smoky mountain news

Two Democrats seek state Senate seat 0

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CONTENTS STAFFEDITOR/PUBLISHER: Scott McLeod . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] DIRECTOR: Greg Boothroyd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] DIRECTOR: Micah McClure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] & WEBSITE: Travis Bumgardner. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] & PRODUCTION: Emily Moss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] SALES: Whitney Burton . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Amanda Bradley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Smalley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

CLASSIFIEDS: Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] & EDITING: Becky Johnson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]

Holly Kays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] K. Woodward. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected] Threlkeld McConnell

ACCOUNTING & OFFICE MANAGER: Amanda Singletary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]: Scott Collier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . [email protected]: Jeff Minick (writing), Chris Cox (writing), George Ellison (writing), Gary Carden

(writing), Don Hendershot (writing), Jake Flannick (writing), Paul Clark (writing).

CONTACTWAYNESVILLE | 34 Church Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 P: 828.452.4251 | F: 828.452.3585

SYLVA | 629 West Main Street, Sylva, NC 28779 P: 828.631.4829 | F: 828.631.0789

INFO & BILLING | P.O. Box 629, Waynesville, NC 28786

Copyright 2014 by The Smoky Mountain News.™ Advertising copyright 2014 by The Smoky Mountain News.™All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The Smoky Mountain News isavailable for free in Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain and parts of Buncombe counties. Limit one copy per person.Additional copies may be purchased for $1, payable at the Smoky Mountain News office in advance. No person may,without prior written permission of The Smoky Mountain News, take more than one copy of each issue.

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Welcomes

828.339.1010 | EarwoodandMoore.com | Sylva and Cullowhee

On the Cover:An exhaustive mission to rescue hikers stranded deep in the Great SmokyMountains National Park reveals just how much effort park rangers andothers put into saving lives. This particular effort was made dangerous anddifficult by subzero temperatures, howling winds and blowing snow. In theend, the three unprepared hikers were airlifted to safety. (Page 6) Donated photo

NewsJackson planners propose weakened slope, development rules . . . . . . . . . 4Jackson TDA to decide on marketing plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5New Franklin mayor on a rocky road to change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Canton starts manager search — again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9State Senate race shaping up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

OpinionDiffering opinions on Israel, Palestinians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

A&ECornhole is big business for Haywood company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

OutdoorsEvergreen challenged by EPA regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Naturalist’s CornerState rule makers need to be watched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

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Waynesville (828) 452-2101 Valle Crucis Boone Hendersonville Asheville, NC Knoxville, TN Greenville Columbia, SC MastStore.com

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BY BECKY JOHNSONSTAFF WRITER

C ontrols on mountainside developmentin Jackson County could be loosenedfollowing a year-long line-by-line

rewrite of steep slope rules by the JacksonCounty planning board.

The planning board voted last week tostop debating the pros and cons amongstthemselves and move along to the next step inthe process, scheduling a public hearing forFebruary.

“It is time to make a decision that it isgood enough to send out for public com-ment,” Zac Koenig, a builder in Cashiers andplanning board chairman, said at the outsetof last week’s planning board meeting.

Planning board member Dickey Woodardsaid public comment will be the true test ofwhether they got the revisions right.

“We could kick this around as long as wewant to kick it,” said Woodard. “We are try-ing to throw a broad net over a lot of things.We can always come back and change it.”

Throughout the process, only two or threeplanning board members have spoken outagainst weakening the regulations. A coupleof members have been advocates of moretempered changes.

But at the outset, the majority of the 11-person planning board held the belief thatthe steep slope rules were too restrictive andmicromanaged what people could build ontheir own property.

“I don’t think you should take away some-one’s rights unless you know you are benefit-ing the whole county,” said Clark Lipkin, asurveyor and planning board member whoargued throughout the process that the exist-ing rules are arbitrary and overreaching.

“That becomes the question of individualrights versus the populace and society andthe beauty of the place and the reason peoplecome here,” countered Tom Rogers, a plan-ning board member who often defended theexisting ordinance. “People don’t come hereto watch the houses change colors.”

The first of two public hearings on thelaxer steep slope rules will be held nextmonth by the planning board.

The planning board will then give theordinance a final once-over, deciding whetherto make any final changes to it based on pub-

lic input. It will then get shipped along tocounty commissioners.

Commissioners have the final say on whatchanges are made. Commissioners couldtighten some of the changes, loosen it somemore, or pass it just as the planning boardproposes.

But first commissioners will hold a publichearing of their own.

The steep slope rules were controversialwhen first passed seven years ago, raising theire of some developers who believed the ruleswent too far.

Now, the laxer version will likely raise theire of those on the other end of the spectrum— those who want to limit development toprotect the environment, aesthetics andmountain character.

The steep slope revisions have landed atthe feet of county commissioners just in timefor election season. Three of the five commis-sioners are up for election in November.

One of the biggest challenges facing thepublic who may want to weigh in, however,will be sorting out all the changes that areproposed and making sense of them.

“The average layperson can’t picture all ofthis in their mind,” said Ben Bergen, a plan-ning board member and home builder.

The planning board has been discussingthe rewrite for 14 months, combing over thesteep slope rules line by line, over and over. Ithas even been hard for some planning boardmembers to keep up.

“I find myself checking back and forth try-ing to figure out did this section influence thisone, did that one usurp that one?” saidRogers, who was appointed to the planningboard toward the tail end of the rewriteprocess.

Stay tunedA complete analysis of revisions to Jackson County’s steep slope

rules will appear in coming weeks, in advance of a public hearingscheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 13, at the county administrationbuilding in Sylva.

A rewrite of the steep slope ordinance would loosen mountainsidebuilding regulations in several ways. Here are a few key points:

• Steep slope regulations would no longer apply in many areas wherethey do now. Steep slope rules would only kick in on slopes of 35

percent, compared to slopes of 30 percent now.• The cap on the number of homes per acre that can be built on steep

slopes would be lifted.• Soil, hydrological and environmental impact reports would no longer

be required.• The ban on ridgetop building would be lifted. Homes could be built

on ridgetops, protruding up to 35 feet above the ridgetop.• A larger portion of a lot could be cleared, graded, paved and built

on, increasing disturbance. • Requirements to screen mountainside homes through site place-

ment or with trees would be removed.

Laxer steep slope rules head forpublic hearing in Jackson

For more than a year, Jackson County Planning Board members have been debatingrevisions to the steep slope ordinance that would lift some of the restrictions on

mountainside construction. Becky Johnson photo

“[It] becomes the questionof individual rights versusthe populace and societyand the beauty of theplace and the reasonpeople come here.”

— Tom Rogers, planning board member

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Jackson County has anew slogan; now what?


J ackson County tourism leaders are weigh-ing the best way to get their message tothe masses.An overhaul of the county’s tourism strat-

egy was launched last year. Tourism haddeclined during the recession and then stub-bornly flatlined rather than rebounding asquickly as hoped.

So a new countywide tourism agency wasformed last year with marching orders toramp up the county’s marketing game.

The first step was a new logo and brandbilling Jackson as a trip destination, with thewinning slogan of “Play On.”

Now, the still-fledgling tourism board hasto figure out the best vehicle to lure visitorswith the new image.

“The opportunity to have an integratedcomprehensive plan is a very, very excitingtime,” said Stephanie Edwards, executivedirector of the Cashiers Chamber ofCommerce and tourism board member.“Equally important is the evaluation of it. Arewe getting the biggest bang for our buck?”

The Jackson County TourismDevelopment Authority has $650,000 at itsdisposal raised through a 4 percent tax onovernight lodging. Tourists pay the tax, whichis then pumped back in to luring moretourists, a sort of self-perpetuating cycle.

The tourism authority hired a marketingfirm for $10,000 to develop a new broad-strokes strategic marketing plan, which isnow the center of the tourism board’s discus-sions.

“A strategic marketing plan would givedirection and focus to the execution ofJackson County tourism,” said RobertJumper, chair of the Jackson tourism authori-ty.

What that strategic marketing planshould look like is the top question facing thetourism authority.

How much should be spent on billboardsversus brochures? Internet campaigns versus

visitor centers? Festival underwriting versuswooing travel writers? How much should goto magazine ads, and in which magazines —fly fishing magazines, golfing magazines, out-door magazines, travel magazines?

A sample marketing plan developed bythe Brandon Agency presented to the tourismboard late last year is now under review.

“We are massaging it and will go back tothem and massage it again until we think it isright,” said Clifford Meads, marketing chairmanfor the tourism board and manager of HighHampton Inn and Country Club in Cashiers.

Another big question to be addressed iswho will carry out the various pieces of astrategic marketing plan.

“How do you implement a comprehensivemarketing plan on the ground?” Edwardssaid. “There are options on the table as wemove forward, and the execution is yet to bedetermined.”

The Jackson tourism authority has noexecutive director or paid staff of its own butinstead outsources the various aspects of itswork.

On the tactical side — answering phoneand email inquiries from the prospective trav-elers, printing and distributing visitor guides,managing web site content, and so on — thedaily boots-on-the-ground operations are car-ried out under contracts with the JacksonCounty Chamber of Commerce and theCashiers Chamber of Commerce.

The tourism authority also contracts withan outside advertising agency to design adsbilling Jackson County as a travel destinationand place them in magazines, newspapers,radio, billboards and other avenues. Outsideconsultants also handle web site develop-ment and publicity.

The tourism board must decide whetherto continue farming out these various roles tomultiple consultants and firms or consolidatethem with a single agency.

Or, in the future, the Jackson tourismauthority may need to have a director and in-house staff of its own.

“At some point in time this thing is goingto be big enough that it will need an executivedirector to marshal all these initiatives,”

Meads said.But Meads and other tourism board

members agree they aren’t there yet.“There is currently no plan to hire staff,”

Jumper said.The new countywide tourism agency

formed last year was charged with thinkingand acting cohesively. Historically, there weretwo tourism entities: one for Cashiers andone for Jackson as a whole.

But the idea was tourism marketingwould be more effective under one banner.The forced mash-up had a few hiccups its firstyear — from political to logistical.

But progress is being made.“We are barely walking. We are still crawl-

ing,” said Meads. “The idea is to take thisthing in bites.”

Clifford Meads, the marketing chair of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority,shares concepts for a new marketing campaign pitching Jackson as a destination to travelers.

How to market the new message By the numbers: Jackson tourism budgetA 4-cent tax on overnight accommodationswill bring in about $650,000 this year forJackson County tourism efforts. That’smore than anticipated, thanks to anincrease in tourism over last year. Thetourism authority conservatively budgetedfor $600,000 in spending this fiscal year. Here’s a breakdown of the budget.

• $261,000: advertising and marketingcampaign

• $74,000: Cashiers Visitor Center opera-tions and overhead

• $81,000: Jackson County Visitor Centeroperations and overhead

• $28,000: printing, mainly for brochures• $22,000: postage, mainly for sending

travel guides to prospective visitors• $8,000: 800-number phone line for visi-

tor inquiries• $15,000: grants to support special

events and festivals• $32,000: public relations/media outreach• $15,000: special projects and contin-

gency• $38,000: financial and accounting serv-

ices through the county, including billingand tax collection

• $26,000: general overhead, includinginsurance, travel, office supplies, insur-ance, and audit

BY HOLLY KAYSSTAFF WRITER

C anton residents will have the chance toweigh in on the town board’s yearlongsearch for a town manager at a public

forum scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan.18, at the Colonial Theatre.

There, town residents will be able tovoice their priorities for qualities in a newtown manager and make more general com-ments about their vision for the town.

“It will be whatever the public wants toaddress,” said Canton Mayor Mike Ray. “Theforum will be to listen to the community and

get their input and thoughts. We alwayswant to listen to our community.”

Ray said the board will welcome views onthe direction the town should be taking orchallenges it faces. That input, in turn, couldhelp inform the town’s ongoing selection of anew town manager.

The town board began its search for anew town manager in January 2013 whenformer manager Al Matthews announced hewould retire at the end of that year.

After narrowing down applicants to thetop five, the board decided to reopen theapplication period in August, a move that

increased the pool of applicants from 40 toabout 80.

But all four aldermen on the board chosenot to run for reelection and didn’t arrive at atown manager decision before stepping down.

So the hiring process was passed off tothe incoming aldermen. Alderman ZebSmathers said he looks forward to hearingthe public’s thoughts at the forum.

“We want somebody who is veryinvolved in the community as a public face,”said Smathers. “If we make a good hire, itwill last for years, so we want to make a gooddecision.”

New Canton board to hold public forum on vision, direction for town“We want somebody whois very involved in thecommunity as a publicface. If we make a goodhire, it will last for years,so we want to make agood decision.”

— Zeb Smathers, Canton alderman

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B y 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 2, the sky had longgone dark and rain was turning tosnow. It was the perfect night to watch

a football game. But Steve Kloster had barelygotten past the kickoff of the Sugar Bowlshowdown between the Alabama CrimsonTide and Oklahoma Sooners before a phonecall tore him away from cheering for theSoutheastern Conference powerhouse. ChiefRanger Clayton Jordan was on the line, call-ing the Tennessee District Ranger for theGreat Smoky Mountains National Park intoan even higher-stakes contest.

7:45 P.M.“They told me they had a report of a sig-

nificant incident at the Mollie’s Ridge shelter[on the Appalachian Trail],” Kloster said.“There was enough communication to knowthat they were not moving on the trail, thatthey had 60-degree sleeping bags, and in thebackground they could hear one of the guyssay, ‘I can’t walk. I have frostbite.’”

The broken cell phone signal was justclear enough for Jonathan Dobbins, 21,Steven White, 28, and Shawn Hood, 32, all ofGaffney, S.C., to tell dispatch that tempera-tures were plummeting, the wind was howl-

ing and their equipment wasn’t enough forthe 10-day backpack trip they had plannedthrough the park. In this weather, it wasn’teven good enough for this, their first night inthe backcountry.

Kloster, who is also the search and res-cue coordinator for the park, immediatelygot on a conference call with Jordan, CadesCove supervisory park ranger Steve Spanyerand park ranger Andrew Robinson. Thefour planned a response from Cade’s Cove,the closest access point to the Mollie’s Ridgeshelter.

It didn’t take long to conclude that therescue effort could not wait until morning,but a nighttime response would be anythingbut simple. Though the park stays well-staffed during the high-volume holiday sea-son, the call came one day after New Year’s.Many rangers were away on vacation, andsince budget cuts had slashed park employ-ment anyway — especially on the NorthCarolina side, where the incident occurred— the pool of prospective rescuers was onthe small side anyway.

“In the last few years, we have reducedthat staff by 40 percent,” Kloster said of theNorth Carolina GSMNP ranger force.

And besides, this rescue wouldn’t be a jobfor a new employee with six months under hisbelt. This mission required experience.

9:30 P.M.Enter Phil Basak, a ranger and medic

whose six years of full-time experienceincludes two years in Montana’s GlacierNational Park, three years in Big BendNational Park in Texas, and one year withGSMNP. Basak knows cold, from both a recre-ational and a medical standpoint. In Glacier,located at 48.7 degrees north latitude, the aver-age January day has a high of 26 degrees and alow of 15, according to the park website. Belowzero temperatures are a common occurance.

Jan. 2 was Basak’s day off, and he’d alreadyfilled it by crossing off a list of honey-dosaround the house. But when the phone rangat 9:30 p.m., he answered it by taking 30 min-utes to sift through his cold-weather gear,jump in the car and head toward Cade’s CoveRanger Station to lead the rescue mission.

11 P.M. By the time Basak reached the station,

Kloster had already spent several hours gath-ering a team and coming up with a game planto rival any that Oklahoma or Alabamacoaches had up their sleeves. Kent Looney, aranger stationed at Cade’s Cove, was busypreparing to join Basak on the mission afterfinishing his eight-hour shift at 9 p.m. Brad

Griest, a ranger at the Little River station,would round out the team.

But that’s not all the manpower Klosterwould need.

“The three that went on the trail are thestars of the show, but there’s a lot of otherthings going on,” he said.

Taking on the role of incident command-er, Kloster appointed an operations sectionchief, a planning section chief and a logisticssection chief. He needed a family liason tokeep the men’s families informed of the oper-ation’s progress and research their gear andoutdoor experience. The air rescue, if it cameto that, would require a section chief to plan,and then there were the dispatchers, the pub-lic relations people, and more. All told, theNational Park Service portion of the rescueinvolved about 22 people.

“During the incident, we were down tomanaging the Tennessee side of the park withthree rangers,” Kloster said.

While Kloster continued the organization-al effort, Basak and Looney packed their bags,putting together an extra for Griest, whosevehicle couldn’t reach the ranger station in thesnow. The basic principle, Basak said, was “onefor us and one for buddy.” Each rescuer packedtwo sets of zero-degree sleeping bags, longjohns, socks, stocking caps, mittens and extrasets of base layers. They brought two sets ofground pads and tents— one for the three res-cuers and one for the three stranded men —and snacks such as Cliff bars, military MREs(meals ready to eat) and cider packages.

1:30 A.M.In the meantime, Kloster had gotten some

more information about the men’s where-abouts. It turned out they were much fartherfrom the Mollie’s Ridge shelter than they hadoriginally thought, meaning that the rescuehad to come through the Fontana Dam trail-head rather than through Cade’s Cove. By thetime Basak and Looney had picked Griest upfrom Townsend, Tenn., it was 1:30 a.m., andFontana Dam was another two hours away.

“We hadn’t had a whole lot more informa-tion (at that point),” Basak said. “We knewthat people weren’t able to feel legs, toes, thatthey hadn’t felt them in a few hours.”

The men were hypothermic and in a stateof panic, Basak deduced, and he knew thatthe sooner the rescue, the better the results.

3:34 A.M.But the rescuers could only move so quick-

ly. When they set out on the Appalachian Trailat Fontana Dam, the car thermometer read 16degrees. The wind was blowing five to 10miles per hour, with snow swirling all around.

None of the rescuers were showing muchskin as when they set out, but even in 16-degree weather, ascending 2,000 feet in eleva-tion can make a Patagonia Capilene baselayer, an insulating jacket, a shell jacket, longjohns and snowboard pants a little too warm.

A WINTER RESCUERangers trek into frigid, snowy darkness to save hikers

Fully recovered from the taxing rescue, PhilBasak (from left), Kent Looney and BradGriest stand together in front of a parksearch and rescue vehicle. Donated photo

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“Some of us warmed up pretty quick,”Basak said.

But once the team reached the ridge, thatchanged. Basak broke out his baklava, and astemperatures dipped toward negative andwind speeds topped 20 miles per hour, therewas no getting around the fact that it was cold.Snow fell in a base layer of 6 to 8 inches, some-times laying in drifts two feet deep. On thewhite-blazed AT, those flakes caused confusion.

“The trail as we got higher up was hard tofind because there was so much blowingsnow,” Basak said. “It was hard to see the trail.”

6 A.M.At that time, the team believed the three

stranded men to be located near the 5-milemarker. When they made 4.5 miles, around6:30 a.m., they slowed their hike, pausing fre-quently to call out the men’s names. The onlyresponse was the sound of trees groaning inthe wind.

“You could definitely have mistaken themfor somebody trying to yell back,” Basak said.

Meanwhile, Kloster and the crew at theincident command center were trying todecide what would happen when the rescueteam finally reached the men. Based on whatthey could glean from broken cell phone calls,they concluded the men wouldn’t be able tohike out on their own. That left Kloster withtwo options: call a helicopter or hike the menout on stretchers.

He nixed the stretcher option prettyquickly, because that tactic would bring 12 to15 rescue personnel per victim out in haz-ardous conditions, multiplying the risk of

injuries resulting from the mission. And thatmethod would have taken all day, prolongingthe time before the stranded men couldreceive hospital care.

