies for their expertise in denying health care.
The annual cost of administrative waste in the insurance industry is estimated at $400 billion. This amount would provide $8,000 per person per year to each of the 50,000 who die uninsured—thereby saving their lives.
We have spent billions in two wars to avenge the tragic deaths of the 3,000 who were lost on 9/11 — and ended the lives of many more in the process. If we were really concerned about “homeland security” wouldn’t we shift our financial priorities from causing deaths to saving lives by providing comprehensive health care to ALL our people?
Doug Wingeier
Waynesville
To the Editor:
For centuries, the citizens of our state have extolled the virtues of a fair and judicious court system. But state budget cuts, promoted by Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, and the Republican-led General Assembly, are seriously challenging the court system’s proud reputation.
In the past year, more than $38 million have been cut from the overall state judicial system. As a result, the system has lost 55 assistant district attorney and support staff positions. Some 1,250 full-time staff jobs in the offices of local prosecutors, clerks of courts, and prisons have also been eliminated.
Budgets for drug treatment courts, as well as the program to help offenders get substance abuse treatment instead of prison time, have also been cut. Sentencing service programs, staff psychologists, housing unit supervisors and youth counselor technicians in our juvenile justice system have been dropped as well.
The impact of these cuts is also being felt at the local level. Macon and Jackson counties have lost magistrates. This affects the citizens of Highlands in particular, who now must go before a magistrate in Franklin.
The district attorney’s office in Waynesville, which serves our seven most western counties in this part of the state, has lost two assistant district attorneys and two critical staff positions. With crime having more than doubled in this region in recent years, there are now fewer staff for investigations, contacting and interviewing witnesses, and keeping vast amounts of files organized and processed.
Time is always a crucial factor in dealing with criminal investigations and trials. Without sufficient staff to provide timely acquisition of evidence and witnesses, and without adequate time to prepare for trials, court performance by our district attorneys can suffer and criminal cases can be compromised.
While most North Carolinians are for fiscal responsibility, they will sacrifice when the loss of funding affects the safety of their communities and the fair and judicial way in which a personal court case might be handled.
The result of Sen. Davis and the Republican-led Assembly’s budget cuts, therefore, might best be summed up with the old adage, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”
Ben Utley, Chairman
Macon County Democratic Party
To the Editor:
The Jackson County Planning Department is methodically revising sections of the subdivision ordinance. In the fall, the section pertaining to road design in subdivisions was simplified and, in our opinion, improved. Now, the department has issued proposed revisions to the open space standards. The current schedule calls for an official planning commission meeting for public comment followed by a vote to approve the proposed changes on March 8. A month later the revisions will be presented to the commissioners.
Open space is a more complex issue than roads. According to the proposed revisions, open space includes natural, forested areas but also paved recreational facilities like tennis and basketball courts.
There are big differences between woodlands and tennis courts to our mountain heritage and ecology. For instance, there is a significant difference with respect to runoff and groundwater recharge. In our mountain terrain, actions that affect downhill landowners and their water wells should be done cautiously.
We ask County Planner Gerald Green to keep the planning commission public discussion regarding open space on March 8, but to postpone the planning commission vote for one month. In this extra time citizens can better understand the implications of the proposed revisions and provide input to the Planning Commission.
We also call for a community meeting to discuss the proposed revisions on Monday, March 5, at a time and place to be listed on the website www.WATRnc.org. All will be welcomed at that meeting.
Roger Clapp, Executive Director, Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River
Ken Brown, Chairman, Tuckseigee Chapter of the Western North Carolina Alliance
To the Editor:
It is painful and, frankly, disgusting to witness North Carolina’s prosecutors and their allies in the General Assembly trying to sabotage the Racial Justice Act and the Innocence Commission. These are two of the finest achievements ever enacted by any state.
Two of the most pernicious proposals would prohibit the Commission from reviewing any evidence previously heard by a judge or jury and forbid applications from prisoners who had pleaded guilty. In other words, the Commission would be half-blinded in all cases and deaf to many.
