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To the Editor:
I have been a proud employee of the Great Smoky Mountains Railroad (GSMR) for nine years and an active member of this community for 20 years. I have had first-hand opportunity to witness GSMR’s phenomenal growth in the Bryson City community and I have watched and enjoyed the growth of Bryson City businesses and tourism in Swain County and beyond as well. Surely there can be no doubt that GSMR has played a major role in this growth, attracting over 200,000 visitors to the area year after year. It also goes without saying GSMR adds significantly to the economic impact of Bryson City as a major employer in this community.
I know first hand of some of GSMR’s lesser-known activities, too, including the many charities and other nonprofit groups who have only to ask for GSMR’s help in their fundraising activities.
With all this said, I would like to speak to the article published by the Smoky Mountain Times that touted the “failure” of the trial effort by GSMR to demonstrate how closing Fry Street would be beneficial. It would seem a major factor in this situation has to be the town in launching a street project at the Mitchell and Everett streets intersection and on down Bryson Street just as the busy fall color season in October began and continuing on into The Polar Express and Christmas shopping season. The street work made access to the Bryson Street entrance of the parking lot set up by GSMR for access to the Fry Street businesses difficult and on some days, impossible. Bad weather also played a role, delaying the town’s completion of the Bryson Street project as well as affecting shoppers being out and about.
It would seem that those claiming to be losing business due to the closing of Fry Street are being a bit disingenuous given these factors. I would also wonder how the town leadership would be able to make a definitive statement about GSMR being “bad neighbors” and deciding even before the Polar season is over that closing Fry Street is a failure. It makes for great headlines, but it is not helpful to the image of this beautiful town for the town board to be blocking efforts to make Fry Street a more attractive and practical community space as well as making it safer for everyone. In fact, safety is the prime factor that generated the ideas leading to the closing of the street in the first place.
Three of my years as a GSMR employee were spent as a ticket agent in the depot. The number of times I and other staff witnessed pedestrians walking on Fry Street being endangered by traffic is too many to tell.
I would urge the town board to pledge to set aside former prejudices and emotions and look at this issue from an objective and informed position.
Gail Findlay
Bryson City
A project aiming to help Western North Carolina communities consider health needs when doing long-term planning revealed that issues such as farmland preservation and alternative transportation are high health priorities for WNC residents and earned MountainWise, the organization that did the work, statewide recognition.
The American Planning Association’s North Carolina chapter presented MountainWise with the Marvin Collins Planning Award in the Special Theme Awards/Multidisciplinary Project category, which honors projects that use collaboration as the primary means for success.
“Collaborative partnerships are the cornerstone of public health practice, but that can be easier said than done,” said Jim Bruckner, MSHS, Health Director for Macon County. "MountainElements successfully connected land-use planning, community design and public health practice and policy to build healthier communities in Western North Carolina.”
MountainElements Health Impact Assessment was a first-of-its-kind look at how the comprehensive plans in North Carolina’s eight westernmost counties impact health. The evaluation process involved the health departments of each county, their respective economic development and planning departments and the Southwestern Commission.
The project revealed that the region as a whole supports improved food systems planning. That includes farmland preservation, improved land use, transportation networks and economic development.
“This recognition will further help us to advance the regional conversation about the importance of health and how it can be facilitated through effective planning,” said Sarah Tennyson, Regional Coordinator for MountainWise.
MountainWise is funded through the North Carolina’s Community Transformation Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to improve opportunities for healthy living in the eight western counties of North Carolina.
www.mountainwise.org
A Macon County man was presented the 2015 Governor’s Award for Excellence, the highest honor a state employee can receive, for providing hunting opportunities to children with special needs and disabled veterans.
The Pisgah National Forest will see the addition of 178 acres in the Mills River area of Henderson County thanks to a deal worked out by the Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy.
A new conservation agreement on a 318-acre farm in Madison County through the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy will help the family farm continue its legacy on the land for generations to come.
Atop all the festivities surrounding the holidays, the students of North Canton Elementary School each received one more gift “under the tree.”
A glass artist at the Jackson County Green Energy Park in Dillsboro and recent Western Carolina University graduate, Cole Johnson was recently awarded a two-year scholarship beginning in January at The JamFactory, a prestigious, international art school near Adelaide, South Australia. While there, he will have the opportunity to work with master glass artists from around the globe.
Following the recent closure of Nick & Nate’s pizzeria in downtown Waynesville, Apple Creek Café will take over the Main Street space.
“As for Apple Creek Cafe’s vision, we’ve created perhaps one of the best lunch locations in Haywood County. We have also served a family-style dinner in the last four months [at our previous location],” said company spokesman Brandon Anderson. “We will not continue with family-style at the new location, but the entree choices we offered for dinner will be available.”
Originally right off of North Main Street heading out of Waynesville, the new restaurant will include specialty sandwiches, soup, salads, desserts, appetizers, and full-course steak, chicken, pasta, and fish entrees. They will be open seven days of week alongside a full bar with craft beer, wine and liquor.
“What sets Apple Creek Café apart is our food,” Anderson said. “Our new location will be a warm and inviting atmosphere that is sure to be everyone’s favorite spot.”