While helicopter rescue has its own risks— high wind speeds under the copter cancause tree branches to break and fall, radiocommunication between rangers and air crewscan be difficult and base-to-summit weatherchanges can cause problems — Kloster quicklyconcluded it was the best tactic.

“An incident like that, there’s no doubt inmy mind (the helicopter) was the most effi-cient way to extricate these individuals fromthe backcountry,” Kloster said.

At 6 a.m., while the rescuers were still enroute to the stranded men, air operationschief Mike Scheid began making calls, tryingto organize an air rescue. In North Carolina,that process starts at the local level. A conver-sation with Swain County EmergencyManagement Coordinator David Breedloveled to a referral to Brian Barnes, search andrescue coordinator for the North CarolinaDepartment of Public Safety.

8 A.M.By 8 a.m., the three rescuers had already

been awake for 24 hours, but Charlotte FireDepartment Captain Doug deJonge’s day wasjust beginning. The veteran firefighter and five-year member of the North Carolina Helicopterand Aquatic Rescue Team had clocked into his24-hour shift at the fire station when TimRogers, NC HART leader, alerted de Jonge thathe might have a mission that morning.

“By 9 a.m., it had been confirmed that the

rescue request had been approved,” he said. That’s when deJonge’s day kicked into

high gear. He got on a conference call withBarnes, National Guard flight crew members,GSMNP rangers and state emergency man-agement members to learn the details of thesituation and start planning the rescue.

“We can pick people off of anything,” deJonge said. “It’s just trying to get our minds ingear of what we will be facing.”

With that gear shifted, deJonge and fellowCFD captain and NC HART member BobbyBryson began to pack.

“[The stranded men’s] mobility was inquestion as well, so we grabbed differentequipment to extract them in different ways ifwe needed it,” de Jonge said.

Then, the men suited up in leggings,warm fleece, winter jackets, gloves and theiruniforms, leaving at 9:20 a.m. for Salisbury,where they would meet the helicopter, a BlackHawk UH-60. By 10:15, they had arrived atthe National Guard station, where the heli-copter waited. From there, they flew west toAsheville, stopping to fuel up and meet thethird member of their team, Bobby Cooper ofTransylvania County Emergency Services.

By 11:40, the Black Hawk was headed forthe mountains.

8:16 A.M.At that point, Basak, Looney and Griest

were well into their first response. After hoursof calling the men’s names in the darkness,they finally found the stranded hikers.

Stay safe out there

A s three hikers from South Carolina found out this month,the wintertime beauty of the Smokies is also fraught withdanger. Justin Padgett, Jackson County paramedic and

executive director of Landmark Learning, an emergency med-ical training school for wilderness first responders inCullowhee, loves a chilly hike, but he’s also well-versed in back-country know-how. Before you head for the woods, make apass through Padget’s mental checklist for staying safe.

• Bring plenty of food. Your body will burn energy quick-ly when temperatures drop, so plan for bigger meals — andmore of them, too, in case something unexpected happens.Cut up blocky foods like cheese and protein bars in advanceso they’re easier to eat when frozen, and pack the diversity offoods your body needs to perform.

“It’s kind of like building a fire,” Padgett said. “The carbsare the spark, the protein is a medium-sized log and the fat islike a big yule log to keep you going.”

• Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. In the cold, dehydration cansneak up on you before you realize it. Dry air and wind canwick away moisture like nothing else, so bring plenty ofwater, drink often and make sure you have a plan in place tokeep it from freezing.

• Layer up. Wear synthetic fabrics, not natural fibers likecotton, because synthetics are better at wicking away mois-ture. Keep your base layer clean and dry, and avoid sweating.“If you’re hiking too fast and you start to sweat, you need tostop or take a layer off,” Padgett said. “Most people that getin trouble, they get wet.”

• Keep your extremities in motion. Keep your fingersand toes wiggling so that the blood keeps circulating.

“When your hands and feet stop having a central nervoussystem response of pain and uncomfyness, that’s the begin-

ning of trouble,” Padgett said. • Be aware of the time. In the wintertime, the sun sets

early, and temperatures drop sharply at night. Plan to be at theshelter well in advance of sundown, and pack for a cold night.

“Once it’s dark, whatever cold factors were complicatingyou during the light are going to complicate you a lot more,”Padgett said.

AVOID HYPOTHERMIABecause if something goes wrong, you could find yourself

battling one of wintertime hiking’s deadliest hazards —hypothermia. Wind, wetness and low blood sugar can causea quicker onset, or it could progress from moderate to severeover the course of several days.

Mild: The first sign of hypothermia is the most obvious:You start feeling cold.

“People push that off to the side,” Padgett said. When thetemperature is low, people expect to be cold. But, he said, “ifthey’re wet or it’s windy, the whole situation accelerates.”

Moderate: Convulsive shivering, withdrawn dispositionand motor skill difficulties mark this stage. Problems zippinga jacket can lead to more severe issues, such as trouble walk-ing. People often don’t recognize the signs of hypothermia inthemselves, which is just one reason why it’s important totravel with a group, Padgett said.

Severe: There’s only one way to describe severe hypother-mia, according to Padgett.

“It looks like death,” he said. Gray skin, frostbite and breathing or pulse too low to

detect are symptoms, and the situation could end with cold-induced cardiac arrest.

What to do: First of all, get the victim out of wet clothesand into dry ones, moving the person into a warm area if oneis available. Warm their core by applying well-wrapped hotwater bottles to the armpits, chest and groin, and give sugaryliquids to drink — sugar is important fuel for the body’srecovery. Don’t apply heat directly to the skin, and keep thevictim awake.

Hoarfrost clings to trees nearClingmans Dome, a winter scenethat is both beautiful andpotentially dangerous. Donated photo

“We can pick people offof anything. It’s just tryingto get our minds in gearof what we will be facing.”

— Doug deJong, Charlotte Fire Department captain

A Black Hawk helicopter lifts a victim into theair during a 2005 rescue at Derrick Knob

Shelter on the Appalachian Trail, a situationsimilar to the one rescuers faced Jan. 2 and 3.

Donated photo

SEE RESCUE, PAGE 8

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COFFEE WITH THE POETwith Asheville poet, Keith Flynn

Thursday, Jan. 16th at 10:30 a.m.

ABC YOGA FOR KIDSKick-off right after our 11 a.m. storytime ends

Saturday, Jan. 18th

“They were right on the trail, right on theridge,” Basak said. “They hadn’t moved offthe trail at all.”

The newly risen sun was just beginning towarm the air from a bitter minus 5 degrees,but it hadn’t done its work yet. The men werelying side-by-side on top of a Mylar emer-gency blanket, skin gray and waxy, their sum-mer-rated sleeping bags unzipped and spreadacross their backs. Steam seeped from therudimentary shelter, maybe from the ciga-rettes that littered the area, maybe from thepropane torch they were using to warm it ormaybe from their breath. Basak saw burnedclothing on the ground around them, as wellas the food — ramen noodles, SpaghettiOsand other heavy foods — that they had beeneating through the night.

It might have seemed a grim scene tosome, but though the men couldn’t walk ontheir own, they were awake and coherent. Itwas a much better situation than the worst-case scenario that the rescuers had preparedthemselves for.

“They were better off than we thoughtthey were going to be,” Basak said.

But better off was not good enough. Therescue team sprang into action, setting uptents and pulling out the changes of clothesthey had brought for the men. They got theirwet jeans, cotton shirts and sweatshirts offand replaced them with dry base layers. Theyput dry socks on their feet and bundled theminto the zero-degree sleeping bags.

“We had to assist them in walking over tothe tent,” Basak said. That’s when he con-firmed Kloster’s call that a walk-out optionwasn’t possible. They would need the heli-copter.

In the meantime, all six men needed tostay warm. Though the sun was out, the windwas whipping, and the temperature stayedlow.

“It was so cold, our hotpacks wouldn’tactivate,” Basak said. “It did a little, but notlike it should.”

With Dobbins, White and Hood warmingup in the tent, it was time for the rescuers totake care of themselves. The hike up hadmade them sweat, so they changed into drybase layers to stay warm. The frozen-as-last-arranged Carhart-style coats the strandedmen had with them were testament to thefact that wet clothes did no good.

The six men spent the next hour in theirtents, hunkering down in their sleeping bags

and trying to accumulate some warmthbefore the helicopter’s arrival. When a per-son’s tissue becomes as cold as these men’shad, Basak said, direct warming can perma-nently damage it, and the medical risk thatair rescue poses is higher.

12:05 P.M.When the helicopter arrived on-scene, vic-

tims and rescuers were ready for it. Therangers had sent the flight crew an accurateset of coordinates, so after leaving Asheville at11:40 a.m., the helicopter needed only about20 more minutes to reach the rescue site.From then on, things moved quickly.

“You get the game plan before you get letout,” deJonge said. “That way everybody’s onthe same page of music. The rescue takes onlyhalf the time of the 15 to 20 minutes [at therescue site].”

After spotting Basak’s bright orange coat,the Black Hawk made a pass over the site,looking for the best place to stage the rescue.NC HART missions never involve a landing,but the helicopter needed a big enough open-ing in the canopy of 80-foot-tall trees to safelylower its responders and lift up the survivors.As luck would have it, the only such place wasthe area directly above the tents.

The helicopter made a second pass toblow snow off trees around the rescue site,

and on the third pass, deJonge and Brysondropped down on a cable.

By this time, the men’s condition hadimproved enough that they could walk unaid-ed, but they were still hypothermic.Assembly-line style, they sent White up withBryson, while deJonge put Dobbins in thesling-like device he would rise up in onceBryson came back down, Cooper staying inthe air with the two pilots and two crew chiefsflying the Black Hawk to take care of thepatients as they arrived.

“The patient sits at a 60-degree angle,which is fine when they’re hypothermic,” deJonge said.

After Hood reached the helicopter, Brysoncame back down to take de Jonge up.

12:37 P.M.As quickly as it had come, the helicopter

left for Asheville Regional Airport, wherethree ambulances were waiting to take themen to Mission Hospital. Dobbins, Whiteand Hood were on their way to recovery, andthe entire rescue team, spread fromGatlinburg to the Appalachian Trail to the airover Asheville, drew a deep breath.

“When they left, we all said, ‘They proba-bly are not going to lose any body parts or fin-gers,’” Basak said. “A much longer wait, itcould have been a different story.”

“Knowing those guys were OK was a greatfeeling,” he added.

But for the rangers left on the ridgetop,the day was far from over. They were 6.5 milesfrom a trailhead. Snow covered the interven-ing terrain, and temperatures were still wellbelow freezing.

“(I thought) like, OK, what are we doingnow?” Basak said.

Kloster had sent utility vehicles up the trailto meet the rescuers, but it was slow going forthem, too. The team began hiking toward thevehicles, covering approximately two moremiles before the groups intersected. They’dbeen awake for over 24 hours, but keepingtheir eyes open wasn’t a problem, Basak said.

“We were just standing under a BlackHawk with terrible rotor wash,” Basak said.“We were quite awake.”

4 P.M.Finally, the team arrived in the frontcoun-

try at Twentymile Ranger Station, where theywaited for the park service to come up withsome vehicles to shuttle them home. Becausethey had been awake for nearly 36 hours atthis point, park service regulations forbadethe rescuers from getting behind the wheel.

7 P.M.But at last, the vehicles came, and by 7 p.m.,

Basak was finally opening his own front door.He said hello to his girlfriend, took a shower,ate dinner and went to bed as soon as possible.After a 10.5-hour snooze, he was back up —and on his way back to work. The park servicehad offered the rescuers some additional timeoff, but, Basak said, “I think we all had enoughsleep and thought we could do our job safely.”

Basak may not have lost much time inreturning to business as usual — albeit in abusiness that is, at times, decidedly unusual— but he wasn’t about to forget the night ofJan. 2, 2014. He’s saving it for the record bookof his mind, thankful for the part he was ableto play and thankful that, in the end, no last-ing harm was done.

“The cold, the wind, the environment,what could have been — this was probablythe most tasking rescue any of us couldrecall,” he said. “I think all three on the res-cue stated that this was probably the numberone up there for most whatever you want tocall it.”

“I think allthree on therescue statedthat this wasprobably thenumber one upthere for mostwhatever youwant to call it.”

— Phil Basak, ranger and medic

The NC HART helicopter prepares to land at Asheville Regional Airport, where Mission Hospitalambulances waited to take the rescued men to the hospital. Donated photo

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Negotiations in progress overGhost Town gunfighter incidentBY HOLLY KAYSSTAFF WRITER

N early six months after a staged gunfight left a GhostTown gunfighter injured, the incident is still notresolved.

Ghost Town amusement park in Maggie Valley wasissued a $2,000 citation last month by the N.C.Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and HealthDivision for violations stemming from the injury.

Ghost Town representatives met with a panel fromthe Department of Labor on Dec. 31 to discuss the cita-tion.

The issue stems from a July 6 incident in whichRobert Bradley, a long-time gunfighter for Ghost Town’sstaged Wild West gunfights, fell to the ground in painwhen something from an “enemy’s” gun lodged itself 1.5inches into his right thigh.

The gunfighters use blanks, but in this case a projec-tile of some sort came shooting out of the gun. What itwas exactly remains a mystery. Early speculation centeredaround wadding — paper or cloth used with blanks thatis supposed to disintegrate upon firing. But Bradley con-tends the gun had been maliciously tampered with.

The DOL citation claims Ghost Town failed to provideemployees “conditions of employment and a place ofemployment which are free from recognized hazards thatwere causing or likely to cause death or serious physicalharm to employees.”

Specifically, the citation points to the three real 45-caliber revolvers and two real 12-guage double barrelshotguns that were used, loaded with blank ammunition,to stage the gunfights and to the removal of triggers fromthe revolvers so that they could be fired simply by pullingthe hammers back.

After receiving the citation, Ghost Town could chooseto pay the fine, contest the decision or request an infor-mal conference. They opted for the conference.

“The informal conference gives them an opportunityto present any questions or problems they have about thecitation,” said Dolores Quesinberry, communicationsdirector for the North Carolina Department of Labor.

The conference’s results must be reviewed and final-ized before they can become public, a process thatQuesinberry said can take several weeks.

The conference could result in a compromised fineand hazard abatement requirements if Ghost Town andthe department are able to come to an agreement. If theycan’t, the department could issue a “no change” letter,meaning that the fine must be paid as first issued. Or, itcould issue an amended citation.

“It’s like a negotiation,” Quesinberry said of the con-ference.

JAKE FLANNICKSMN CORRESPONDENT

H e campaigned on the promise of making Franklin fertileground for new ideas and encouraging more opennessand transparency in government.

And when he was elected mayor by an overwhelming marginin November, Bob Scott started taking steps to keep those pledges.

But he has already encountered some stumbling blocks.At a town board meeting earlier this month, his second in hisnew role, two ideas he supported came under scrutiny.

One of them — forming a town committee to work with anelementary school inside town limits — was rejected outrightby board members amid questions about potential legalissues. The other — a campaign pledge to schedule monthly“town hall” meetings where the public could talk about issueson their mind — was met with skepticism by board members.

The idea of regular forums for residents, merchants andtown leaders to engage in open, informal dialog was a hall-mark of Scott’s campaign. He believes his message of inclu-siveness resonated with voters.

But he has now had to postpone the first forum, whichhad been scheduled for this month, until further discussion.

Scott admitted he was off to a “rocky start,” but he creditshis election win to his promise to push for change.

“I think we’re just getting started,” longtime AldermanBilly Mashburn said.

But while Scott might have captured voters with his agenda,“that doesn’t mean that it’s written in stone because he’s themayor,” said Alderwoman Joyce Handley, who has held her seatfor the past six years and has known Scott for more than 30 years.

“Good ideas,” she said, “sometimes fall flat on their face.”Scott admits that being mayor doesn’t give him any more

sway than any other member on the board to advance a par-ticular agenda. But Scott said he hopes the outcome of the lat-est meeting does not presage future discord in town hall.

Scott expects to reschedule his first “town hall” forum forlater this month. It is a priority to a man whose views of gov-ernments big and small were shaped by the years he workedas a newspaper reporter in the 1960s.

“I believe in openness. What kind of mayor would I be if Idon’t listen to the people I’m serving?” Scott said. “It’s a two-way street. I want to hear from everybody.”

The other board members said they merely wanted tomake sure the forums were organized in a way they wouldn’tviolate the state’s Open Meetings Law.

“We just want to tread cautiously on it,” said WarrenCabe, the town manager.

A DOSE OF REALITYTwo new aldermen were elected to the town board in

November, along with Scott being elected mayor.One of those newly elected alderwomen, Barbara McRae,

floated the idea of forming a school committee. Scott hadplanned to appoint McRae as the town’s liaison to EastFranklin Elementary.

The motion was rejected 4 to 2 — McRae and the othernew alderwoman, Patti Abel, voted in favor. The other boardmembers raised concerns about the town running afoul oflaws regulating the extent to which it could involve itself incounty-run schools, particularly financially.

“The town has nothing to do with the school system,” saidMashburn, who made the motion to vote against forming thecommittee.

Beyond that, the idea came as a surprise, said Handley,who said she was unaware of the proposal before it appearedon the meeting agenda.

“Nobody on the board heard about it,” she said. Abel said perhaps the proposal’s foundering resulted from

miscommunication and it could be rekindled.Scott’s ideas resonate with Abel, who at age 41 is the

youngest member of the board. At the same time, Abel acknowledged the more experienced

board members may understand realities the newer ones don’t.

MANDATE FOR CHANGEDuring his campaign, Scott projected a sense of independ-

ence. He cited his record of dissenting votes in the latter partof his 10-year tenure as alderman, emphasizing his willing-ness to take unpopular stances on behalf of the public.

It was perhaps the main distinction between him and hisopponent, Sissy Pattillo, whose main message centered onreaching solidarity among board members as a way to makethe town government more efficient.

He captured nearly three-fourths of the total number ofballots cast in the mayoral race, nearly 700, according to offi-cial election results. It was a level of support underscored bya stream of unsolicited campaign contributions.

He ended up spending $5,225, about one-fourth of whichcame from his own pocket. He never organized any fundrais-ers, he said, though he hosted a couple of gatherings he called“friend-raisers” involving food and music as a way to reach outto voters.

“I had people come out of the woodwork,” Scott said,adding that a small group of young people volunteered to usesocial media to help spread his message.

Scott sees the election’s outcome as a clear mandate fromvoters to carry out his vision of change.

“Franklin needs new ideas,” he said, “and those new ideaswill come from the public.”

At the same time, he will make it a point to encourage dis-cussion among board members.

“I want a democratic board,” he said.

Mayor’s mandate forchange in Franklinsearching for traction

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When Jane Hipps began toying with theidea of running for state Senate as aDemocratic challenger, a wave of excitementcrept through party circles.

Despite the fury of Democrats over theRepublican stranglehold in Raleigh, finding achallenger willing to runthe gauntlet of a big-money Senate race withthe potential to getnasty had proven tough.

Nearly $1 millionwas spent by Davis’campaign and by out-side groups on Davis’behalf in the 2012 elec-tion, which devolvedinto an onslaught ofattack ads smearing Davis’ Democratic oppo-nent.

While many in the party were ecstatic tohave Hipps step up to the plate, her closestfriends asked her if she was sure she wanted todo this.

“Somebody has to have the courage to runand say ‘OK, I’ll just go through that,’” saidHipps. “I am realistic enough to know it can berough and that my character can be attacked. Ijust have to remember who I am when I go intothis race because I plan to be the same personwhen I come out, winner or loser.”

Hipps, from Waynesville, has spent 40years in public education. She doesn’t havemuch of a political record, but that could proveher forte, since Republican operatives can’tattack a record that doesn’t exist.