Innocent people can be induced to confess or even plead guilty to crimes. The Innocence Project cites false confessions or admissions as factors in a fourth of the 289 cases nationwide in which DNA has exonerated prisoners. Recently, our state’s Innocence Commission relied on DNA evidence to secure the release of two Buncombe County men who had pleaded guilty for fear of the death penalty.
As a lifelong journalist in another state, I saw false confessions firsthand. At Tallahassee, a disreputable polygraph operator coerced two men into confessing to a murder, but the “confessions” were so inconsistent with other evidence that the two were interrogated again to be fed more false “facts.” Among the questions: “Did you wear gloves?” Answer: “I guess we wore gloves.” (Emphasis supplied.) That was to explain why their fingerprints had not been found at the crime scene.
The magnitude of the discrepancy became obvious later when fingerprint evidence helped to convict the real perpetrators. The innocent men were exonerated, but not before one of them had been sent to death row and the other sentenced to life.
Such miscarriages of justice occur all the time, everywhere.
No case has yet been adjudicated under the Racial Justice Act, which is not about releasing anyone but only about fairly applying the death penalty. Of more than 1,100 innocence claims, the Commission has found probable cause in only three. The prosecutors would serve justice better by waiting for the messages rather than trying to kill the messengers.
Martin Dyckman
Waynesville
A performance and program on the role of foster parents titled “Ellen Foster and Friends: A Look at Foster Care,” will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, March 3, in the auditorium of the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.
The event will begin with local actor Barbara Bates Smith performing excerpts from “Ellen Foster,” her stage version of the prize-winning novel by Kaye Gibbons, which details the journey of Ellen, a spunky girl working to overcome abuse.
There will be a panel discussion on foster care featuring Ira Dove, Haywood County Department of Social Services director; Dr. Steve Wall, with Haywood Pediatrics; Tara Keilberg, Director of the Kids Advocacy Resource Effort; Scott MacGregor, a Certified Family Life Educator; and Pablo and Maria Averza, therapeutic foster parents.
“A Look at Foster Care” is hosted by Appalachian Community Services and the Haywood County Public Library. The Friends of the Library will provide refreshments.
Appalachian Community Services trains and supports foster parents in the area.
828.454.1098, ext. 2908 or www.acswnc.com.
Tommy Jenkins, who oversees economic development efforts in Macon County, will give a talk on economic development plans and projects at 12:15 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, at the League of Women Voters in Franklin.
Jenkins will speak about efforts to create a business- and industry-investment climate.
The meeting will be held in Tartan Hall in Franklin. Lunch is available at noon.
828.371.0527 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Prospective nursing students can find out about prospective career opportunities at an education fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 10, in the Haynes Center on the Enka campus of Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College.
The event is sponsored by Western Carolina University’s School of Nursing.
University representatives will be on hand to discuss WCU’s traditional pre-licensure bachelor’s degree program in nursing, the accelerated bachelor’s program, the registered nurse to bachelor’s degree program and a dual enrollment undergraduate program that WCU offers in conjunction with A-B Tech.
Graduate program representatives will be available to discuss master’s degree programs in family nurse practitioner, nurse administration, nurse anesthesia and nurse educator.
Attendees also can meet with admissions, financial aid and transfer credit advisers.
nursing.wcu.edu or 828.670.8810, ext. 247.
An older development in Cashiers operating under a new name is likely to get Jackson County go-ahead for putting in, over time, 200 house lots on 2,000 acres. A public hearing is set for March 5.
The Chinquapin development near Panthertown Valley had been part of the Trillium development, but reverted to the original owners, the Carlton family, said County Planner Gerald Green. There are some houses already in the Chinquapin development.
“This could prove a model for other developers to follow,” Green said last week.
The Chinquapin development will take place slowly, over years and even decades. It is one of the first large scale mountain housing developments to seek approval under a host of progressive regulations enacted in Jackson County fours years ago. The recession-driven housing market crash came at the same time the regulations went into effect, making them largely untested as to how easily a developer could comply or navigate them.
Chinaquapin opted to enter a “development agreement” with the county, an option afforded larger developments that allows flexibility under the ordinances yet still upholds environmental protections intended in the ordinance.