Though they aim for a Feb. 1 opening, there will be interviews held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 30 and Jan. 6 at the Main Street business. Anyone with experience is encouraged to apply, especially those who worked at Nick & Nate’s before it closed.
Join us for “TASTE of LOCAL” at Ingles Markets on Champion Drive in Canton Thursday, December 17th 3:30-6 p.m.
A referendum vote asking whether tobacco growers wanted to keep giving a portion of their sales to tobacco research and education had no trouble finding support this fall.
As of Nov. 20, 67 of the 83 North Carolina counties affected had reported their results, yielding a passing rate of 95.1 percent.
Since 1991, the tobacco research checkoff program has allocated about $300,000 annually to tobacco-related research and extension projects at N.C. State University. Growers pay 10 cents per 100 pounds of flue-cured and burley tobacco sold.
State law requires a referendum on whether to continue the assessment be held every six years. The assessment requires a two-thirds majority to pass, which this vote seems to have achieved. The decision will be effective through December 2021.
People wanting to explore DuPont State Forest now have three new tools at their disposal to navigate through the forest’s most beautiful trails.
Through a partnership with National Geograpic/Trails Illustrated, Friends of DuPont Forest has released an updated trails and topography map, a section pointing out the forest’s most popular trails and an app that keeps all that information stored on a smartphone.
“We think these are the best maps ever of the forest we love,” said Retta Allred, of Friends of DuPont. “Our partnership with National Geographic/Trails Illustrated has brought to the table a level of expertise that just isn’t available locally.”
The maps are waterproof and tear-resistant, produced with input from local trail experts and review by National Geographic. Proceeds will go toward forest improvements, trails maintenance and educational programs. Visitation at DuPont State Recreational Forest is expected to reach 650,000 next year, a four-fold increase over 2011.
Check for maps at local stores or order online at www.dupontforest.com/visit/maps/#waterproof.
An exhibit using mechanics to show how real animals work is open through Jan. 3 at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville.
The Appalachian Farm School at Southwestern Community College will return for a second year starting Jan. 12, thanks to a $5,500 grant from the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina.
A collection of environmental and recreation-oriented groups has come out with a recommendation for two new recreations areas to be included the U.S. Forest Service forest management plan that’s currently being developed for the Pisgah and Nantahala national forests.
A state plan to comply with federal rules for controlling carbon emissions is now out for public comment, but the proposed rules leave out key points the feds had asked states to address.
The Jackson County Arts Council will host an art exhibit opening for Dawn Behling, the 2014-15 Regional Artist Project Grant Recipient, from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 17, in the Rotunda Gallery of the Jackson County Public Library in Sylva.
Seniors may begin registering for the following trips in January, which will be hosted by the Waynesville Parks and Recreation Department. All trips are available on a first come, first serve basis.
• Jan. 20: Frozen Waterfall Ramble. Join the group on this adventure to look at the winter version of our beautiful waterfalls. They will enjoy a dutch treat lunch on the route. Cost is $5 for members, $7 non-members. Departure time is 9:30 a.m.
• Jan. 27: Local Artisan Ramble. Join the group on this adventure to discover local artisans. They will stroll through their shops and discuss their craft. Lunch will be dutch treat at a local restaurant. Cost is $5 for members, $7 non-members. Departure time is 9:30 a.m.
828.456.2030 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
“Cherokee Friends” will offer free programs for visitors throughout the month of December at the Museum of the Cherokee Indian. Programs will be held at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday. Storyteller Jerry Wolfe will also be spinning his tales at 2 p.m. on Fridays.
To the Editor:
Please allow common sense to prevail in the forest management discussion. Trees are the ultimate gift — the gift that keeps giving. While growing, they assist tremendously in carbon dioxide conversion. Young, vigorous, healthy trees assist wth the water table and the entire water cycle. Trees provide shelter, shade, create wildlife habitat and, once harvested, wood from trees provides thousands of products that we humans depend upon daily.
Obviously, early man needed fire, tools and shelter — wood was the answer. Modern-day products contain wood derivatives: cough syrup, muffin mix, fabric softener, toothpaste, nail polish, tape, and film to name a few. Wood byproducts area also found in soft drinks, chewing gum paints, vanilla flavoring, cinnamon, hair spray, instant hot chocolate, maple syrup, crayons, baby food, STP oil treatment, lotion, glue, dishwashing detergent, aspirin and the list goes on and on. Trees indeed are the gift that keeps giving, even once transformed into other forms.
In the forest management dailogue, please allow responsible and sustainable harvesting to be part of the equation. Renewable and abundant, our native forestlands grow jobs and create brand new revenue. Trees are green, growing and givers. Trees give to man while living and for eternity as other magnificent wood products. Wood is indeed good.
Regan Fletcher
Candler
To the Editor:
As a North Carolina citizen, I could not understand why our senators voted against a bill that would deny the purchase of a weapon by those persons placed on a “No Fly” terrorist watch list by the FBI.