But she has always been closely involvedwith politics. Hipps is probably best known asthe wife of Charlie Hipps, who was a state sena-tor for seven years in the 1980s and then dis-trict attorney for the seven western counties for12 years. He died from an unexpected heartattack while still in office in 2003.

Though Charlie was well-known, charismat-ic and revered — and worked in the same

counties that the Senate seat spans — Hippssaid she can’t expect that to carry her.

“Charlie has been gone almost 11 years. Alot of voters aren’t going to remember him.Some will, but I can’t rely strongly on hisrecord,” Hipps said.

Hipps, 68, retired a couple of years ago, butretirement doesn’t become her. She workedfulltime while raising three children — whichwas somewhat rare in the 1970s and ‘80s —even though it wasn’t financially necessary forher to do so.

“I expected to work. I wanted to work. Itwas challenging to me,” Hipps said. “Now thatI am quote ‘retired,’ I miss work. I want tosolve more puzzles than just sudoku.”

Hipps’ long career in public education hastaken many forms. She’s been a school coun-selor, a school psychologist, a special needscoordinator and an academically gifted coordi-nator.

She also worked for the state educationdepartment for several years as a science cur-riculum coordinator. It was her job to developand implement new methods for developingscience literacy in students, and she was at theforefront of new hands-on, experiential learn-ing methods.

She later worked as a curriculum trainerand workshop leader for a math and sciencetextbook company. She even worked briefly inJackson County Schools and at Cherokee HighSchool.

Despite working and raising children,Hipps headed back to school several times overthe course of her career, racking up three differ-ent undergraduate degrees and three master’sdegrees. Most recently, she went back to schoolin 2006 to get her nursing degree and master’sin nursing, because, as she puts it, she “alwayswanted to.”

“I guess I have been a lifelong student whenyou get right down to it,” Hipps said.

Hipps said public education will obviouslybe her number one platform, but not her onlyfocus.

“I was particularly upset about

BY SCOTT MCLEODEDITOR

Ron Robinsonthinks a state sena-tor should repre-sent all of his con-stituents.

“I am runningbecause we have somany needs inWestern NorthCarolina and norepresentation inthe state Senate,”said the 68-year-oldSylva Democrat. “I am running to repre-sent everyone rather that just a few.”

Robinson’s remarks were aimed atincumbent Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin.Robinson accuses the current state sena-tor from the 50th District — whichincludes Haywood, Jackson, Macon,Swain, Clay, Cherokee and Graham coun-ties — of representing “Art Pope and therich people in the state.”

Pope is Gov. Pat McCrory’s budgetdirector and is the founder and primarydonor to several conservative politicalorganizations in North Carolina.

Robinson graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill. He spent his career as a man-agement consultant, with his own firmcalled Land of Sky Advisory Group.

He is married and has five children.Over the last decade he has lived in Sylva,Franklin and Asheville, but his grandfa-ther was born and raised in JacksonCounty, where is now settled.

Robinson ran for school board inJackson County last year but lost. He was

an active volunteer with the 2012 cam-paign of Cecil Bothwell, a liberalAsheville Democrat who made a failedrun for U.S. Congress but still serves onAsheville City Council.

He says his primary objective is to“bring prosperity back to the mountainthrough economic development.”

His plan has three focus areas:• Improve and invest in education sothat North Carolina has top-performingschools.• Improve health care for the state’s citi-zens by expanding Medicaid eligibility,which would mostly be funded by the

federal government and would increasethe number of state citizens eligible forthe health care benefits.• Take advantage of improved schoolsand expanded healthcare benefits toattract good-paying jobs.

“By declining to expand Medicaid, wehave our tax money going to otherstates,” Robinson said. McCrory chosenot to expand Medicaid eligibility lastsummer, a move that would have madeapproximately 377,000 additional stateresidents eligible for the governmenthealthcare program for low-income indi-viduals and families.

Robinson also took aim at the taxoverhaul approved by state GOP leaders.The plan lowered income tax rates forindividuals, families and corporationswhile increasing the number of transac-tions subject to sales taxes.

“The tax plan passed by the GOP ishurting small businesses. They have tocharge sales tax on more items and thatwill hurt them,” said Robinson.


The North Carolina Senate seat for the seven westerncounties could be one of the few swing races in the GeneralAssembly this year as Democrats vie to make a dent inRepublican dominance in Raleigh.

Two Democrats have stepped up to run against Sen. JimDavis, R-Franklin, who was first elected in 2010. They will faceoff in a Democratic primary election in May, with the winneradvancing to the November ballot against Davis.

Unseating Davis won’t be easy, given the usual incumbentadvantages. But the attention surrounding the controversialGOP agenda in the General Assembly last year could giveDavis’ challenger a better-then-normal audience with voters.

“This could be a bigger referendum on what people thinkof an aggressive legislative session. The Republicans arguedthey had a mandate and they followed through with that man-date, and the Democrats will argue they overstepped,” saidChris Cooper, the head of the Political Science and Public

Affairs Department at Western Carolina University.Both Democrats who have announced a run for the Senate

claim voters are fed up with the new policies and legislationpushed through last year, witnessed by low approval ratings.

A September poll by Public Policy Polling put Davis at alow approval rating of 27 percent among voters in the sevenwestern counties and the approval rating of the GeneralAssembly as a whole at 20 percent. The same poll askedrespondents who they would vote for in a hypothetical racebetween Davis and an unnamed Democratic challenger: 44percent said they would vote for Davis, 43 percent forwhomever his opponent was, and 13 percent were unsure.

But statewide polling shows the approval rating of Gov.Pat McCrory and the General Assembly, while still low, hasinched back up since the thick of the legislative session lastsummer.

“It is light years before the election. It doesn’t make muchdifference what the polls say now. In the political environmentpolls can ebb and flow,” Davis said. “The candidates will have

the opportunity to spell out the differences among them andallow voters to have a clear choice. I love being an Americanwhere people have that choice.”

Davis’ Democratic challenger will undoubtedly face anuphill battle in campaign funding. Nearly $1 million wasspent by Davis’ campaign and outside groups on his behalf inthe 2012 election.

Davis won by a comfortable margin in 2012, with 57 per-cent of the vote. It was a marked gain over his narrow victoryin 2010 when he won by less than 200 votes, just 50.1 percentof the vote.

The two Democratic candidates, Jane Hipps ofWaynesville and Ron Robinson of Sylva, come from differentwings of the Democratic Party. Hipps is more moderate, whileRobinson is more liberal.

Cooper said a moderate Democrat likely has a betterchance of winning against Davis.

“This Senate district is composed of a lot of self-identifiedconservative Democrats,” Cooper said, citing polling data.

Battle for state Senate seat begins to take shape

Jane Hipps

Ron Robinson

Robinson says WNC votersneed representation in Raleigh

Ron Robinson will hold a press conference to officially announce his candidacy at10 a.m. on Jan. 25 in the community room of the Sylva Library.

Hipps brings work ethic to race

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Things we want you to know: A new 2-yr. agmt. on a Shared Data Plan (subject to a pro-rated $150 early termination fee for Basic Phones, modems and hotspot devices and a $350 early termination fee for Smartphones and tablets) and My Account registration required. $35 device act. fee and credit approval may apply. Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee applies (currently $1.57/line/month); this is not a tax or gvmt. required charge. Add. fees, taxes and terms apply and vary by svc. and eqmt. Offers valid at participating locations only and cannot be combined. See store or uscellular.com for details. 4G LTE not available in all areas. See uscellular.com/4G for complete coverage details. 4G LTE service provided through King Street Wireless, a partner of U.S. Cellular. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. Promotional phone subject to change. Kansas Customers: In areas in which U.S. Cellular receives support from the Federal Universal Service Fund, all reasonable requests for service must be met. Unresolved questions concerning services availability can be directed to the Kansas Corporation Commission Office of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection at 1-800-662-0027. Limited-time offer. Trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners. ©2014 U.S. Cellular

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what was happening in education, from preschoolthrough college,” Hipps said.

But she disagrees with the direction Republicansare taking the state on many fronts.

“I was shocked at the bills that were introducedlast year. And I thought somehow there would besome reasoning and those bills would not be passedand yet they were,” Hipps said.

Hipps defined herself as a moderate Democrat.“I think I would be a voice for Western North

Carolina and moderate values for this state,” shesaid.

Hipps’ parents are originally from the mountainsof McDowell and Mitchell counties, but she grew upin Charlotte, where he father went to work for a con-struction company as a purchasing agent. She metCharlie Hipps while attending UNC-Chapel Hill,married him and followed him back to Waynesville.

WOW open houseset for Jan. 23

The Women of Waynesville will mark their three-year anniversary with an open house party at 4:30p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the Herren House Bedand Breakfast in Waynesville.

Anyone interested in learning more about thisservice organization is welcome to drop in and meetcurrent members. The public and prospective mem-bers invited. Snacks and beverages provided free.

Nikki White at 828.545.6879 or Michelle Briggsat 828.452.7837.

Retirement receptionplanned for Olson

The Good Samaritan Clinic of Jackson Countywill honor Rebecca “Becky” D. Olson, the clinic’scurrent executive director, on her retirement aftermore than 40 years in healthcare in North Carolina.

A reception will be held from 1:30-3:30 p.m. onThursday, Jan. 23, in the large conference room atthe old Sylva Medical Center facility in HarrisMedical Park in Sylva, adjacent to Harris Hospital.

828.631.8716.

Belcher to meet withCherokee community

Western Carolina University Chancellor DavidO. Belcher will meet with residents of the Cherokeecommunity Thursday, Jan. 30, as part of a series ofevents designed to keep the university connectedwith alumni, friends and elected officials.

The visits, which include stops across NorthCarolina and the Southeast, are a follow-up to the2011 “Get Acquainted Tour,” which took Belcher andhis wife, Susan, to some 15 municipalities over fourmonths during his first year as chancellor.

The Jan. 30 visit will include a reception for alum-ni and friends from Cherokee and surroundingareas. The event will be held from 6-7:30 p.m. in theMaple Room of Harrah’s Cherokee Casino Resort,which is sponsoring the reception.

877.440.9990 or [email protected].

find us at:facebook.com/smnews

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Opinion Smoky Mountain News 13

DAVID C. FRIEDMANGUEST COLUMNIST

Doug Wingeier’s op-ed published in The SmokyMountain News on Dec. 25, 2013, titled, “Christmas‘peace’ in the land of the Holy One,” (www.smokymoun-tainnews.com/archives/item/12259) is an impressionis-tic and factually distorted presentation of classic anti-Israel bias bordering on a rejection of the Jewish state’sright to exist.

In recounting his experiences traveling throughBethlehem and the West Bank, Wingeier promotes a dis-tinctly anti-Jewish theological perspective negating anyhistorical Jewish biblical connection to the land of Israeland demonstrates contempt for the modern democraticstate of Israel. His offensive assertions include suggestingthat security checkpoints are manned by “trigger-happyteenage Israeli soldiers,” and arguing that the ancestorsof “Palestinian Christians” – and not Jews – were contem-poraries of Jesus whose villages are now occupied by“immigrant” Jews.

Mr. Wingeier’s omission of any reference to the his-torical Jewish connection to, and continuous presence in,the land of Israel, and the absence of any context forIsrael’s security needs vis-à-vis the security barrier andarmy checkpoints are an affront to the Jewish people andan insult to the intelligence of your readers.

Wingeier further pumps up his anti-Israel tirade byembracing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS)campaign, a fringe movement dedicated to underminingIsrael’s legitimacy, while offering false comparisonsbetween apartheid South Africa and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

It is unfortunate that instead of creating a holidaymessage in support of peace and understanding betweenIsraelis and Palestinians, Mr. Wingeier used the opportu-nity to promote hatred and divisiveness among the twopeoples and advance odious notions about Judaism andJews. His unwarranted attacks against Israel contributenothing significant to the decades-long debate over theIsraeli-Palestinian conflict and only serve to furtherembolden extremist voices opposed to a peaceful resolu-tion between the parties.

Friedman is the regional directorof the Anti-Defamation League, which is headquartered in

Washington, D.C.

DOUG WINGEIERCOLUMNIST

My oh my! Looks like the long arm of Israeli surveillance hasreached out to us way down here in the mountains of WesternNorth Carolina (see column to the left). I hadn’t thought theexperience of a peace-loving octogenarian professor worthy ofsuch attention. But I do appreciate the opportunity to respond.

What I wrote in that Dec. 25 column was mainly an accountof what I personally have seen and experienced in the “land ofthe Holy One” — not an exercise in ideology or biblical interpre-tation. In addition to what I mentioned, I have personally expe-rienced the following:

• Being stood up spread-eagle against a wall, alongsideunarmed Palestinian youth, having my passport examined andmy person searched by some of these teenage, weapon-carrying Israeli soldiers.

• Visiting at the bedside of a middle-aged Palestinian man,shot in the back at a checkpoint by what seemed to him to be“trigger-happy” soldiers — himself permanently paralyzed andbedridden as a result (wouldn’t a simple arrest have been suffi-cient?).

• Commiserating with the family and neighbors of a 10-year-old boy shot and killed by a “rubber” bullet in a Palestinianrefugee camp just a 10-minute walk from the Bible College whereI was teaching.

• Joining with Jews from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, Rabbisfor Human Rights, and the Israeli Committee Against HomeDemolitions (not all Jews think “Israel right or wrong”) in aprotest against the uprooting of olive trees and confiscation ofland from a Palestinian farmer in the Beqa’a valley outsideHebron, where Israeli Highway 60 from Jerusalem to Beershevahas divided his family farm in half, making accessibilitydifficult.

• Sitting down for the traditional Arab meal of maqlub(“upside down” chicken and rice) with a Palestinian family (par-ents and four small children) whose home had been demolishedfour times by bulldozers, and who were living in a Red Crosstent.

• Hearing a politically moderate Jewish family in their homein Israel proper express their fears that the illegal occupationand expansion of settlements in the West Bank to house mostlyJews immigrating from Russia and Brooklyn, N.Y., would onlyexacerbate conflict, prevent peace and keep them perpetually liv-ing in fear and insecurity.

• Hearing Jews in an Israeli kibbutz tell of the “good olddays” before the wars of 1948 and 1967 when they got along wellwith their Arab friends and neighbors before Zionist ideology

prevailed and made such “fraternization” politically unaccept-able.

I am well aware of the suffering and death experienced byIsraelis at the hands of Arab terrorists, causing them to feel thatstrict security measures and violent repression are the surest wayto keep them safe. I hurt for them, too. But when, according tofigures I’ve seen, there have been approximately 100 Palestiniandeaths (both Muslim and Christian) — nearly all civilians — forevery one Israeli Jew killed, such retaliation seems excessive andcounterproductive. As Gandhi put it, “an eye for an eye leaveseveryone blind.”

To be sure, my column did not evoke happy feelings ofChristmas joy and peace, but this was not because of any wish“to promote hatred and divisiveness among the two peoples andadvance odious notions about Judaism and Jews.” Rather, it wasbecause I was describing the actual scenes I witnessed and peo-ple I knew, that evoked in me (and in many others, both localresidents and visiting pilgrims) feelings of oppression and gloomsimilar to those surely experienced by first century Jews andChristians living under Roman occupation.

And I closed with a specific call to “reject both anti-Arab prej-udice and anti-Semitism” (while at the same time opposinginjustice), and to live in the spirit of the carol honoring the Onewho “taught us to love one another” and whose “law is love andhis gospel is peace.”

I wholeheartedly support Israel’s right to exist, and agree thatthis ongoing existence can be supported by biblical referencesand historical residence in the territory. This can best be assuredwhen its policies adhere to the guidelines, enunciated by theirHebrew ancestors, that their nation: “beat their swords intoplowshares and their spears into pruning hooks” (Isaiah2:4); “proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants”(Leviticus 25:10); “... not oppress the alien ...; love the alien asyourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt” (Leviticus19:33-34); and “let justice roll down like waters, and righteous-ness like an everflowing stream” (Amos 5:24). (This time I ambeing biblical and theological.)

And how about a quid pro quo — a free, viable, contiguous,democratic Palestinian state existing side-by-side with Israel asSemitic kindred, living with mutual respect of each other’shumanity and rights, observance of international law, restora-tion of or reimbursement for confiscated lands and demolishedhomes, and a shared administration of Jerusalem under UnitedNations supervision?

Doug Wingeier is a retired seminary professor and ministerwho lives at Lake Junaluska. He can be reached at

[email protected].

Columnist’s anti-Israeltirade distorts truth

Views on Israel based on life experiences

Much of ACA camefrom conservativesTo the Editor:

When Hillary Clinton proposed a govern-ment-run, single-payer system to solve ourhealth care crisis, Republicans responded byproposing a private insurance system basedon an individual mandate. Then-Gov. MittRomney then adopted this insurance proposalfor Massachusetts with great success. It wasthe conservative approach based on the freemarket and designed to save taxpayers fromout-of-control healthcare costs. That plan wasthe basis for the Affordable Care Act, nowknown as Obamacare.

Conservatives hate big government almost

as much as they dislike big governmentdeficits. Their plan attacked both problems.Private insurance companies ran the systemand made a profit. Out-of-control healthcarecosts were curbed.

Money is the key. The United States paysalmost twice as much for health care than anyother industrialized country, and yet we havemuch poorer health outcomes and fewer peo-ple covered. Our current system was broken,and would have soon bankrupted the country.

The Affordable Care Act is not somethingprogressive Democrats wanted. What theywanted was a government-run single-payerplan. What we got was a private, for-profitinsurance plan that everybody has to joinbecause of the individual mandate. As thevery conservative Heritage Foundation said,

the key is personal responsibility. Everybodyhas to pull their own weight, no free rides.

What you don’t hear through the medianoise surrounding the now-repaired website isthe fact that the ACA is already helping toreduce health care cost inflation to a 50-yearlow. That fact alone will reduce our long-termdeficit more than short-term cuts in spending.

Congress spent over a year crafting thislaw. It is complex because it is full of compro-mises to satisfy all the stakeholders. It is clearRepublicans are doing everything possible tomake it fail even though it was their idea.

Whether this law is good for you maydepend on who is your governor. Democratic-led states created their own websites, expand-ed Medicaid and in general promoted compe-tition between insurance carriers. In those

states there has been much success. In Republican states like North Carolina,

the insurance rates have been higher becauseof the state’s failure to encourage competition.The state’s failure to expand Medicaid to morethan 500,000 uninsured has caused a financialcrisis for many hospitals. One in four unin-sured Macon County residents will continueto use the emergency room for basic care, atgreat cost to all of us.

As Mitt Romney said of the individualmandate in 2006, the plan must include “...the personal responsibility principal, that isessential to bring health care cost down foreveryone and getting everyone the healthinsurance they deserve and need.”

Louis VitaleFranklin

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Nutrition Factsserving size : about 50 pages

Amount per Serving

Calories 0

% Daily Value *

Total Fat 0g 0%

Reg ional New s 100%

Outdoors 100%

Arts 100%

Entertainm ent 100%

Classifieds 100%

Op in ion 100%

* Percent Weekly values based on Hayw ood, Jackson, M acon, Sw ain and Buncom be d iets.

SPRING STREET, DOWNTOWN SYLVA

THURSDAYS: SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS

MOVIE NIGHT!JANUARY 16: “TAPPED”

CREPES, PANINIS, SOUPS,SALADS, GOURMET PASTAS

WINE & BEER

CityLightsCafe.com223-17

JAN. 17: MUSIC CHRIS TITCHNER JAN. 18: MUSIC MATTHEW TOWNSEND

Taste the Mountains is an

ever-evolving paid section of

places to dine in Western North

Carolina. If you would like to be

included in the listing please con-

tact our advertising department

at 828.452.4251

AMMONS DRIVE-IN RESTAURANT & DAIRY BAR1451 Dellwwod Rd., Waynesville.828.926.0734. Open 7 days a week 10a.m. to 9 p.m. Celebrating over 25 years.Enjoy world famous hot dogs as well as burg-ers, seafood, hushpuppies, hot wings andchicken. Be sure to save room for dessert.The cobbler, pie and cake selections are sureto satisfy any sweet tooth.