For example, 700 acres will be set aside as a conservation area and 150 acres for greenspace and open space.
Development agreements are geared toward large-scale developments containing multiple phases over a period of years, such as Chinquapin, Green told Jackson County commissioners recently. He cited developments such as Biltmore Park in Asheville, and now Chinquapin, as fitting these exceptions. Given the slowness of the development to come to fruition, the development agreement assures the developer that standards won’t change over the life of the development.
Commissioner Joe Cowan had questioned whether the development agreement circumvented or weakened local land-planning regulations. Based on Green’s response, Cowan declared himself well satisfied that the one with Chinquapin did not.
“You answered all of my questions,” he told Green when the subject came up a recent commissioners meeting.
Swain County tourists can now get information via the mobile site m.GreatSmokies.com using their smartphones.
“In 2011, 10 percent of our website visitors were using some sort of mobile device,” said Karen Wilmot, chamber director. “And that was a 300 percent increase over the previous year. The web is definitely going mobile and we are enthusiastically going with it.”
According to Wilmot, the mobile version contains virtually all the travel information found on the desktop version — lodging, dining, attractions, activities, shopping and visitor services, plus more.
Haywood County Chamber of Commerce also launched a mobile site this year.
A comprehensive 36-page guide for Jackson County visitors is now available.
The guide provides details on hiking, waterfalls, fly fishing, rafting and other leisure activities.
There’s also information about hotels, inns, cabin rentals, shopping and dining in Jackson County’s popular towns of Cashiers, Cherokee, Cullowhee, Dillsboro and Sylva.
“The guide is user-friendly and full of key info to plan a getaway to the mountains of North Carolina,” said Julie Spiro, executive director Jackson County tourism. “It is also available for quick download at MountainLovers.com.”
To receive a complimentary NC Mountains Visitors Guide, call (800) 962-1911, or submit a request at: www.MountainLovers.com.
Sharron Donnahoe of Waynesville has been named a Main Street Champion through the N.C. Main Street Annual Awards program.
Donnahoe was nominated by Downtown Waynesville Association for her contributions to the downtown revitalization process.
Donnahoe was elected to the board of directors of Downtown Waynesville Association in 2006. She spent 16 years as director of the Haywood Community College Small Business Center. As chair of the group’s business recruitment committee, Donnahoe spearheaded development of a new recruitment packet, consulted with prospective business owners and organized a number of free seminars for downtown merchants.
Nearly 40 U.S. Forest Service and North Carolina Forest Service firefighters battled a 750-acre wildfire in the Tusquitee Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest this week. The fire started Sunday and had spread 60 acres by Monday. Its large size was mostly due to controlled burns intentionally set by firefighters to establish a contained perimeter.
Firefighters also fought a smaller wildfire, some 40 acres in size, in the Cullowhee area in Jackson County. The Cullowhee fire threatened three houses before being contained. A campfire is suspected of sparking the blaze.
In Tusquitee near Murphy on that fire, control lines were in place, and the fire was considered 100 percent contained Tuesday.
Forest Service officials predicted it would be another couple days before the fire was fully controlled, however. No structures were threatened. The fire was located about 14 miles northwest of Murphy near Turner Top mountain. Suppression efforts included a U.S. Forest Service hot-shot crew, district staff and N.C. Forest Service firefighters on the ground. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.
A community meeting to explore “What will Cullowhee look like in 10 years?” will be held at the Cullowhee Valley School library at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 13.
Cullowhee is the fastest growing and largest township in Jackson County. The purpose of the meeting is to examine the impact of such growth and identify strengths and needs of the Cullowhee community for residents and business owners.
Speakers include Cullowhee resident Wanda Kidd, Jackson County Planner Gerald Green and Western Carolina University Chancellor David Belcher. A period for questions and discussions will follow the presentations. Community organizations also will be represented at the event.
In-depth volunteer training for hospice and palliative care will be held this month at Lake Junaluska First Baptist Church on March 19-22.
This twelve-hour program will orient volunteers to the hospice philosophy and program and hospice volunteering. The essence of hospice philosophy is quality of life, allowing the patient and family to spend the last days together with dignity, with control over their situation, and as free from pain as possible. Hospice volunteers are an integral part of the hospice team in providing support and bereavement services to patients and their families in an end-of-life setting in our community. Pre-registration is required.
828.452.8811.
The National Rifle Association will offer a seminar called “Refuse To Be A Victim” several times in coming weeks in Waynesville, focused on crime prevention and personal safety strategies for college bound students, such as mental awareness, preparation and avoidance techniques. This is not a defensive tactics or firearms class.
Harry Katt, a retired law enforcement officer with more than 30 years of police experience, will present the program. Seminar topics include personal threat assessments, basic criminal behaviors, awareness and avoidance concepts, personal safety tactics, technological security and more. Seminar participants will be presented with a variety of common-sense crime prevention and personal safety strategies.
The classes take place from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on March 17, March 31, April 14, April 28, at Copper Leaf Café in Waynesville. Cost is $25.
828.926.8265 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Gun control takes center stage at 6:30 p.m. Monday, March 5, in the A.K. Hinds University Center Grandroom on the campus of Western Carolina University.
Scholar Gary Kleck will review research in the field of gun control in his presentation “Guns and Violence: Good Guys vs. Bad Guys,” which is free and open to the public. He will focus on disputes over the frequency of defensive gun use by crime victims and whether resistance with a gun helps or hurts the victim. In addition, he will cover how to develop safer, more effective gun control laws in the United States.
A criminology professor at Florida State University, Kleck teaches courses on criminology, law enforcement, research methods, gun control, violence theory and crime control. He is the author of Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America, winner of the 1993 Michael J. Hindelang Award from the American Society of Criminology.
828.227.2328 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Haywood County Chamber of Commerce will offer Rural Entrepreneurship through Action Learning, a four-week business course, from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from March 20 through April 12.
This four-week course will enable entrepreneurs to take a business idea, improve or expand an existing business, and “walk through” essential business-success steps. The course is open to those who want to learn about general business planning, including topics such as meeting customer needs, analyzing the competition, taxes and licenses, utilizing professionals, computerized cash flow analysis and financial feasibility.
Katy McLean Gould, a REAL certified instructor, will facilitate this class. Gould is also the marketing and communications manager for the Greater Haywood Chamber of Commerce.
The course will be held at Haywood Community College. $65. 828.627.4512.
The Haywood County School District was the recipient of a Carol M. White Physical Education Program (PEP) Grant worth up to nearly $1 million.
Haywood County Schools was one of only 76 successful applications selected from a pool of 585 nationwide, and the only school district awarded in North Carolina. Funding for the first year is $375,101.
The grant will fund Mountain ROADS (Reducing Obesity via Activity and Diet for Students). The “Mountain ROADS” program will be used to improve curriculum, instruction, nutrition, and activity choices for students. The program introduces a variety of team and individual activities as well as some non-traditional physical activities. The program also offers physical education and health staff opportunities to learn new strategies to help students become more physically active and healthy.
State Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, violated state ethics rules this month by using his government email address for personal, but political, purposes. Specifically, Davis used his General Assembly email account to send out a campaign announcement saying he would run for re-election.
The announcement touted Davis’ personal attributes and political accomplishments. It included such language as, “Once he took office … Davis quickly established himself as a strong advocate for local government control.” And, that “his commitment to constituent service has become a hallmark of his service … ‘I did not go to Raleigh to make a career. I went to Raleigh to serve.’”
Davis’ legislative assistant sent the email out; Davis wrote the press release. State law dictates that elected officials cannot conduct “campaign from a legislative office, a member’s legislative office address, legislative email address, or legislative telephone number.”
Davis said he learned about the violation after being contacted by the Asheville Citizen-Times. The reporter asked if the senator was aware that it was illegal to use his General Assembly email for campaign purposes, Davis said. The senator said he called to check that fact, found it to be true, and self-reported his violation to senate leaders. He said there are and will be no repercussions.
“I was ignorant of the law, to tell the truth,” the freshman legislator said. “I did know of course that you couldn’t use your legislative email to raise money, that’s pretty obvious.”