ANTHONY WAYNE’S37 Church St, Waynesville. 828.456.6789.Open for lunch Monday-Friday 11 a.m. to 3p.m.; open for dinner Thursday-Saturday 5 to9 p.m.; and Sunday brunch 11 a.m. to 3p.m. Exceptional, new-American cuisine,offering several gluten free items.

BLUE ROOSTER SOUTHERN GRILL 207 Paragon Parkway, Clyde, Lakeside Plazaat the old Wal-Mart. 828.456.1997. OpenMonday through Friday. Friendly and funfamily atmosphere. Local, handmadeSouthern cuisine. Fresh-cut salads; slow-sim-mered soups; flame grilled burgers andsteaks, and homemade signature desserts.Blue-plates and local fresh vegetables daily.Brown bagging is permitted. Private parties,catering, and take-out available. Call-aheadseating available.

BOURBON BARREL BEEF & ALE454 Hazelwood Ave., Waynesville,828.452.9191. Dinner nightly from 4 p.m.Closed on Sunday. We specialize in hand-cut,all natural steaks, fresh fish, and other clas-sic American comfort foods that are madeusing only the finest local and sustainableingredients available. We also feature a greatselection of craft beers from local artisanbrewers, and of course an extensive selectionof small batch bourbons and whiskey. TheBarrel is a friendly and casual neighborhooddining experience where our guests enjoy agreat meal without breaking the bank.

BREAKING BREAD CAFÉ6147 Hwy 276 S. Bethel (at the Mobil GasStation) 828.648.3838 Tuesday throughFriday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. (takeout only 5 to 6p.m.) Saturday 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. ServingMediterranean style foods; join us for weeklyspecials. We roast our own ham, turkey androast beef just like you get on Thanksgivingto use in our sandwiches. Try our chicken,tuna, egg and pasta salads made with glutenfree mayo. Enjoy our variety of baked goodsmade daily: muffins, donuts, cinnamon bunsand desserts.

CATALOOCHEE RANCH 119 Ranch Dr., Maggie Valley.828.926.1401. Mile-high mountaintop din-ing with a spectacular view. Join us for plen-tiful buffet-style dinners on Fridays andSaturdays, and long winter holiday weekends.Dinner is served from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. inwinter and includes pot roast, Virginia hamor herb-baked chicken, complemented with

an assortment of seasonal vegetables, home-made breads, jellies and desserts. We alsooffer a fine selection of wine and beer. Lunchis served on the same days from 12 to 2p.m.

CHEF’S TABLE30 Church St., Waynesville. 828.452.6210.From 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday dinner starting at 5 p.m. “Best of”Award of Excellence from Wine SpectatorMagazine. Set in a distinguished atmospherewith an exceptional menu. Extensive selec-tion of wine and beer. Reservations honored.

CITY BAKERY18 N. Main St. Waynesville 828.452.3881.Winter hours: Sunday-Thursday 8 a.m. to 3p.m., Friday & Saturday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.Join us in our historic location for scratchmade soups and daily specials. Breakfast ismade to order daily: Gourmet cheddar &scallion biscuits served with bacon, sausageand eggs; smoked trout bagel plate; quicheand fresh fruit parfait. We bake a wide vari-ety of breads daily, specializing in traditionalfrench breads. All of our breads are handshaped. Lunch: Fresh salads, panini sand-wiches. Enjoy outdoor dinning on the deck.Private room available for meetings.

CITY LIGHTS CAFESpring Street in downtown Sylva.828.587.2233. Open Monday-Saturday 7:30a.m. to 9 p.m., Sunday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.Tasty, healthy and quick. Breakfast, lunch,dinner, espresso, beer and wine. Come tastethe savory and sweet crepes, grilled paninis,fresh, organic salads, soups and more.Outside patio seating. Free Wi-Fi, pet-friend-ly. Live music and lots of events. Check theweb calendar at citylightscafe.com.

BRYSON CITY CORK & BEANA MOUNTAIN SOCIAL HOUSE16 Everett St.,Bryson City. 828.488.1934.Open Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.,Saturday and Sunday brunch 9 a.m. to3p.m., Full Menu 3 to 9 p.m. Serving freshand delicious weekday morning lite fare,lunch, dinner, and brunch. Freshly preparedmenu offerings range from house-madesoups & salads, lite fare & tapas, crepes,specialty sandwiches and burgers. Be surenot to miss the bold flavors and creativecombinations that make up the daily ChefSupper Specials starting at 5pm every day.Followed by a tempting selection of dessertsprepared daily by our chefs and other localbakers. Enjoy craft beers on tap, as well asour full bar and eclectic wine list.

CORK & CLEAVER176 Country Club Drive, Waynesville.828.456.7179. Reservations recommended.4:30-9 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday. Tucked awayinside Waynesville Inn, Cork & Cleaver hasan approachable menu designed aroundlocally sourced, sustainable, farm-to-tableingredients. Executive Chef Corey Green pre-pares innovative and unique Southern farefrom local, organic vegetables grown inWestern North Carolina. Full bar and winecellar. www.waynesvilleinn.com.

COUNTRY VITTLES: FAMILY STYLE RESTAURANT3589 Soco Rd, Maggie Valley.828.926.1820 Open Daily 7 a.m. to 8:30p.m., closed Tuesday. Family Style at CountryVittles is not a buffet. Instead our waitresseswill bring your food piping hot from thekitchen right to your table and as many

refills as you want. So if you have a bigappetite, but sure to ask your waitress aboutour family style service.

FRANKIE’S ITALIAN TRATTORIA1037 Soco Rd. Maggie Valley.828.926.6216 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.Tuesday-Saturday. Father and son team Frankand Louis Perrone cook up dinners steepedin Italian tradition. With recipies passeddown from generations gone by, the Perroneshave brought a bit of Italy to Maggie Valley.frankiestrattoria.com

FRYDAY’S & SUNDAES24 & 26 Fry St., Bryson City (Next To TheTrain Depot). 828.488.5379. Frydays is open;but closed on Wednesdays. Sundaes is open7 days a week. Fryday’s is known for itsTraditional English Beer Battered Fish &Chips, but also has burgers, deep fried dogs,gyro, shrimp, bangers, Chip Butty, chicken,sandwiches & a great kids menu. Pricefriendly, $3-$10, Everything available to goor call ahead takeout. Sundaes has 24rotating flavors of Hershey's Ice Creammaking them into floats, splits, sundaes,shakes. Private seating inside & out for bothlocations right across from the train station &pet friendly.

FROGS LEAP PUBLIC HOUSE44 Church St. Downtown Waynesville828.456.1930 Serving lunch and dinnerfrom 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday throughSaturday, Sunday lunch and dinner from11:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., closed Mondays. FrogsLeap is a farm to table restaurant focused onlocal, sustainable, natural and organic prod-ucts prepared in modern regional dishes.Seasonal menu focuses on Southern comfortfoods with upscale flavors. Come for therestaurant’s 4 @ 4 when you can choose acenter and three sides at special prices.Offered Wed- Fri. from 4 to 6. frogsleappub-lichouse.org.

GUADALUPE CAFÉ606 W. Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.9877.Open 7 days a week at 5 p.m. Located in thehistoric Hooper’s Drugstore, Guadalupe Caféis a chef-owned and operated restaurantserving Caribbean inspired fare compliment-ed by a quirky selection of wines and micro-brews. Supporting local farmers of organicproduce, livestock, hand-crafted cheese, andusing sustainably harvested seafood.

HERREN HOUSE 94 East St., Waynesville 828.452.7837.Lunch: Wednesday - Saturday 11 a.m. to 2p.m. Sunday Brunch 11 a. m. to 2 p.m.Enjoy fresh local products, created daily. Joinus in our beautiful patio garden. We are yourlocal neighborhood host for special events:business party’s, luncheons, weddings, show-ers and more. Private parties & catering areavailable 7 days a week by reservation only.

J. ARTHUR’S RESTAURANT AT MAGGIE VALLEYU.S. 19 in Maggie Valley. 828.926.1817.Lunch Sunday noon to 2:30 p.m., dinnernightly starting at 4:30 p.m. World-famousprime rib, steaks, fresh seafood, gorgonzolacheese and salads. All ABC permits andopen year-round. Children always welcome.Take-out menu. Excellent service and hospi-tality. Reservations appreciated.

JUKEBOX JUNCTIONU.S. 276 and N.C. 110 intersection, Bethel.828.648.4193. 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday

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ARTISAN BREADS & PASTRIES

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223-24

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bbcafenc.com • 828.648.3838Tu-F 8-6 (takeout only 5-6) • Sat 8-3

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117 Main Street, Canton NC828.492.0618 • SidsOnMain.com

Serving Lunch & DinnerMON.-THURS. 11 A.M.-9 P.M. • FRI. & SAT. 11 A.M.-10 P.M.

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Burgers to SaladsSouthern Favorites & Classics

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OPEN FOR LUNCH & DINNER7 DAYS A WEEK

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83 Asheville Hwy. � Sylva Music Starts @ 9 • 631.0554

FRIDAY JANUARY 17TH

Joe Lasher Jr. BandSATURDAY JANUARY 18TH

Arnold Hill

U P C O M I N G E V E N T S

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through Saturday. Serving breakfast, lunch,nd dinner. The restaurant has a 1950s &60s theme decorated with memorabiliafrom that era.

LOS AMIGOS366 Russ Ave. in the Bi-Lo Plaza.828.456.7870. Open from 11 a.m. to2:30 p.m. for lunch and 5 to 10 p.m. fordinner Monday through Friday and 11:30a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.Enjoy the lunch prices Monday throughSunday, also enjoy our outdoor patio.

LUCIO'S RESTAURANT313 Highlands Road, Franklin.828.369.6670. Serving Macon Countysince 1984. Closed Sunday, Monday,Tuesday. Lunch Wednesday-Friday 11:30a.m. until.Dinner Wednesday-Saturday 5p.m. until. Owned and operated by Tanyaand Dorothy Gamboni. Serving authenticItalian and continental cuisine includingappetizers, pastas, poultry, veal, seafood,steaks and homemade deserts. Selection ofwine and beer. Lunch and Dinner menus.Wednesday and Thursday nights only. 1appetizer and 2 selected entrées withunlimited salad and Lucio’s famous garlicrolls for $24.95. Winter Special: half-offhouse wines, Friday and Saturday only.luciosnc.com

MAD BATTER BAKERY & CAFÉLocated on the WCU Campus in Cullowhee.828.293.3096. Open Monday-Thursday7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday 7:30 a.m. to 6p.m., Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.Earth-friendly foods at people-friendly prices.Daily specials, wraps, salads, pastries,breads, soups and more. Unique fare, friend-ly service, casual atmosphere and wirelessInternet. Organic ingredients, local produce,gourmet fair trade and organic coffees.

MAGGIE VALLEY CLUB1819 Country Club Dr., Maggie Valley.828.926.1616. maggievalleyclub.com/dine.Open daily for lunch and dinner. Fine andcasual fireside dining in welcoming atmos-phere. Full bar. Reservations accepted.

MOONSHINE GRILL2550 Soco Road, Maggie Valley loacted inthe Smoky Falls Lodge. 828.926.7440.Open Thursday through Saturday, 4:30 to 9p.m. Cooking up mouth-watering, wood-fired Angus steaks, prime rib and scrump-tious fresh seafood dishes. The wood-firedgrill gives amazing flavor to every meal thatcomes off of it. Enjoy creative dishes madeusing moonshine. Stop by and simmer for awhile and soak up the atmosphere. Thebest kept secret in Maggie Valley. themoon-shinegrill.com

MOUNTAIN PERKS ESPRESSO BAR & CAFÉ9 Depot St., Bryson City. 828.488.9561.Open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m.to 5 p.m.; Friday 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.;Saturday 8 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. With musicat the Depot. Sunday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lifeis too short for bad coffee. We feature won-derful breakfast and lunch selections.Bagels, wraps, soups, sandwiches, saladsand quiche with a variety of specialty cof-fees, teas and smoothies. Various desserts.

NEWFOUND LODGE RESTAURANT1303 Tsali Blvd, Cherokee (Located on 441North at entrance to GSMNP).828.497.4590. Open 7 a.m. daily.

Established in 1946 and serving breakfast,lunch and dinner seven days a week. Familystyle dining for adults and children.

PASQUALE’S 1863 South Main Street, Waynesville. Offexit 98, 828.454.5002. Open for lunchand dinner seven days a week. ClassicItalian dishes, exceptional steaks andseafood (available in full and lighter sizes),thin crust pizza, homemade soups, saladshand tossed at your table. Fine wine andbeer selection. Casual atmosphere, dineindoor, outside on the patio or at the bar.Reservations appreciated.

PASQUALINO’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT25 Everett Street, Bryson City.828.488.9555. Open for lunch and dinnereveryday 11:30 a.m.-late. A taste of Italy inbeautiful Bryson City. Exceptional pasta,pizza, homemade soups, salads. Fine wine,mixed drinks and beer selection. Casualatmosphere, reservations appreciated.

PATIO BISTRO 30 Church Street, Waynesville.828.454.0070. 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondaythrough Saturday. Breakfast bagels andsandwiches, gourmet coffee, deli sandwich-es for lunch with homemade soups, quich-es, and desserts. Wide selection of wineand beer. Outdoor and indoor dining.

RENDEZVOUS RESTAURANT AND BARMaggie Valley Inn and Conference Center828.926.0201 Bar open Monday thruSaturday; dining room open Tuesday thruSaturday at 5 p.m. Full service restaurantserving steaks, prime rib, seafood and din-ner specials.

SOUL INFUSION TEA HOUSE & BISTRO628 E. Main St. (between Sylva Tire &UPS). 828.586.1717. Tuesday-Friday 11a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday noon -until.Scrumptious, natural, fresh soups, salads,sandwiches, wraps and desserts. 60+ teasserved hot or cold, black, chai, herbal.Seasonal and rotating draft beers, goodselection of wine. Home-Grown MusicNetwork Venue with live music most week-ends. Pet friendly and kid ready.

SPEEDY’S PIZZA285 Main Street, Sylva. 828.586.3800.Open seven days a week. Monday-Friday 11a.m.-10 p.m., Saturday 3 p.m.-11 p.m.,Sunday 4 p.m.-10 p.m. Family-owned for30 years. Serving hand-tossed pizza madeto order, pasta, subs, gourmet salads, cal-zones and seafood. Also serving excellentprime rib on Thursdays. Dine in or take outavailable. Located across from the FireStation.

TAP ROOM SPORTS BAR & GRILL176 Country Club Dr. Waynesville828.456.5988. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. sevendays a week. Enjoy soups, sandwiches, sal-ads and hearty appetizers along with a fullbar menu in our casual, smoke-free neigh-borhood grill.

THE WINE BAR20 Church Street, downtown Waynesville.828.452.6000. Underground cellar forwine and beer, served by the glass all day.Cheese and tapas served Wednesdaythrough Saturday 4 p.m.-9 p.m. or [email protected]. Also on face-book and twitter.

tasteTHEmountains

A&ESmoky Mountain News16

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Tossing fate into the airBY GARRET K. WOODWARDSTAFF WRITER

What started as a backyard game one afternoon has turned into a pas-sionate career for Nathan Lowe.

“I just got addicted to playing cornhole,” the 28-year-old chuckled.Lowe was at his sister’s college graduation party at North Carolina

State in Raleigh. He got teamed up with his father, Randy, to play in acasual cornhole tournament. Though the duo had never tossed previous-ly, they ended up beating everyone that day.

“Nathan is one of the best players in the area these days,” his fathersaid, smiling. “But, at that graduation party five years ago, he hadn’t everplayed before. He tried to beat me for months after that and never did.And now, I can’t hardly beat him.”

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECTAnd in the five years since that first game, Nathan played cornhole

anytime, anywhere. That love for competition and camaraderie moldeditself into Blue Ridge Cornhole. Founded last year by Nathan, theWaynesville-based company specializes in putting together tournamentsaround the region for businesses, organizations and charities.

“I’ve played against 8-year-olds and 80-year-olds that are amazing atcornhole,” Nathan said. “It’s a game anybody can play and enjoy.”

Nathan put together his first tournaments in the fall of 2012 atBearWaters Brewing Company in Waynesville. Initially, a handful of

teams showed up, but the numbers grew each week. He was then asked toput on a cornhole event for Big Brothers, Big Sisters of Haywood County.The tournament was a success, with Nathan soon seeing the potential forgiving back to the community through his competitions.

“It’s an easy way to raise money for good causes,” he said. “Peoplecome out, have a good time, support local businesses and support localcharities and organizations.”

For his second tournament, Nathan did an event for the Tye BlantonFoundation. Founded in 2009, the nonprofit provides assistance to fami-lies of premature infants. Tye was the late son of slain North CarolinaState Trooper Shawn Blanton and his wife Michaela. Now remarried toNathan, Michaela has spearheaded numerous fundraisers and publicawareness campaigns for the foundation.

“Everybody has kids, and once you have a kid you realize the thingspeople go through, the time and money spent in unfamiliar places [likehospitals],” Nathan said. “So, with these cornhole tournaments, it’s niceto help out on a different level.”

During the winter, Nathan averages three tournaments a week.Mondays, he’s at the Showtime Saloon (Asheville); Tuesdays, it’s theCanton Armory; Wednesdays are spent at the Asheville Moose Lodge.When the weather warms up and summer rolls around, he might be hold-ing competitions seven nights a week.

“I just love watching people that have never played before start play-ing,” he said. “They’ll start out not very good, but then a month or twolater, they’re competing for first place in our tournaments.”

BUILDING THE DREAMAlongside Blue Ridge Cornhole is BKL Boards. Named after 2-year-

old Brindley Khaine Lowe (Michaela and Nathan’s daughter), the sidebusiness is where Randy comes into play. With a wood-crafting back-ground, Randy currently works for Jacob Holm Industries in Candler.And as Nathan put on the tournaments, the father/son duo decided it

would be a good ideato construct and playon their own board,something that lendsitself to consistencyand accuracy whenplaying by AmericanCornhole Associationregulations.

“I just enjoy work-ing with wood, andwhen Nathan started

Blue Ridge Cornhole, I made him some board sets to start with,”Randy said. “We’re always learning new ways to change and improveour boards.”

Made from three-quarter inch plywood and full two-by-four boards,the ACA-certified boards consist of birch wood and cabinet-grade pine.Prices range from $100 to $200, depending on the customization of theorder. Since the two started building boards this past June, they’ve con-structed more than 100 sets for cornhole enthusiasts around WesternNorth Carolina.

“I really enjoy the reactions from people when they see their boardsfor the first time,” Randy said. “They’re always amazed at the way theylook, the painting, how good they are.”

But, through it all, Randy looks at the time together with his son intheir workshop as the real success of the business.

“Before, we’d talk on the phone daily and have great conversations,”Randy said. “But now, we’re hanging out every day, always talking aboutlife, cornhole and such. I go and play in a lot of the tournaments, too.”

While 2013 was a great year, 2014 looks to be even more bountiful forBlue Ridge Cornhole and BKL Boards. The orders keep coming in, withmore local and regional tournaments emerging as winter turns to springand summer looms just ahead.

“It’s going to be a busy year, and we’re really looking forward to help-ing work with more organizations and charities,” Nathan said.“Everybody would like to have their own business and be successful, andthat’s what we’re hoping to aim towards.”

HART to hold 2014season auditions

There’s an open call for actors toaudition for “To Kill A Mockingbird”Feb. 2-3 at the Haywood Arts RegionalTheatre in Waynesville. Professionalactors are asked to be there at 6 p.m.,with community theater actors at 7 p.m.

This year HART is trying somethingnew. The theater is giving actors a chanceto audition for principal roles for theentire season at one time. The idea is togive actors interested in being consideredfor leading roles an early shot at castingand give directors more time to assemblea cast. This is the only scheduled audi-tion for “To Kill A Mockingbird,” thefirst show on the season, which will castall roles. Anyone interested in being apart of that show in any role shouldattend one of the two nights or contactthe director Wanda Taylor to make spe-cial arrangements for another time.

HART’s 2014 season includes “To Kill AMockingbird,” opening April 25; “BreakingUp Is Hard To Do,” opening May 23, withauditions March 23-24; “Grand Night ForSinging,” opening June 20, with auditionsApril 27-28; “Hello Dolly,” opening July 11,with auditions May 4-5; “The OddCouple,” opening Aug. 22, with auditionsJune 29-30; “Urinetown,” opening Sept. 26,with auditions July 27-28; “Macbeth,”opening Oct. 24, with auditions Aug. 17-18;“A Christmas Carol,” opening Dec. 11, withauditions Nov. 2-3.

www.harttheater.com.

• A dance party and dance classes will beoffered at the Waynesville Recreation

Center. The danceparty will be from 7to 8:45 p.m.Saturday, Jan. 18.

$10 per person. Bring a dish of fingerfoods to share. 828.456.2030 or [email protected]. Danceclasses featuring the Texas Two-Step willbe offered on Jan. 20 and 27 and Feb. 3,10 and 17. Lessons for the waltz willtake place Jan. 15, 22 and 29 and Feb.5, 12 and 19. $60 per person.828.316.1412 or 828.356.7060.

• The Tony-winning drama “Agnes ofGod” stages at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17-18 and3 p.m. Jan. 19 at the HART Theatre inWaynesville. Possible holdover dates areJan. 24-26. Seating in the FeichterStudio is limited and reservations arerecommended. 828.456.6322 orwww.harttheatre.com.

On the stage

ALSO:

Want to know more?For more information on Blue RidgeCornhole and their weekly tournaments,click on www.blueridgecornhole.com. Tolearn more about BKL Boards, go towww.bklboards.com. Both companies canbe found on Facebook.

Owner/founder of Blue Ridge Cornhole, Nathan Lowe (right) puts onnumerous tournaments around Western North Carolina. He and hisfather Randy (left) also run BKL Boards, a business specializing in

custom cornhole boards. The business is named after Nathan’sdaughter, Brindley Khaine Lowe (center). Garret K. Woodward photo

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H ailing from the Green Mountains ofBurlington, Vt., The DuPont Brothershave emerged as a breath of fresh air in

an often stifling, suffocating music industry. Consisting of Zack and Sam DuPont, the

duo carries a torch of melodic beauty, onehanded down from the likes of Simon &Garfunkel, Seals & Croft, America and Wilco.On the heels of their self-titled debut record,the DuPonts combine folk, roots andAmericana music into a formula of their own.

Alongside a successful east coast tour in2013, they also found themselves sharing thestage with Grace Potter & The Nocturnals,Howie Day, Ben Sollee and Langhorne Slim,to name a few. And yet, this is just the begin-ning for the brothers, who are as thirsty formusical innovation as they are determinedto break through into the ears of the world.

Smoky Mountain News: What’s the song-writing/performance realm like when yourmusical partner is your brother? Are thereany challenges with that?

Sam DuPont: It’s a mixed bag of emo-tions, with very few boundaries. We knoweach other better than we know ourselves attimes, and that includes all of our strengthsand faults. Those factors only bring us closertogether as performers. The posi-tives certainly outweigh the nega-tives of this relationship. From awriting standpoint, we almostknow what the songs are aboutbefore we even sit down and playthem for each other. That siblingconnection is something that justsimply can’t be replicated.

SMN: When you’re onstage,and in the moment of a greatshow, what goes through yourhead? Where do you go in yourmind?

Zack DuPont: I go where thesong takes me, and it varies withevery song. They all have theirown story to tell, and I often losemyself in the stories as theyunfold onstage. It’s like a medita-tion more than anything else. I’mthe most satisfied when the focusis deep enough to really take meto another place. It’s a transfer of energyfrom us to the audience. I can feel them andvice versa.

SMN: How do you want to contribute tothe music industry, or be different from it?

SD: We want to learn it inside and out asmuch as we can. We’re sponges when itcomes to that stuff. We’re running a busi-ness, and if we don’t know anything aboutthe administrative side of the profession,then we’re setting ourselves up for failure.Our move is the slow burn. We set realisticgoals and expectations and relish in the

small victories. First and foremost, we deeplyappreciate any person who feels compelledto share that they were moved by our music.Those are the people we care about, andthose are the people we want to work with.

SMN: Why should people care and sup-port independent music, live music andmusicians in general?

ZD: It’s important for this to be identifiedas a valid profession. Essentially, when peoplesupport an independent musician, they’reallowing the profession to exist. In manycases, the support that musicians receive fromtheir fans can shape their careers. We’re in thistogether and we’re in it because we love it.

Editor’s Note: The DuPont Brothers will per-form at 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, at The Classic

Wineseller in Waynesville.

This must be the placeBY GARRET K. WOODWARD

HOT PICKS1 “Rear Window” will be screened at 7:45 p.m.

Jan. 17 and at 5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Jan. 18at The Strand, 38 Main St., in Waynesville.

2Humps & The Blackouts and the HootenHollars play at 9 p.m. Jan. 25 at the Water’nHole Bar and Grill in Waynesville.

3 “Smokey Joe’s Café” rock ‘n’ roll review willshow at 5 p.m. Jan. 26 at Western CarolinaUniversity in Cullowhee.

4 The DuPont Brothers play at 7 p.m. Jan. 16at The Classic Wineseller in Waynesville.

5A reception/exhibit for artist Edward J. Bisesebegins at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 at WCU.

‘Good Thoughts Better’exhibit opens at WCU

An exhibit of work by Edward J. Bisesetitled “Good Thoughts Better” will open withan artist talk and reception at 5 p.m.Thursday, Jan. 16, in the Fine Art Museum atWestern Carolina University.

Bisese’s ArtTalk will begin in Room 130

of the John W. Bardo Fine andPerforming Arts Center and willbe followed at 6 p.m. by a recep-tion in the museum’s StarAtrium. The exhibit, which willbe open through the end ofMarch, as well as the talk and thereception, are free and open tothe public.

Bisese’s paintings, drawingsand objects in “Good ThingsBetter” are characterized as cele-brating the beautiful and thegrotesque, mixing skewed realitieswith real events. Bisese paints anddraws on unstretched canvas,wood panels of various shapes,paper, vinyl records and postcards.

fineartmuseum.wcu.edu or828.227.3591.

• The films “Rear Window” and “TheButler” will be screened at The Strand at38 Main in Waynesville. “Rear Window”

plays Jan. 17-18, with“The Butler,” Jan. 24-25. Screenings are at7:45 p.m. Friday and

5 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are$6 per person, $4 for children.828.283.0079 or www.38main.com.

On the wall

An exhibit for artist Edward J. Bisese will runthrough March at WCU. A reception will be held on

Jan. 16. Donated photo

ALSO:The DuPont Brothersplay The Classic

Wineseller inWaynesville on Jan. 16.

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On the beat

Apollo Winds brings chamber music to WCU

Apollo Winds, a professional chamber musicgroup, will perform at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, inthe recital hall of the Coulter Building in Cullowhee.

The concert features Francis Poulenc’s “Sextet,” athree-movement work with an extensive part for thepiano, to be played by Bradley Martin, WCU associ-ate professor of music. Also on the program are“Three Shanties” by Malcolm Arnold, “Dublin Bay”by Percy Granger and “Klezmer Music forWoodwind Quintet” by Donald Draganski.

Apollo Winds is a group of musicians who teachat colleges and universities in Western NorthCarolina and are members of several orchestras inthe region.

Free.828.227.7242.

Apollo Winds plays WCU on Jan. 21. Donated photo

• The DuPont Brothers, Leo Johnson and JoeCruz will perform at The Classic Wineseller inWaynesville. The DuPont Brothers perform Jan.16, with Johnson, Jan. 17 and Cruz, Jan. 18.All shows begin at 7 p.m. $10 minimum food,drink or merchandise purchase. 828.452.6000or www.classicwineseller.com.

• Chris Titchner and Matthew Townsend willplay City Lights Café in Sylva. Titchner per-forms Jan. 17 and Townsend, Jan. 18. Allshows are free and begin at 7 p.m.828.587.2233 or www.citylightscafe.com.

• The “Winter Pickin’ in the Armory” will be at7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 17, at the Canton Armory.Performance includes mountain music, vin-tage country, clogging and dancing. The“pickin’” is every first and third Friday of themonth. www.cantonnc.com.

• Wade Baker & Kyle Bledsoe, PMA and Porch40 will perform at No Name Sports Pub in

Sylva. Baker & Bledsoeplay Jan. 16, with PMA,Jan. 17 and Porch 40,Jan. 18. All shows are

free and begin at 9 p.m. 828.586.2750 orwww.nonamesportspub.com.

• A music documentary about legendarysinger/songwriter Sixto Rodriquez will bescreened at 4:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday,Jan. 22, at the Macon County Public Library inSylva. Free. www.fontanalib.org.

• An Oskar Blues tap takeover, Humps & TheBlackouts and the Hooten Hollars hit the stageat the Water’n Hole Bar and Grill in Waynesville.The tap takeover is Jan. 17, with Humps & TheBlackouts and the Hooten Hollars, Jan. 25.There will be a $4 cover for the Jan. 25 perform-ance, which begins at 9 p.m. 828.456.4750.

ALSO:The Stuart Brothers to play The Strand

Appalachian fiddle and banjo duo The Stuart Brothers will perform at 7:45p.m. Jan. 16 at The Strand at 38 Main in Waynesville.

Their family musical roots are deep: their great-grandfather was the leg-endary fiddler Rev. Henry King and their great uncle, the banjoist and singerAustin Stamey. The brothers learned some of the oldest regional fiddle andbanjo styles from masters such as the Smathers Family, Byard Ray, Oscar “Red”Wilson, Gordon Freeman and the Sutton family. They formed their first band injunior high and played for local clogging teams, local functions and fiddlers’ con-ventions. Since then they have toured extensively throughout the United Statesand several foreign countries, teaching and performing at major festivals andmusic camps.

Tickets are $12 per person.www.38main.com.

The Stuart Brothers come to The Strand in Waynesville on Jan. 16. Donated photo

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On the street

FUN ZONE ribbon cutting, customerappreciation skate

Smoky Mountain Sk8way & FUN ZONE willhost a ribbon cutting ceremony and customerappreciation skate on Wednesday, Jan. 15, inWaynesville. The ribbon cutting will be from 4to 6 p.m. followed by a customer apprecia-tion night from 6 to 9 p.m.

The rink has expanded and improved,

adding a new FUN ZONE, with inflatableobstacle course, climbing wall and slides,and a new wood skate floor. Also, the snackbar has been remodeled and its menuexpanded. The rink also added another 100pairs of brand new rental skates so they canaccommodate larger groups.

Admission is free for this fun-filled nightof roller-skating. Skate rentals cost $2; FUNZONE is $2, with all-night specials on pizzaand drinks.

828.246.9124 or www.smokymountain-sk8way.com.

Reenactment, other activities plannedin honor of MLK

Play Shop, a free event in honor of MartinLuther King, Jr. National Day of Service andCelebration, will be held from 1 to 6 p.m.Sunday, Jan. 19, at the Swain CountyRegional Business Education and TrainingCenter, 45 E. Ridge Drive, Bryson City. Theevent will include a craft court, inside games,face and finger painting, refreshments, a filmfestival, music, dance, skits and fun.Sponsored by OccupyWNC, the event willalso present a Move to Amend reenactmentof “Timeline of Rights and Privileges.”

828.331.1524.

MLK Day ‘Sole Hope’ in Sylva

In honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day,a “Sole Hope” shoe-cutting party will be held

from 1 to 4 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, at theChurch of Christ in Sylva.

Children in Uganda are susceptible to aparasite called jiggers laying eggs in theirfeet. This is very painful and can be debilitat-ing. Shoes can make all the difference. Theshoe pieces will be sent to workers inUganda who will be paid fair wages to addrecycled tires for soles to finish the shoes.

Bring an old pair of blue jeans or denimfabric and sharp scissors. Financial contribu-tions as well as the following supplies (tohelp with parasite removal) are also gladlyaccepted: large safety pins, surgical gloves,cotton balls, medical tape, antibiotic cream,gauze, band aids, topical lidocaine and funstickers for the children.

This project is sponsored by the JacksonCounty Youth Leadership Council. Open tothe public.

828.586.4009 [email protected].

For more information on other events duringMLK Day, please look at the calendar in theback of this issue.

This year marks the beginning of WesternCarolina University’s 125th year of existence,and university faculty, staff and students areplanning a yearlong celebration to mark themilestone.

The festivities will get underway at 12:25

p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, in the Grandroom ofA.K. Hinds University Center on the WCUcampus. The kick-off event will include afashion show of apparel adorned with WCU’s125th logo, and refreshments, prizes, games,giveaways, displays and birthday cake. Thatnight, the men’s basketball team will playDavidson in a Southern Conference game atRamsey Regional Activity Center.

The official 125th anniversary bash willbe held in August, the month in which theschool that became WCU was founded in1889. The event is tentatively scheduled forTuesday, Aug. 26, with a picnic on theUniversity Center lawn, old-fashioned games,music and photo opportunities in historicalgarb representative of the late 19th century.

The final celebration event is tentativelyset for Friday, Dec. 5, in the Ramsey Center,with music from the Pride of the MountainsMarching Band for those who will graduateduring the December 2014 commencement,the last graduating class of WCU’s 125th year.

For more information and a full list ofevents, click on www.celebrate125.wcu.edu.

2014 marks 125th year for WCU

WCU will kick off its 125th year celebrationon Jan. 23 in Cullowhee.

OutdoorsSmoky Mountain News20

my is not in question — what is, is theimportance of economic costs versus envi-ronmental benefits.

“We are not trying to close the plant,”said Julie Mayfield, co-director of WesternNorth Carolina Alliance, a regional envi-ronmental advocacy group. “We do thinkthe plant should operate in an environ-mentally responsible way, and as ourunderstanding of impacts develops andchanges, they have to change with that.”

REGULATION OVERLOADOR MISSED OPPORTUNITY?

But others believe that the regulationdoesn’t go far enough. To meet the emis-sions standard, Evergreen will fuel its boil-ers with natural gas, which burns morecleanly than coal. Representatives of envi-ronmental organizations like the CanaryCoalition, however, believe a more drasticsolution is needed.

“This is a once-in-a-generation oppor-tunity for Evergreen to take the lead inshowing the world a new way that is bothenvironmentally responsible and economi-cally practical and profitable,” said AvramFriedman, executive director of CanaryCoalition, an air quality advocacy groupbased in Sylva.

Rather than moving from one fossilfuel to another, Friedman said, Evergreen

should combine sun, wind and geothermalenergy with an efficiency remake of theplant to replace the need for these fuels.

“It could become the cleanest paperplant ever to operate, anywhere. That’s thelegacy we would like to see begin inCanton,” he said.

But Paul Muller, regional supervisor forthe state air quality division, said the tech-nology and supply infrastructure for themill to use renewables as its primary ener-gy source just aren’t there yet.

“The challenge with wind and solar isjust the quantity,” he said. “It would take alot of wind and solar to equal the quantityof a coal-fired boiler. As the technologydevelops, we’ll continue to go that direc-tion. It’s just having the resources to makethat happen.”

A QUESTION OF CAPACITYAt the moment, natural gas is dirt

cheap, but the fuel’s prices are historicallyvolatile, so they can’t be relied upon toremain low, Friedman said. And whilenatural gas is less polluting than coal, it’sstill a fossil fuel — and it’s one thatrequires a specific infrastructure to trans-port.

A natural gas pipeline does runthrough Canton, but it’s unlikely that linewould be able to supply the quantity of

natural gas that an energy-intensive plantlike Evergreen needs to operate.

“That’s the big question — capacity,”Clasby said. “That’s been the challenge.”

NOTHING NEWThis won’t be the first time Evergreen

has had to make changes to comply withEPA air quality regulations. In 1990,Congress passed a set of amendments tothe Clean Air Act of 1970 that gave theEPA the authority to regulate emissions of189 hazardous air pollutants.

They called the framework MACT,which stands for Maximum AchievableControl Technology. The EPA continuallyratchets up its emission standards underMACT, using the best-performing facilitiesas a benchmark.

High-performing facilities set the barfor what’s expected of similar plants. TheEPA looks at the emissions levels of the top12 percent of facilities and bases the newstandards on those levels.

Evergreen has had to make upgradesunder MACT in the past.

But according to Schliesser, this one isthe big kahuna.

“For coal or wood-fired boilers, the costwould be substantial,” Schliesser said,adding that facilities could face upgradesof anywhere from $30 to $100 million. “Iguess that’s why industry is so interestedin the EPA getting this rule right, becausethe cost is so expensive.”

Since Evergreen refused to commentfor this story, its hard to say whether theupgrades are a financial burden the com-pany can bear or whether they will costlocals their jobs. But either way, no onedisputes that the cost will be substantial.

“To say it’s huge would be an under-statement,” Schliesser said.

The initial timeline to comply with thenew standards was 2015.

But after the U.S. Court of Appeals forthe D.C. Circuit vacated the rules that theEPA had proposed in 2004, the EPA didnot meet the 2007 compliance date forthe rule. Therefore, states had to step inwith their own standards as placeholdersuntil the federal regulation could be com-pleted.

North Carolina’s standards are lessstringent than the EPA’s, Schliesser said, soboiler operators such as Evergreen will like-ly be able to find workaround methods ofcomplying instead of making one changefor the state’s March 2015 compliance dateand another for the federalJanuary 2019 compliance date.


Evergreen Packaging’s Canton paper mill will bewriting some big checks over the coming yearsas it moves to comply with an EnvironmentalProtection Agency rule 10 years in the making.

It’s been more than a decade since the EPA firstproposed stricter limits for toxic pollutant emissionsfrom boilers, but once it released the final regulation inDecember 2012, companies nationwide began gearingup for the expensive upgrades necessary to comply.Evergreen is among them.

“These paper mills, they’re very energy-intensive,”said Steve Schliesser, engineer for the N.C. Departmentof Environment and Natural Resources Division of AirQuality. “That’s why they need a lot of boilers.”

Of Evergreen’s seven industrial boilers, five — onecoal-and-wood-burning and four coal-burning —would be affected by the rule, which puts new limits ontoxic air pollutants.

Evergreen refused to comment for this article, butothers familiar with the mill’s situation attested tofinancial burden the regulation will cause.

Mark Clasby, economic development director forHaywood County, said the paper mill will likely com-ply with the limits by switching its boilers to naturalgas, which is a cleaner-burning fuel. But that changewill bear a price tag of about $50 million, he said.

“It’s still a lot of money for them, even to a compa-ny their size,” Clasby said.

The plant is Haywood County’s largest employer. Ithas 1,100 employees, who make an average $78,300 insalary and benefits.

That statistic, plus the $330 million that the millhas already spent on environmental improvementssince 1990, leads N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Yancey,to give jobs the priority over environmental regulationin this situation.

“I think there’s a lot of regulation there, and I’d liketo back off on that,” Presnell said.

Presnell is supporting Evergreen’s request for finan-cial assistance from the state to pay for the natural gasupgrade. The mill is seeking a $12 million grant fromthe N.C. Job Maintenance and Capital DevelopmentFund and $2.8 million from the state’s Department ofCommerce.

“This is a lot of jobs, and they are good, high-pay-ing jobs,” Presnell said. “That’s my number one. That’swhat we’ve got to keep.”

The mill’s importance to Haywood County’s econo-

What’s in the regulation?New federal air pollution rules are forcing factories

and power plants with older coal- or oil-fired boilers toclean up their act.

Tighter controls on heavy metals, acidic gases, par-ticulate matter and toxic organic compounds have beenmandated through a regulation known as MaximumAchievable Control Technology, or MACT, which seeks tolimit emissions of 189 different toxic pollutants.

Since monitoring 189 different substances is a lot ofmonitoring, only representative pollutants would actuallybe tested for, acting as surrogate for similar pollutantsin the same family.

For example, carbon monoxide emissions will bemonitored as a reflection of toxic organic compounds.And mercury would be monitored as a reflection of vari-ous heavy metal emissions.

The cost of cleaner airNew pollution standards would cost paper mill $50 million in upgrades

F

Canton’s Evergreen Packaging papermill is Haywood County’s largestemployer, but it’s also had to dealwith federal and state environmentalregulations quite a bit over theyears. Most recently, an EPA ruleregulating boiler emissions of toxicpollutants will mean a costlymakeover for the mill. Holly Kays photo

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“You don’t want to make two sets ofsmall changes if you have the opportunity tomake one big change,” Schliesser said. “It’smore cost-effective and more resource-effec-tive just to make one change.”

A LENGTHY PROCESSAnd it will be a big one, both in time and

money. Because of the cost involved, the millwould likely need about one year to exploreits options, Schliesser said, and then it

would likely take about two years to orderthe equipment, wait for it to be made, ship itand install it.

“It’s a pretty lengthy process,” he said. Lengthiness may be a problem when it

comes to logistics, but when it comes to rule-making, it can be a good thing.

“The boiler MACT rule is one of thelargest EPA rules with far-reaching impacts,”Schliesser said. “They’re trying to get itright, even if it takes multiple attempts todevelop a rule.”

The Eastern Band of Cherokee Indianswill receive 25 to 50 white-tailed deer everyyear for the next three years from MorrowMountain State Park.

The project is aimed at augmenting thereservation’s sparse population of white-tailed deer, an animal that fig-ures prominently in Cherokeelore and cultural traditions.Morrow Mountain, meanwhile,has a healthy and abundantdeer population.

Cherokee Principal ChiefMichell Hicks said protectingthe environment and naturalresources — including therestoration of native species —have been a priority for hisadministration.

“The white-tailed deerrestoration continues thisimportant tribal work anddemonstrates the tribe’s com-mitment to work with the N.C.Department of Environmentand Natural Resources in collab-oration. These efforts will havelasting effects on our tribal community andon the region,” Hicks said.

The relocation project will provideinsight on white-tailed deer health and bestpractices for rebuilding and sustaining

healthy herds. It is a cooperative effort bythe North Carolina state parks system, statewildlife agencies, biologists from GreatSmoky Mountains National Park and theCherokee Fisheries and WildlifeManagement program.

The deer will be kept in a large pen andclosely monitored for about four weeksbefore being released onto protected landson the reservation that have prime foraginghabitat.

New farmers market planned for Macon The Macon County Heritage Center at the old Cowee School is launching a new farm-

ers market in the region this summer.Friends of the Rickman Store has received a small startup grant for planning the mar-

ket. It will be on a different day than the Franklin farmer’s market, giving local growers anoutlet to increase sales and expand production. The new market may also pull in newgrowers and new buyers due to the different location.

[email protected] or 828.421.2923.

Food for thought at Farmers MarketThe Jackson County Farmers Market has a lending library full of books and DVDs

mostly focused on food — growing, eating, and cooking it. Become a Friend of the Marketby donating a minimum of $5 to the market and get check-out privileges for theseresource materials. For a complete listing of books and DVDs, visit www.jacksoncounty-farmersmarket.org/books/library-books-and-dvds/.

The farmer’s market winter hours are Saturday 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the CommunityTable, 23 Central St. in downtown Sylva.

Relocated white-tailed deercome to Cherokee

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Cold temps freeze Highland’s lakeLindenwood Lake, a four to five-acre stretch of water in Highlands, froze over last week dur-ing the area’s record-cold temperatures. Michelle Ruigrok, program assistant at theHighlands Biological Station, said she was able to stand on the edge of the frozen pond,where it appeared to be frozen several inches deep. However, she said it was hard to tell howdeep the middle of the pond had frozen.

Be a Master Gardener in Macon CountyA Master Gardener Program is being offered by the N.C. Cooperative Extension in

Macon County.Master Gardeners receive 42 hours of classes and training in home horticulture sub-

jects, including insects and disease, fruits, shade trees, ornamentals, lawn care and veg-etable culture.

Classes begin in February. 828.349.2046.

Saturday, February 23, 11:30 amLake Junaluska Assembly Beach

(next to swimming pool)

Hosted by:

Benefit-t-t-tingKids in the Creek

Visit www.crowdrise.com/2NDPOLARPLUNGE for more information and to register. Registration packets can

also be requested at [email protected] or 828-476-4667.

100% of proceeds benefit Kids in the Creekand Youth Education programs.

PRIZES AWARDED TO TOP FUNDRAISERS AND BEST COSTUMES!FREE T-SHIRT FOR ALL PLUNGERS. HOT CHILI LUNCH & BONFIRE AVAILABLE FOR ALL.

$25 to be a Plunger, or raise your own sponsorships.22

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366 RUSS AVE | WAYNESVILLE | 828.452.0911BiLo Shopping Center

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It’s fly-tying timein the mountains

Two free fly-tying clinics are comingup at the Pisgah Center for WildlifeEducation, put on by the N.C. WildlifeCommission.

• Level I, 9 a.m. to noon, Jan. 15.Work atyour ownpace withexperi-enced fly-tiers whoteach thefundamen-tals of fly-tying.

• LevelII, 9 a.m.to noon,Jan. 17. Forthose whohavelearnedthe basicsof flytying, spend a day with experienced fly-tiers who will teach advanced patternsand techniques.

Equipment and materials providedfor both. 828.877.4423 orncpaws.org/reservations/pisgah/calendarView.

Last call for Polar Plungers

Haywood Waterways Association is call-ing on lovers of clean water, those immuneto the cold or anyone out there crazyenough to jump on Polar Plunge bandwag-on.

The Polar Plunge will be held onSaturday, Feb. 1, at the Lake Junaluskabeach. It features a “plunge” into LakeJunaluska followed by a bonfire and hotchili lunch. Costumes are encouraged andprizes will be awarded. The cost is $25, butplungers are encouraged to raise additional

money for the cause through plunge spon-sors. Proceeds go to Haywood Waterway’sKids in the Creek and youth education pro-grams.

Register and donate online atwww.crowdrise.com/2NDPOLARPLUNGE.Sponsorship packets are available by con-tacting Haywood Waterways at828.476.4667 and [email protected].

Race to support theCommunity Table

Registration is now open for the Assaulton Black Rock, a seven-mile trail race inJackson County that takes runners and hik-ers on an ascent and descent of one ofWestern North Carolina’s most picturesquemountain summits.

The 4th annual Assault on Black Rockwill be held on Saturday, March 22, atSylva’s Pinnacle Park. Runners and hikerswho register for the race will climb rockyroadbeds and a single-track trail to the5,810-foot Black Rock summit on the spineof the Plott Balsam Mountains.

The first 100 registrants for the race willreceive a T-shirt, and prizes will be awarded

to the topfinishers.

For thosewho com-plete therace in 101minutes —known asBlack Rock101Challenge —will get aspecial beltbuckle.

The pre-registration

fee is $25, and the fee is $30 on race day. Allproceeds from the race go to theCommunity Table, a nonprofit organizationin Sylva that offers free, nutritious mealsand a free food pantry to local residents inneed.

For a race map and registration packet,to to www.CommunityTable.org and clickon the “Event Calendar.”

506.2802 or [email protected].

Slide closes Tsali Trail loopThe left loop of the Tsali Trail system popular among mountain bikers is closed due to a slide along the trail.The other three loops in the trail system remain open. The Forest Service will work to evaluate and repair damage to the trail and issue an alert when

the trail is reopened. Located near Fontana Lake, Tsali Recreation Area is nationally known for its 42-mile trail system. The four-loop network is open to hik-ers and horses, but the system is best known as a challenging mountain bike course.

www.fs.usda.gov/nfsnc.

Donated photo

West Asheville - 1186 Patton Ave. • East Asheville - 736 Tunnel Rd.Cherokee - Across from the casino (open 24 hours) 828.554.0431

CONVENIENT CHEROKEE LOCATION222-25

A&EMARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EVENTS

• 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, Pride March in honor ofMartin Luther King Jr., Haywood County Justice Center toPigeon Community Multicultural Development Center,Waynesville.

• 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Commemorative Service inhonor of MLK, Long’s Chapel United Methodist Church,Lake Junaluska. Chuck Wilson, senior pastor; speaker:Rev. Reginald Eldridge, pastor of Harris Chapel A.M.E.Zion Church.

• 8 a.m. Monday, Jan. 20, MLK Prayer Breakfast,Lambuth Inn Dining Room, Lake Junaluska. Speaker: Dr.Dudley E. Flood, retired school administrator, Raleigh;entertainment by Chuck Beatie (aka Dr. Blues), bluesaficionado and music historian, Asheville. Breakfasttickets: $15 adults; $8 students and children (8 andunder free). Tammy McDowell, 215.0296; Rocky Tucker,246.2588; Ann McAdams, 648.3363; Lunia Williams,648.5471; Christiana Gibson 648.1233; or Agnes Bryson456.6816. Tickets may also be purchased at theAdministration Building at Lake Junaluska.

• Sole Hope Shoe Cutting Party, 1 to 4 p.m. Monday,Jan. 20, Sylva Church of Christ, 86 Storybrook Lane,Sylva. Help cut out shoes for children in Uganda whosuffer from parasites in their feet. Heather Gordon,Jackson County 4-H, 586.4009 [email protected].

• Playshop, 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, Swain CountyRegional Business Education and Training Center, 45East Ridge Drive, Bryson City. Free.

• Human Relations Council of Franklin, 3 p.m. Sunday,Jan. 19, First United Methodist Church, Franklin.Keynote speaker will be Barbara McCrae. The WCUInspirational Choir will be featured.

• Community service event honoring Martin Luther KingJr., 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, Wesley’s Playground at BigBear Park. Sponsored by the Human Relations Councilof Franklin.

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. EVENTS AT WCU

• Unity March, birthday party for Martin Luther King Jr,4:30 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20, Illusions, University Center,Western Carolina University. Screening of Part 1 of“King: From Montgomery to Memphis,” 6 p.m. UniversityCenter theater. Sponsored by Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.Takeshia Brown, associate director of interculturalaffairs, at [email protected] or 227.2276.

• MLK “I Have a Dream” speech re-enactment, noonTuesday, Jan. 21, University Center balcony, WesternCarolina University. Part 2 of “King: From Montgomeryto Memphis,” 6 p.m. University Center theater. TakeshiaBrown, associate director of intercultural affairs, [email protected] or 227.2276.

• TV show host, political science professor and writerMelissa V. Harris-Perry, 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22,Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, WesternCarolina University. Free. Keynote speaker for WesternCarolina University’s annual celebration in honor ofslain civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. TakeshiaBrown, associate director of intercultural affairs, [email protected] or 227.2276.

• Open Mic Night, 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, Illusions,University Center, and Western Carolina University.Sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and Last

Minute Productions as part of MLK Jr. activities. WesternCarolina University administrative offices will be closedJan. 20 in observance of the Martin Luther King Jr. holi-day. [email protected] or 227.2276 or www.wcu.edu.

FESTIVALS, SPECIAL& SEASONAL EVENTS

• “Understanding our Past, Shaping our Future,” exhib-it on Cherokee language and culture, through Feb. 9,Jackson County Public Library, Sylva. Exhibit uses soundrecordings as the basis for presenting a coherent storyin words and text. www.fontanalib.org.

• Acclaimed artist Buzz Spector public lecture, “BuzzSpector: Material Reading,” 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30,Room 130. John W. Bardo Fine and Performing ArtsCenter, Western Carolina University. 227.3594.

• Western Carolina University will host events includingpanel discussions this spring on social and culturalissues of the 1960s and is searching for communitymembers to take part by sharing their experiences dur-ing that time on topics such as voting rights, abortionand the environment and energy. Contact Amy Cherry,assistant professor of music and chair of the 1960stheme steering committee, at 227.3725 [email protected].

• CWCU Magical Mystery Tour, walkthrough, interactiveretrospective of the 1960s, 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Jan.30, concourse of Ramsey Regional Activity Center.qep.wcu.edu.

• Haywood County Tourism Development Authority BigJohn promotional videos can be found at www.visitnc-smokies.com/galleries/.

• Western Carolina University 125th anniversary year-long celebration kickoff, 12:25 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23,Grandroom of A.K. Hinds University Center, WCU.Fashion show of apparel adorned with WCU’s 125thlogo, and refreshments, prizes, games, giveaways, dis-plays and birthday cake. Complete schedule at cele-brate125.wcu.edu.

DANCE• Texas 2-Step and the Waltz, dance lessons,Waynesville Recreation Center. Texas 2-Step, level 1class, 7 to 8 p.m. Mondays, Jan. 13, 20, 27 and Feb. 3,10 and 17. The Waltz, intermediate level 2 class, 7 to 8p.m. Wednesdays, Jan. 15, 22, 29 and Feb. 5, 12 and19. Taught by Herb and Sally Roach. $60 per person forsix classes of a specific dance. 316.1412 or 356.7060.

• Dance Party, 7 to 8:45 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18,Waynesville Recreation Center. $10 per person. Bring anappetizer to share. 456.2030 or [email protected].

ON STAGE & IN CONCERT• “Agnes of God,” 7:30 p.m. Jan. 17-18, and 3 p.m.Sunday, Jan. 19, Feichter Studio at HART Theater, 250Pigeon St., Waynesville. Possible hold over dates, Jan.24-26. Seating in the Feichter Studio is limited to 65

WNC CalendarSmoky Mountain News24

COMMUNITY EVENTS &ANNOUNCEMENTS

• Live and Learn session, 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16,Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska. Guestspeaker will be Haywood County native Clara A. Curtis,director for Design and Exhibits and interim director ofEducation at the North Carolina Arboretum. Everyonewelcome. 452.7802.

• Three year anniversary celebration for The Women ofWaynesville (WOW), 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, HerrenHouse Bed and Breakfast, 94 East St., Waynesville.Free. Nikki White, 545.6879 or Michelle Briggs,452.7837. Snow date: Thursday, Jan. 30.

BUSINESS & EDUCATION• iPad Users Group, 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, JCPL,Sylva. 586.2016.

• E-Reader Workshop 10 a.m. to noon, Friday, Jan. 17,Macon County Public Library, Franklin.www.fontanalib.org.

• Ribbon cutting, 11 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, Be WellWestern Carolina, LLC, new location, 29 Forga Loop,Waynesville.

• Small Business Development Series, 8:30 to 10 a.m.Tuesday, Jan. 21, Haywood Chamber of Commerce, 28Walnut St., Waynesville. Free program addressing andassisting business owners with overcoming and identi-fying the challenges of sustaining and growing a busi-ness. Speaker Lindsey Dills will present her session,“Success by the Numbers.” 456.3021, haywoodcham-ber.com.

• Workforce development online course on new codingsystem related to ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM/PCSchanges, Jan. 27 through May 2, SouthwesternCommunity College. Registration deadline is Tuesday,Jan. 21. Scott Sutton, 306.7034.

• Franklin Chamber annual Banquet and AwardsCeremony, 6:15 p.m. social, 7 p.m. dinner, Tuesday, Jan.21, Tartan Hall at First Presbyterian Church, Franklin.$25. Tickets available at Franklin Chamber ofCommerce. RSVP, 524.3161.

• Free 90-minute basic internet class, 5:45 p.m.Wednesday, Jan. 22, Jackson County Public Library com-puter lab, Sylva. Register, 586.2016.

BLOOD DRIVESSwain• Swain County Hospital Blood Drive, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.Monday, Jan. 27, 48 Plateau St., Bryson City. www.red-crossblood.org, keyword: Swain.

Macon• SCC Macon Campus Blood Drive, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.Tuesday, Jan. 21, Macon County Library, 149 Siler FarmRoad, Franklin. www.redcrossblood.org keyword: Maconor 800.Red.Cross.

• Thursday, January 23 Franklin Community BloodDrive, 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 23, First BaptistChurch, 69 Iotla St., Franklin. www.redcrossblood.orgkeyword: Franklin or call 800.Red.Cross.

HEALTH MATTERS• Date Night, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 22, A-B TechAsheville Campus, Magnolia Building, 340 VictoriaRoad, Asheville. Five-month cooking class series onhealthy meals for individuals who face challenges ofhealth-related diet restrictions for Diabetes. MissionHealth Professional Chef, Chris Aquilino andDietician/Nutritionist, Mary Beth Horrell. $45 per couple.

Registration required, store.mission-health.org/innova-tion/date-night.html.

Diabetes Management Class

• Two-day diabetes management class, 10 a.m. to 2p.m. Jan. 21-22, Cardiac Rehab Department, AngelMedical Center. Pre-register at 369.4166.

RECREATION & FITNESS• Women’s Volleyball League registration Jan. 21-Feb.14. $175 per team. League play will be held Tuesdaynights beginning March 4, at Jackson County Center inCullowhee. 293.3053, rec.jacksonnc.org.

• Adult Coed Indoor Soccer pickup games, 6 to 8 p.m.Wednesdays, Jan. 22-March 26, Old Hazelwood Gym,112 Virginia Ave., Waynesville. Players must be 18 yearsold & up. $3 per session or $20 for a season passpunch card and available for purchase at the door.Daniel Taylor, 452.6789 or [email protected].

KIDS & FAMILIES• Ribbon cutting , 4 to 6 p.m., and CustomerAppreciation Night, 6 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 15,Smoky Mountain Sk8way and FUN ZONE, 19025 GreatSmoky Mountain Expressway, Waynesville. Newly remod-eled and expanded skating rink and snack bar, withadditional activities. $2 skate rentals, $2 FUN ZONE,with specials on pizza and drinks all night. 246.9124,www.SmokyMountainSk8way.com

• Children’s yoga session, 11:30 to 11:50 a.m.Saturday, Jan. 18, City Lights Bookstore, Sylva. Parentsare welcome to participate. Adult Gentle Yoga followsfrom noon to 1 p.m. No fee, but donations are welcomeand will benefit Reading Rover program. Bring your ownmat or blanket. 586.9499.

• Day Camp, 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21,Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. For kidsin kindergarten through sixth grade. Deadline to regis-ter is Friday, Jan. 17. 456.2030 or email [email protected] .

• Register for Jackson County Junior AppalachianMusicians (JAM) classes. Semester II classes will runJanuary through May 2014, Thursdays at CullowheeValley School. $100 per student. Dusk Weaver, JAMdirector, 497.4964 or [email protected] orHeather Gordon, 4-H Agent, at 586.4009 [email protected].

• Annual Elks National “Hoop Shoot” Free Throw Contest,5 p.m. registration, 6 p.m. contest, Friday, Jan. 17,Waynesville Recreation Center. Free hotdogs and drinksfor all participants. Open to all boys and girls ages 8 to13 as of April 1. Haywood County Recreation and Parks,452.6789 or Waynesville Parks and RecreationDepartment, 456.2030. www.elks.org/hoopshoot.cfm.

ECA EVENTS• Extension and Community Association (ECA) groupsmeet throughout the county at various locations andtimes each month. NC Cooperative Extension Office,586.4009. This month’s meetings include:

• 1 p.m. Monday, Jan. 20 – Sew Easy Girls ECA,Conference Room of Community Service Center, Sylva.

• 6 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21 – Soup and Book Exchange,Cane Creek ECA. For location information, call theExtension Office at 586.4009.

All phone numbers area code 828 unless otherwise noted.

Visit www.smokymountainnews.com and click on Calendar for:■ Complete listings of local music scene■ Regional festivals■ Art gallery events and openings■ Complete listings of recreational offerings

at regional health and fitness centers■ Civic and social club gatherings

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and reservations are recommended. 456.6322 orwww.harttheatre.com .

• Apollo Winds, a professional chamber music group,7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, recital hall of the CoulterBuilding at Western Carolina University, Cullowhee.Apollo Winds is a group of musicians who teach atcolleges and universities in Western North Carolinaand are members of several orchestras in the region.Free. 227.7242.

• Guest pianist Craig Randal Johnson concert ofFinnish and American music, 7:30 p.m. Monday, Jan.27, recital hall of Coulter Building, Western CarolinaUniversity. Free. 227.7242.

• Smokey Joe’s Cafe,” a song and dance revue of hittunes from the rock ’n’ roll era before the Beatles, willtake the stage at 5 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 26, in the JohnW. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at WesternCarolina University. Tickets are $20 adults, $15 WCUfaculty and staff and $5 students and children.227.2479 or visit the websitebardoartscenter.wcu.edu.

LITERARY (ADULTS)• Coffee with the Poet featuring Asheville poet KeithFlynn, 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, City LightsBookstore, Sylva. 586.9499.

• The Friends of the Jackson County Library Used BookStore annual Store-Wide Winter Half-Price Sale, 10a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, through Sunday,Jan.19, Jackson County Public Library, 536 West MainSt., Sylva. Everything priced at 50 percent off the reg-ular low prices. 586.1221.

• Book Club Bash, 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 21, BlueRidge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville.

• Author Luncheon with Wiley Cash, noon Friday, Jan.31, Blue Ridge Books, 152 S. Main St., Waynesville.Tickets, $35, must be purchased in advance at BlueRidge Books. Includes a signed copy of Cash’s newhardback novel, This Dark Road to Mercy and a Kanini’s-catered lunch. www.blueridgebooksnc.com, 456.6000.

NIGHT LIFE• The Stewart Brothers, 7:45 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16,The Strand, 38 Main St., Waynesville. Appalachianfiddle and banjo duets.

• The Classic Wineseller, Church Street, Waynesville:DuPont Brothers (guitars, vocals) 7 p.m. Thursday,Jan. 16; Leo Johnson (guitar, vocals) 7 p.m. Friday,Jan. 17, and Joe Cruz (piano, vocals) 7 p.m. Saturday,Jan. 18. Reservations suggested, 452.6000, www.clas-sicwineseller.com.

• O’Malley’s in Sylva: Jan. 17, Joe Lasher Jr. Band; Jan.18, Arnold Hill; Jan. 24, Paradise 56; Jan. 25, BobbySullivan; and Jan. 31, Marc Keller.

ART/GALLERY EVENTS& OPENINGS

• “Good Thoughts Better,” an exhibit of work byEdward J. Bisese will open at the Fine Art Museum atWestern Carolina University with an artist talk at 5p.m. Thursday, Jan. 16, in Room 130 of the John W.Bardo Fine and a reception following at 6 p.m. in themuseum’s Star Atrium. The exhibit runs throughMarch. fineartmuseum.wcu.edu online or 227.3591.

• “Land Of The Crooked Water” works by artist JoshuaGrant will be on display through January 2014 atMacon County Public Library, Franklin.

CLASSES, PROGRAMS& DEMONSTRATIONS

• Woodturning demonstration by Ashley Harwood, 10a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 18, Folk Art Center onthe Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville. 645.6633 or visitwww.carolinamountainwoodturners.org, www.ashley-harwood.net/ashleyharwood/Home.html.

OutdoorsOUTINGS, HIKES & FIELDTRIPS

• Nantahala Hiking Club, 4.5-mile hike Saturday, Jan.18, to Round Mountain. Meet at 10 a.m. at CashiersRecreation Center parking lot. Leaders Mike andSusan Kettles, 743.1079. Visitors welcome; no pets.

• Nantahala Hiking Club, 2-mile easy hike, 2 p.m.Sunday, Jan. 19, Bartram Trail Loop from WallaceBranch. Meet at 2 p.m. at Westgate Plaza in FranklinLeader Jean Hunnicutt, 524.5234.

PROGRAMS & WORKSHOPS• Winter Tree Identification Hike, 10 a.m. Sunday, Jan.19, Montreat Wilderness. Easy to moderate hike.Leaders, Chris Coxen, Southern AppalachianHighlands Conservancy field ecologist and AnnaZanetti, AmeriCorps Associate. Free for SAHC membersand $10 for non-members. Directions upon RSVP [email protected].

• Hands-On Garmin GPS Basics, 10 a.m. to noon,Saturday, Jan. 25, REI, 31 Schenck Parkway, Asheville.687.0918, www.rei.com/asheville. $30 REI mem-bers/$50 non-members.

• Hands-On Bike Maintenance: Drive Train, 6 to 8p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29, REI, 31 Schenck Parkway,Asheville. 687.0918, www.rei.com/asheville. $20 REImembers/$40 non-members.

• Hunter Safety Course, 6 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 3-5,Haywood Community College Building 3300, Room3322. Must attend three consecutive evenings toreceive certification. Free and open to all ages. Mustregister at www.ncwildlife.org.

COMPETITIVE EDGE• 4th annual Assault on Black Rock (ABR), 9 a.m.Saturday, March 22, Jackson County. A 7-mile trailrace from the parking lot of Sylva’s Pinnacle Park tothe 5,810-foot Black Rock summit on the spine of thePlott Balsam Mountains. Proceeds to benefit theCommunity Table. Register atwww.CommunityTable.org, “event calendar.” Onlineregistration at Active.com, but an extra $3.25 fee isincluded. Brian Barwatt, 506.2802 or [email protected].

• Online registration is open through Tuesday, April 1,for Western Carolina University’s 4th annual Valley ofthe Lilies Half Marathon and 5K, which will be heldSaturday, April 5, on the campus in Cullowhee. Raceday registration will be available at $80 for the halfmarathon and $30 for the 5K.www.halfmarathon.wcu.edu or contact race directorsShauna Sage or James Scifers [email protected].

FARM & GARDEN• Haywood County Extension is accepting applicationsfor the 2014 Master Gardener class. Training sessionswill be held Tuesday mornings through April 22.456.3575 to reserve a spot.

FARMERS & TAILGATEMARKETSSylva• Jackson County Farmers MarketJackson County Farmers Market, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.Saturday, Community Table in downtown Sylva nearPoteet Park and accepts SNAP benefits. Contact JennyMcPherson for more information 631.3033 or visitwww.jacksoncountyfarmersmarket.org

JOIN US FOR ARTS EVENTS AT WCU

SAVE THE DATE: TUE FEB 4 | 7:30PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $10 Artist in Residence Orchestral Concert

EVENTS ARE BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE COLLEGE OF FINE AND PERFORMING ARTS AT WCU. JOIN FRIENDS OF THE ARTS TODAY! FOR MORE INFO – 828.227.7028 | ARTS.WCU.EDU

TUE JAN 21 | 7:30PM | COULTERMusic: Apollo Winds & Bradley Martin, piano

SUN JAN 26 | 5PM | BARDO ARTS CENTER | $20Music: Smokey Joe’s Café: The Songs of Lieber and Stoller

TUE JAN 28 | 7:30PM | COULTERMusic: Faculty Showcase

THU JAN 16 – FRI MAR 21 | WCU FINE ART MUSEUMExhibit: Edward J Bisese’s Good Thoughts Better

2177 Russ Ave. Waynesville, NC1-866-795-9393 TOLL FREE

Ellis Morris828-734-5887

[email protected]

Patty Morris828-734-5881

[email protected]

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INSIDE

MarketPlace information:The Smoky Mountain News Marketplace has a distribution of16,000 every week to over 500 locations across in Haywood,Jackson, Macon, and Swain counties along with the QuallaBoundary and west Buncombe County. For a link to ourMarketPlace Web site, which also contains a link to all of ourMarketPlace display advertisers’ Web sites, visitwww.smokymountainnews.com.

Rates:■ Free — Residential yard sale ads, lost or found pet ads.■ Free — Non-business items that sell for less than $150.■ $12 — Classified ads that are 50 words or less; each additional line is $2. ■ $12 — If your ad is 10 words or less, it will be displayed with a larger type.■ $3 — Border around ad and $5 — Picture with ad.■ $35 — Non-business items, 25 words or less. 3 month or till sold.■ $300 — Statewide classifieds run in 117 participating newspapers with

1.6 million circulation. Up to 25 words.■ All classified ads must be pre-paid.

Classified Advertising: Scott Collier, phone 828.452.4251; fax 828.452.3585 |[email protected]

PRIME REALESTATE

Advertise in The Smoky Mountain News

WAYNESVILLETIRE, INC.

LEE & PATTY ENSLEY, OWNERS

MON-FRI 7:30-5:00 • WAYNESVILLE PLAZA

828-456-5387

ServingHaywood,Jackson &

SurroundingCounties

COOPER

DISCOVERER

ATR Offering:

MAJOR-BRAND TIRES FOR CARS,LIGHT & MEDIUM-DUTY TRUCKS,

AND FARM TIRES.

Service truck availablefor on-site repairs

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ANNOUNCEMENTS

2 NEW LIVING ESTATESFri. & Sat. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lots of Good Furniture, Home De-cor, Art, Tons of Great Antiques,

Everything Under the Sun!We are Frog Pond Downsizing

Located at 255 Depot St., Way-nesville. Look for the Frog on the Brick Building and You’ve Found Treasures & Bargains from the Origianl Estate Sale Company!

ALLISON CREEKIron Works & Woodworking. Craft-ing custom metal & woodwork in rustic, country & lodge designs with reclaimed woods! Design & consultation, Barry Downs 828.524.5763, Franklin NC

BUILDINGMATERIALS

HAYWOOD BUILDERSGarage Doors, New InstallationsService & Repairs, 828.456.6051100 Charles St. WaynesvilleEmployee Owned.

CONSTRUCTION/REMODELING

ALL THINGS BASEMENTY! Basement Systems Inc. Call us for all of your basement needs! Waterproofing, Finishing, Structur-al Repairs, Humidity and Mold Control. FREE ESTIMATES! Call 1.800.698.9217

DAVE’S CUSTOM HOMES OF WNC, INC Free Estimates & Competitive rates. References avail. upon re-quest. Specializing in: Log Homes, remodeling, decks, new construc-tion, repairs & additions. Owner/Builder: Dave Donaldson. Licensed/Insured. 828.631.0747 or828.508.0316

SULLIVAN HARDWOOD FLOORSInstallation- Finish - Refinish828.399.1847.

CARS - DONATE YOUR CAR - Fast Free Towing 24 hr. Response - Tax Deduction United Breast Cancer Foundation Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 888.759.9782. SAPA

DONATE YOUR CAR - Fast Free Towing. 24 hr. Response. Tax Deduction. United Breast Cancer Foundation, Providing Free Mammograms & Breast Cancer Info 855.733.5472

DONATE YOUR CAR, Truck or Boat to Heritage for the Blind. Free 3 Day Vacation, Tax De-ductible, Free Towing, All Paper-work Taken Care Of. 800.337.9038.

TOP CASH FOR CARS, Call Now For An Instant Offer. Top Dollar Paid, Any Car/Truck, Any Condition. Running or Not. Free Pick-up/Tow. 1.800.761.9396 SAPA

AUTO PARTSDDI BUMPERS ETC.Quality on the Spot Repair & Painting. Don Hendershot858.646.0871 cell 828.452.4569 office.

BUSINESSOPPORTUNITIES

COUPON CLIPPERS NEEDED! Trade extra grocery coupons for $$$$$ All national brands request-ed. Free details, send stamped self-addressed envelope: CFCO Box 18529, Milwaukee, WI 53218

JOIN FOR A LIMITED TIME Your Virtual Portal Offers Tools to Promote ANY Business. Listen to Recorded Message @ 1.559.726.1399 code: 623836# fhaun.yourvirtualportal.NET Call J. Dyas @ 1.404.747.6224 SAPA

EMPLOYMENT

$$$ GET LOADED $$$ Exp pays - up to 50 cpm New CSA Friendly Equip (KW)CDL-A Required. 1.888.592.4752. www.ad-drivers.comSAPA

1500+ RGN LOADS From Clayton, NC to multiple desti-nations. Accepting Contractors with their own RGN's or pull Com-pany trailers AT NO COST. 1.800.669.6414 or go to: www.dailyrecruiting.com

AIRLINE CAREERS BEGIN HERE - Get FAA Approved Maintenance Training Financial Aid For Qualified Students - Housing Available Job Placement Assistance. Call Avia-tion Institute Of Maintenance 1.866.724.5403 WWW.FIXJETS.COM. SAPA

DRIVERS Home Weekly & Bi-Weekly. Earn $900-$1200/Wk. Major Benefits Available. Class-A CDL & 6 Mos. Exp. Req. No Canada, HazMat or NYC! 877.705.9261

DRIVERS: DEDICATED.Regional & OTR. Start up to $.44/mi. + Excellent Benefits. 401K + Bonuses. Excellent Home-time! CDL-A 6mos. exp. 877.704.3773.

AUCTION - Absolute Online w/Bid Center, Land Tracts in Marion, Marlboro & Dillon Counties, NC. Jan. 17 at 8am to Jan. 23 at 3pm. Bid Center at BC Steak & BBQ in Dillon, SC. Iron Horse Auction, Co., Inc. 800.997.2248. NCAL3936/SCAL1684. www.iron-horseauction.com

REACH READERS ACROSS North Carolina for only $330. Run your 25-word classified line ad in 99 newspapers with one call to this newspaper or call NCPS 919.789.2083.

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGEIn Kinston offers an auctioneering class on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 2. Cost is $180. To register call 252.527.6223, ext. 714.

AUCTION

ARTS ANDCRAFTS

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find us at: facebook.com/smnews

Ann knows real estate!

AnnEavensonCRS, GRI, [email protected]

506-0542CELL

MainStreetRealty

101 South Main St.Waynesville

(828) 452-2227mainstreetrealty.net

223-39

Cleaner, Clearer and Healthier water at every tap in your home

An EcoWater Water System can remove

Bad Taste & OdorsIron/Rust

Sediment/ Silt Bacterias

Harmful Chlorine Balance pH

828.452.3995 | www.americanwatercareinc.com

Lease to Own

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Fred Alterph. [email protected]

Asheville | Waynesville | N

2992 MEMORIAL HWY., PO BOX 225 • LAKE LU

www.PinnacleSIR.com

EMPLOYMENT

HEALTH CARE NAVIGATOR -Part-Time - Jackson County -Mountain Projects is currently

accepting applications for a part time position. Bachelor’s degree with experience in Human Serv-ices, and/or Health Care is pre-ferred. Applicants must have re-liable transportation, valid NC driver’s license, be willing to

travel the seven most western counties of NC. Must be willing to work flexible hours, including some nights and weekends. Out of area travel is required. 20-30 hours of training is required to

be certified.Applications will be taken at

Mountain Projects, Inc., 2251 Old Balsam Rd., Waynesville, NC

28786, or 25 Schulman St., Syl-va, NC 28779, or you may apply online at: www.mountainpro-

jects.org Pre-employment drug testing required. EOE/AA

EMPLOYMENTPOSITION AVAILABLEIndependent Living Specialist for fast paced nonprofit organization. Must have ability to multi-task, have good listening skills with out-going personality to assist people with disabilities in setting and reaching independent living goals. Must have the ability to interact with local, state and federal agen-cies. Ability to work independently, one on one or in a group setting. Degree in Human Services or work experience will be considered. A disability is required. Submit ap-plication along with resume to Barbara Davis, DisAbility Partners, at 525 Mineral Springs Drive, Sylva NC 28779 or call 828.631.1167 for more information.


EMPLOYMENTREGIONAL CDL-A DRIVERS - Averitt offers fantastic benefits & weekly hometime. 888.362.8608. Paid training for recent grads w/a CDL-A & drivers with limited expe-rience. Apply online at AverittCa-reers.com. Equal Opportunity Employer.

START THE NEW YEAR With a great career by joining our team. Class-A Professional Drivers call 866.291.2631 for more details or visit SuperServiceLLC.comSAPA

TANKER & FLATBED Company. Drivers/Independent Contractors! Immediate Placement Available. Best Opportunities in the Trucking Business. Call Today 800.277.0212 or go to: www.driveforprime.com

TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR To fill 2014-15 Vacancies in 17 Virginia school divisions. Friday, Jan 31, 2014 - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Sat, Feb 1, 2014 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon @ Salem Civic Center, 1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153-5298. www.wvpec.org -- Job Fair. Sponsored by the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium

TOP 1% PAY & CSA Friendly Equip. Full Benefits + Quality Hometime. No slip seating - Take truck home. CDL-A Req. 877.258.8782. Or go to: www.ad-drivers.com

FINANCIAL$$$ACCESS LAWSUIT CASH NOW!!Injury Lawsuit Dragging? Need fast $500-$500,000? Rates as low as 1/2% month. Call Now! 1.800.568.8321. www.lawcapital.com Not valid in NC SAPA

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company. SAPA

FURNITURE

ALL REMAINING FURNITURELumber Must Go! $3,250

Cherry, Walnut & Butternut. For more info 828.627.2342

COMPARE QUALITY & PRICEShop Tupelo’s, 828.926.8778.

HAYWOOD BEDDING, INC.The best bedding at the best price!533 Hazelwood Ave. Waynesville 828.456.4240

HIGHLANDS-CASHIERS HOSPITALPositions now available:

ER and Med/Surg Registered Nurses, Medical Labaratory

Technologist, Medical Records Manager, Inpatient Coder, and

Activities Assistant. Benefits available the first of the

month following 60 days of full-time employment. Pre-

Employment screening required. Call Human Resources.

828.526.1376, or apply online at: www.highlandscashiershospital.

org

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES!Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc. 1.888.512.7122

NICOL ARMS APARTMENTSNOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS

Offering 1 & 2 Bedroom Apartments, Starting at $400Section 8 Accepted - Handicapped Accessible Units When Available

OFFICE HOURS:Tues. & Wed. 10:00am - 5:00pm &

Thurs. 10:00am- 12:00pm168 E. Nicol Arms Road

Sylva, NC 28779Phone# 1.828.586.3346TDD# 1.800.725.2962

Equal Housing Opportunity

CHARDONNAY -IS ELEGANT, BEAUTIFUL AND LOVABLE, JUST LIKE AFINE WINE! SHE'S A SWEET GIRL WHO WOULD LOVETO MAKE HERSELF PART OF YOUR FAMILY.

TASHA - A VERY STRIKING, PETITE PLOTT HOUND MIX. HERCOAT IS BRINDLE WITH SOME WHITE ACCENTS.TASHA IS A GREAT MEDIUM SIZE, GETS ALONG WELLWITH OTHER DOGS AND LOVES PEOPLE.

MILAN EXPRESS OTR CDL-A Drivers. Home Weekly, Annual Increases & Bonuses. No Hazmat. Vacation/Paid Holidays. Great Benefits. www.drivemilan.com 800.552.2591 extension# 3133 or3187.

BRUCE MCGOVERNA Full Service [email protected] Property Management 828.283.2112.

LOTS FOR SALE2.819 ACRE TRACT -

Building Lot in great location. Build your 2nd home log cabin

here. Large 2-story building near HCC, was a Work Shop. $66,500.

Call 828.627.2342.

VACATIONRENTALS

OCEAN ISLE BEACH, North Carolina's #1 Family Vacation Spot! Minutes from Myrtle Beach. Reserve your Vacation Today! www.CookeRealty.com or call 1.800.NCBEACH.

STORAGE SPACEFOR RENT

GREAT SMOKIES STORAGEConveniently located off 19/23 by Thad Woods Auction. Availa-ble for lease now: 10’x10’ units for $55, 20’x20’ units for $160.

Get one month FREE with 12 month contract. Call

828.507.8828 or 828.506.4112 for more info.

MEDICAL

CANADA DRUG CENTER Is your choice for safe and afforda-ble medications. Our licensed Canadian mail order pharmacy will provide you with savings of up to 90 percent on all your medication needs. Call Today 1.800.265.0768 for $25.00 off your first prescrip-tion and free shipping. SAPA

MEDICAL GUARDIAN - Top-rated medical alarm and 24/7 medical alert monitoring. For a limited time, get free equipment, no activation fees, no commitment, a 2nd waterproof alert button for free and more - only $29.95 per month. 800.983.4906. SAPA

FOR SALECHAMPION SUPPLYJanitorial supplies. Professional cleaning products, vacuums, jani-torial paper products, swimming pool chemicals, environmentally friendly chemicals, indoor & out-door light bulbs, odor elimination products, equipment repair includ-ing household vacuums. Free de-livery across WNC. www.champion-supply.com 800.222.0581, 828.225.1075.

SOUTHWESTERN/NATIVEAmerican- Throw Blanket. Colorful, 3’ x 9’, $30. For more info call 828.452.3832.WRAP UP YOUR Holiday Shopping with 100 percent guaranteed, delivered-to-the-door Omaha Steaks! SAVE 67 PERCENT - PLUS 4 FREE Burgers - Many Gourmet Favorites ONLY $49.99.ORDER Today 1.800.715.2010 Use code “4937 CFW” or visit us at:www.OmahaSteaks.com/holiday33 SAPA

WANTED TO BUYCASH FOR UNEXPIRED Diabetic Test Strips! Free Ship-ping, Friendly Service, BEST prices and 24 hour payment! Call Mandy at 1.855.578.7477, or visit www.TestStripSearch.com Espanol 1.888.440.4001 SAPA

NOTICESBEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD. Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

PETS

HAYWOOD SPAY/NEUTER828.452.1329

Prevent Unwanted Litters!The Heat Is On!

Spay/Neuter For Haywood Pets As Low As $10.

Operation Pit is in Effect!Free Spay/Neuter, Micro-chip & Vaccines For Hay-

wood Pitbull Types & Mixes!Hours:

Monday-Thursday, 12 Noon - 5pm182 Richland Street, Waynesville

GEORGIA INVESTMENT PROPERTY-Limited Inventory Available! Reno-vated homes, low taxes & insur-ance, Low cost of living. Great for homeowners or Investors earn 15% ROI! Starting at $29,000. CALL OWNER 1.404.550.6900. SAPA

REAL ESTATE AUCTION - 219.21+/-Beautiful Rolling Acres Divided into 19 Homesites, Pros-pect Hill, NC, Caswell Co., 1/4/14 at 10am, Auction at Prospect Hill Volunteer Fire Department. Iron Horse Auction Co., Inc., 800.997.2248. NCAL3936.

REAL ESTATEANNOUNCEMENT

BEWARE OF LOAN FRAUD.Please check with the Better Business Bureau or Consumer Protection Agency before sending any money to any loan company.

HOMES FORSALE

REAL ESTATEANNOUNCEMENT

PUBLISHER’S NOTICEAll real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Fair Housing Act which makes it illegal to advertise

“any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex,

handicap, familial status or national origin, or an inten-tion, to make any such pref-erence, limitation or discrim-ination” Familial status in-cludes children under the

age of 18 living with parents or legal custodians, pregnant women and people securing custody of children under 18.

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any

advertising for real estatewhich is in violation of thelaw. Our readers are herebyinformed that all dwellings

advertised in this newspaperare available on an equal

opportunity basis.

VIAGRA 100mg & CIALIS 20mg! 40 Pills + 4 FREE for only $99. #1 Male Enhancement, Discreet Shipping. Save $500! Buy The Blue Pill! Now 1.800.491.8751 SAPA

MEDICAL FOR SALEJa

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Class A Office/Professional space, 1850 sq. ft./ 2 floor plansBuilding was a complete renovation and space was first built out for a CPA’s office and an Edward Jones office in 2005. Spaces were occupied by Lifespan & Haywood Co. Insurance Health Clinic and both outgrew their space. Units includes 2 restrooms, kitchenette and mechanical room. There is direct access to an outdoor covered patio area on the creek. The building has excellent onsite parking and is located in Waynesville only 3/10 mile North of the courthouse. Lease includes exterior maintenance, taxes, water and lighted sign. Can combine both units for 3700 s/f.

627 N. Main Street, Suite 2, Waynesville.

Shown by appointment only. Call Jeff Kuhlman at

828-646-0907.

Puzzles can befound on page 30.These are only the answers.

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TO ADVERTISE IN THE NEXT ISSUE828.452.4251 | [email protected]

Beverly Hanks & Associates — beverly-hanks.com

• Michelle McElroy — beverly-hanks.com• Marilynn Obrig — beverly-hanks.com• Mike Stamey — beverly-hanks.com• Ellen Sither — [email protected]• Jerry Smith — beverly-hanks.com• Billie Green — [email protected]• Pam Braun — [email protected]

ERA Sunburst Realty — sunburstrealty.com

Haywood Properties — haywoodproperties.com

• Steve Cox — [email protected]

Keller Williams Realtykellerwilliamswaynesville.com

• Rob Roland — robrolandrealty.com• Ron Kwiatkowski — ronk.kwrealty.com

Mountain Home Properties — mountaindream.com

• Sammie Powell — smokiesproperty.com

Main Street Realty — mainstreetrealty.net

McGovern Real Estate & Property Management

• Bruce McGovern — shamrock13.com

Preferred Properties

• George Escaravage — [email protected]

Prudential Lifestyle Realty — vistasofwestfield.com

Realty World Heritage Realtyrealtyworldheritage.com

• Carolyn Lauterrealtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7766/

• Thomas & Christine Malletterealtyworldheritage.com/realestate/viewagent/7767/

RE/MAX — Mountain Realtyremax-waynesvillenc.com | remax-maggievalleync.com

• Brian K. Noland — brianknoland.com• Connie Dennis — remax-maggievalleync.com• Mark Stevens — remax-waynesvillenc.com• Mieko Thomson — ncsmokies.com• The Morris Team — maggievalleyproperty.com• The Real Team — the-real-team.com• Ron Breese — ronbreese.com• Dan Womack — [email protected]• Catherine Proben — [email protected]

The Seller’s Agency — listwithphil.com• Phil Ferguson — [email protected]

Haywood County Real Estate Agents

223-07

Full Service Property Management828-456-6111

www.selecthomeswnc.com

Residential and Commercial Long-Term Rentals

223-06

ON DELLWOOD RD. (HWY. 19) AT 20 SWANGER LANEWAYNESVILLE/MAGGIE VALLEY 828.926.8778

BEST PRICE EVERYDAY

10-5 M-SAT.12-4 SUN.

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Your Local Big Green Egg Dealer

EllenS i t h e r

[email protected]

8 2 8 . 7 3 4 . 8 3 0 5

Waynesvi l le Off ice 2012 Raving Fan Award

beverly-hanks.com

Ellen’s clients said it best!

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PERSONALYOUR AD COULD REACH 1.6 MILLION HOMES ACROSS NC!Your classified ad could be reach-ing over 1.6 Million Homes across North Carolina! Place your ad with The Smoky Mountain News on the NC Statewide Classified Ad Net-work- 118 NC newspapers for a low cost of $330 for 25-word ad to ap-pear in each paper! Additional words are $10 each. The whole state at your fingertips! It's a smart advertising buy! Call Scott Collier at 828.452.4251 or for more information visit the N.C. Press As-sociation's website at www.ncpress.com

SCHOOLS/INSTRUCTION

AIRLINES ARE HIRING - Train for hands on Aviation Career. FAA approved program. Financial aid if qualified. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance. 877.300.9494.

EARN YOUR High School Diploma at home in a few short weeks. Work at your own pace. First Coast Academy. Nation-ally accredited. Call for free bro-chure. 1.800.658.1180, extension 82. www.fcahighschool.org SAPA

TEACHER RECRUITMENT FAIR To fill 2014-15 Vacancies in 17 Virginia school divisions. Friday, Jan 31, 2014 - 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. & Sat, Feb 1, 2014 - 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon @ Salem Civic Center, 1001 Boulevard, Salem, VA 24153-5298. www.wvpec.org -- Job Fair. Sponsored by the Western Virginia Public Education Consortium

ENTERTAINMENTSCOTTISH TARTANS MUSEUM86 East Main St., Franklin, 828.584.7472. www.scottishtar-tans.org. Matthew A.C. Newsome, GTS, FSA, SCOT., Curator & General Manager, Ronan B. MacGregor, Business Assistant.

*REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL* Get a 4-Room All-Digital Satellite system installed for FREE! Pro-gramming starting at $19.99/MO. FREE HD/DVR upgrade for new callers. CALL NOW 1.800.795.1315 SAPA

DISH TV RETAILER - SAVE! Starting $19.99/month (for 12 months.) FREE Premium Movie Channels. FREE Equipment, Installation & Activation. CALL,COMPARE LOCAL DEALS! 1.800.351.0850. SAPA

PERSONAL

A UNIQUE ADOPTIONS, Let us help! Personalized adoption plans. Financial assistance, hous-ing, relocation and more. Giving the gift of life? You deserve the best. Call us first! 1.888.637.8200. 24 hour HOTLINE. SAPA

ARE YOU PREGNANT? A childless married couple seeks to adopt. Will be Hands-On Mom/ Devoted Dad. Financial security. Expenses PAID. Call/TEXT Jessica & Adam. 1.800.790.5260. (FL Bar #0150789) SAPA

MEET SINGLES RIGHT NOW! No paid operators, just real people like you. Browse greetings, ex-change messages and connect live. Try it free. Call now 1.888.909.9978. SAPA

WHITE MALE, NON-DRINKER, Looking for a live-in girlfriend for

companionship & light house-work. Any age, kids okay. 2/BR in

a nice neighborhood. For more info call Donnie at 706.335.6496

or write to PO Box 411, ILA, GA 30647.

ENTERTAINMENT

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM Home 6-8 weeks. ACCREDITED. Get a Diploma. Get a Job! No Computer Needed. FREE BROCHURE. 1.800.264.8330. Benjamin Franklin High School www.diplomafromhome.com. SAPA

HIGH SCHOOL DIPLOMA FROM Home. 6-8 weeks. Accredited. Get a Diploma. Get a Job! No Computer Needed. FREE Brochure. 1.800.264.8330. Benjamin Franklin HS. www.diplomafrom-home.com

30

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GETTING PREPOSITIONEDACROSS1 Symbol before a key sig-

nature5 Neighbor of Kauai9 Actress Fox14 Produces a winter

blanket?19 Arriving like fog21 Prefix with anthropolo-

gy22 Smith’s tool23 Out of character25 Hard up26 Barks in pain27 Suffix with meteor28 Without face value, as

stock30 Theologian’s subj.31 Not up on current

trends36 Take a whack37 States north of

Nebraska40 Bauxite, e.g.41 Pizazz43 Applying to all48 Ones going a-courting51 Reassuring words after

an accident52 “... Mac - PC?”53 Suffix with schnozz or

Motor55 “Come again?”56 Brief moment57 Past proper limits64 Ending for opal65 Bring forth66 Union topic67 Lower exterior part of

a ship’s hull69 L’Oréal rival72 “Nothing -!”74 Finer in meaning

76 Taxing work77 Construction beams

with 90-degree angles79 Buenos -, Argentina80 Gold, to Julio81 Loony85 Drink like Fido88 S-X linkup90 Woodsy, e.g.91 Have unpaid bills92 Washoe County seat93 “So long”95 Irrelevant102 Its capital is

Nuku’alofa104 “- for Cookie”

(“Sesame Street” tune)105 Awakens106 Oom- -108 Subjected to severe

trials113 Golf surprise114 “Ad - per aspera”

(Kansas’ motto)115 Co. offering a Buddy

List116 “The Family Circus”

cartoonist Bil120 Shah, e.g.122 A bit ill127 Shah, e.g.128 Hen’s resting place129 Remove from a com-

puter130 Arranged for131 Spanish for “others”132 Challenge for a lab

rat133 “To be,” to Tiberius

DOWN1 Big name in early com-

puters2 Theater area

3 Airline to Ben Gurion4 Publication that’s quick-

ly thumbed5 Add- - (peripherals)6 Bus. rep7 Arrive at, as a solution8 Not masked9 Stat of fuel efficiency10 Gift for music11 One peeking12 Vowel string13 Amateur14 Italian Riviera city15 Dayton-to-Toledo dir.16 Way up there in years17 Broader18 In a foxy way20 Enlarged map details24 D.C. summer hrs.29 Declaration32 Holds33 Suffix with 58-Down34 “Woo- -!”35 Momentous time37 Speech spot38 Peak39 Ray of fast-food fame42 Punch noise44 Give a - (care)45 Suffix with east46 With 62-Down, rotten

sort47 Dumbbell49 Extent50 Handle the helm54 Timmy’s TV dog57 Yogi of baseball58 Inflated head59 Lemon-hued60 Be snaky61 Sci-fi’s Solo62 See 46-Down63 Tapered off65 Prefix with diversity

68 “- a snap!”69 Coagulates70 Lash of Western films71 Exempt from regula-

tions72 Pol Quayle73 Municipal statute: Abbr.75 Banquet liquid holder78 Onion or lily79 Help in crime82 Beats (up)83 Coal carrier84 Lea lady?85 Luau gifts86 Bancroft of “7 Women”87 Ollas, e.g.89 Ida. neighbor92 Casino game94 Ottawa site96 Quito’s land97 Autograph: Abbr.98 Suffix with child99 Easter eats100 “- tu” (Verdi aria)101 Oktoberfest dances103 Maestro Toscanini106 City of Light107 Lexus rival109 “To be - ...”110 Rat-a- -111 Dull112 Justice Kagan117 Figuring-out shouts118 “Little House on the

Prairie” shopkeeper119 - Stanley Gardner121 Otoscope-wielding

doc123 That, to Tito124 ACLU issues: Abbr.125 Oz musical, with

“The”126 Suffix with propyl

Place a numberin the emptyboxes in such away that eachrow across, eachcolumn down andeach small 9-boxsquare containsall of the numbers fromone to nine.

Answers on Page 28

WEEKLY SUDOKU

SERVICES

MY COMPUTER WORKS: Computer problems? Viruses, spyware, email, printer issues, bad internet connections - FIX IT NOW! Professional, U.S.-based techni-cians. $25 off service. Call for immediate help. 1.888.582.8147 SAPA

REDUCE YOUR CABLE BILL! Get a whole-home Satellite system installed at NO COST and program-ming starting at $19.99/mo. FREE HD/DVR Upgrade to new callers, SO CALL NOW 1.866.983.7935

2 NEW LIVING ESTATESFri. & Sat. from 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Lots of Good Furniture, Home De-cor, Art, Tons of Great Antiques,

Everything Under the Sun!We are Frog Pond Downsizing

Located at 255 Depot St., Way-nesville. Look for the Frog on the Brick Building and You’ve Found Treasures & Bargains from the Origianl Estate Sale Company!

NEED MEDICAL OFFICE TRAINEES!Train to become a Medical Office Assistant at CTI! NO EXPERIENCED NEEDED! Online Training gets you job ready! HS Diploma/GED & Computer needed. Careertechnical.edu/nc. 1.888.512.7122

LENOIR COMMUNITY COLLEGEIn Kinston offers an auctioneering class on Tuesdays and Thursdays beginning Jan. 2. Cost is $180. To register call 252.527.6223, ext. 714

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Rules rule and rulers rue it

I mentioned the fact a couple of weeksago that N.C. House Bill 74— the RegulatoryReform Act of 2013 — was set to begin theprocess of reviewing, readopting and/orrepealing all state rules and that the firstrules under the dissection scope would bethose related to surface water quality andwetland regulations.

Well, the state’s beefed up Rules ReviewCommission (RRC) is set to begin. In keep-ing with North Carolina’s new political lead-ership’s ideology of openness, the commis-sion has scheduled a public meeting so theaverage working stiff can attend and listenor comment. The meeting is scheduled for10:30 a.m. Thursday (Jan. 16) at the Officeof Administrative Hearings on New HopeChurch Road in Raleigh.

Now the Rules Review Commission is nota new entity. It has been around since 1986.It was created with the intent and purpose ofdetermining if proposed new rules wereauthorized by law and if they were clear andnecessary. But now, thanks to the RegulatoryReform Act, the new “beefed up” RRC is also

the final arbiter, determining if a rule isneeded or if it should be abolished.

I should point out here that by “rules,”I’m not talking about “no running in thehalls,” or “keep right except to pass.” No,according to Kirk Ross in Coastal ReviewOnline (Jan. 10) “… in the parlance of gov-ernment the word [rules] describes exactlyhow something mandated by law is accom-plished. Rules lay down the definitions,requirements and procedures both for gov-ernment agencies and anyone who wants orneeds to interact with them.”

So in today’s North Carolina, any busi-ness, government agency, government offi-cial, environmental organization and/or pri-vate citizen that proposed or undertook anyendeavor that would impact surface waterand or wetlands would be bound by therules that are currently in place. What hap-pens if those rules were repealed or abol-ished?

It’s pretty easy to see that members of arules commission like the RRC — the ulti-mate arbiters with regards to the state’sdrinking water, stormwater runoff, riverand/or stream classification and bufferrequirements, among other things — shouldbe publicly vetted and selected based on

their expertise, knowledge and abilities.North Carolina achieves this by having itsRRC appointed by the legislature.

It’s probably a good thing that the RRC isgoing to work right away. According to Ross’piece, “The N.C. Division of WaterResources on Wednesday presented the stateEnvironmental Management Commission,or EMC, which devises environmental rules,with a list of 375 surface water and wetlandrules that it says will need to go back

through the re-adoption process.”Ross also quotes Grady McCallie, policy

director at the North Carolina ConservationNetwork, as stating that, “The EMC hasroughly 2,000 rules to consider. Hundredsmore are under the purview of other DENR-related entities such as the CoastalManagement and Mining and Energy com-missions.”

Also, according to Ross, NC DENR offi-

cials estimate that the review of these ruleswill take until 2018. And what happens ifany of these rules don’t make it through thereview process? They automatically expire.

I suggest you check out Ross’ piece atwww.nccoast.org/article.aspx?k=92d3e742-5cac-4768-b010-83d367bfa4b2.

And also an earlier posting at theSmithEnvironment blog www.smithenviron-ment.com/environmental-policy-in-n-c-look-ing-back-at-2013-and-forward-to-2014.

During thisRRC processthere will beopportunitiesfor public com-ment, andRoss’ piecehelps explainhow thisshould playout. Butremember,these rules —many in placefor years —can be

reversed or abolished simply by fiat of theGeneral Assembly, and the most bindingpublic comment in that regard is your vote.Mid-terms are coming up, and if you don’tlike the direction things are going, go toyour polling place and make a public com-ment — just remember to bring your driv-er’s license and be prepared to stand in line. (Don Hendershot is a writer and naturalist. He

can be reached a [email protected].)

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Sm

oky Mountain N

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Janu

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Stormwater runoff in GrovePark Cove. River Link photo

Jan

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