I called Sen. Tillis' office and spoke to Luke Blanchard, an administrative assistant on legislative affairs for Tillis. He told me that the U.S. Attorney General already has the power to block persons on the No Fly list from buying a gun. This is blatantly false and misleading. The Attorney General can only block that sale if they find some other reason, like documented mental illness or a criminal record, but being placed on the terrorist watch list by the FBI does not allow the Attorney General to block that sale.
In fact, according to General Accounting Office, between 2004 and 2014 out of 2,233 persons on the No Fly list that tried to purchase a weapon, 2,043 were able to clear a background check and purchase the weapon and only 190 were blocked because there was some reason other than being on the No Fly list.
When I told Mr. Blanchard that information was completely false, he then began to justify Tillis' vote because many people have mistakenly been placed on a No Fly list, with Sen. Ted Kennedy being his prime example.
Once again, this information is completely false. According to the Transportation Security Administration, Kennedy was never on a No Fly list and never missed or had to cancel any flights. In 2004 Kennedy was briefly detained for further questioning because there was someone named T. Kennedy that was on the No Fly list. Sen. Kennedy was cleared after a brief screening and caught his flight without any problem.
North Carolina citizens have the right to expect our government to keep weapons of war out of the hands of suspected terrorists. They also deserve honesty and truthfulness from the offices of our senators, not myths and false and misleading information.
Ed Morris
Franklin
Mary Kelly, a 16-year-old Smoky Mountain High School student, was recently recognized by Harris Regional Hospital for her quick actions that saved a man’s life.
Two Haywood County men and a woman are being sought in the stabbing of a 33-year-old Clyde man Sunday.
A $483,000 National Park Service grant will allow Western Carolina University to map shoreline storm vulnerability in 12 costal parks from Alaska to Florida.
The internationally recognized WCU Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines advocates for science-based coastal management policies that balance economic and environmental interests. The grant is the latest in an ongoing partnership with the National Park Service, with a similar grant of $436,000 awarded in 2014.
The money will fund a phase of research “that will assist park managers in the decision-making process for resource management and preservation of infrastructure at coastal parks, all of which ultimately effects the economic, environmental and recreational outcomes that impact all of us,” said WCU shorelines program director Robert Young.
The U.S. Forest Service is considering a timber project on 117 acres of the Nantahala Ranger District of the Nantahala National Forest, encompassing sections of Swain, Jackson and Macon counties.
The project, termed a “crop tree release,” would thin out faster-growing species like red maples and yellow-poplar in order to promote the growth of slower-growing species such as oak and pine, which are considered to be more desirable for timber and wildlife food production. The work will be done in areas that had previously been commercially cleared and planted with oak and pine seedlings.
Send comments by midnight Dec. 22 to comments-southern- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or Joan Brown, Nantahala Ranger District, 90 Sloan Road, Franklin, NC 28734. The Forest Service will issue a decision in early 2016.
A state quarantine to prevent the spread of the imported fire ant has expanded to include Macon and Graham counties, bringing the total number of counties included in the quarantine to 74. Many of the mountain counties are still exempt.
Considered a nuisance and health concern for people and animals alike, the imported fire ant has a painful sting. It was first identified in Brunswick County in 1957. To prevent its spread, the quarantine requires residents and business owners in affected areas to obtain a permit before moving plants, sod or related equipment into or through non-infested areas.
“Fire ants can be harmful to humans and livestock. It is critical we continue proactive efforts to slow down fire ant movement into non-infested areas of the state,” said Vernon Cox, director of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Plant Industry Division.
Permits are available through the state’s Plant Protection Section, 800.206.9333.
Equestrians and bikers who enjoy the Staire Creek Trail in the Big Ivy Area of the Pisgah National Forest will have to wait until spring to use the trail, due to delays in completion of maintenance work there.
The U.S. Forest Service had started a significant maintenance project on the trail’s upper portion this fall but will not be able to finish it until early spring. Until then it’s not safe for horseback or mountain bike riders, though hikers may still use the trail. The restriction is scheduled to last through March 1, 2016, though it may be extended if necessary.
828.689.9694.
A new map to feature North Carolina’s most loved trails is now in the development stage, and the N.C. Department of Transportation is looking for nominations of trails to include.
Nearly two tons of trash were removed from Haywood County waterways this year thanks to Haywood Waterways Association’s Adopt-A-Stream Program.
The Great Smoky Mountains Association, a nonprofit that provides millions for visitor programs, conservation and special projects in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is getting a new director.
“Appalachian Christmas” at the Lake Junaluska Conference and Retreat Center will deliver the nostalgic charm of mountain hospitality to visitors on Dec. 11-13.
By Brent Martin • Guest Columnist
In recent months I have watched a tense and difficult relationship play out nationally between some members of the mountain biking community and advocates for Wilderness. And over two years ago when the Forest Service began its management plan revision for the Nantahala-Pisgah National Forest, it appeared this would be the situation here.
To the Editor:
Thanks to many, many individuals and businesses, the 2015 Turkey Drive sponsored by the Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association was a success for the eighteenth year.
We did have a wrinkle this year: the bird flu caused a shortage of turkeys, so we substituted hams for the birds.
Your generosity again allowed us to deliver Thanksgiving baskets to the Department of Human Services headquarters. In turn, their employees along with their volunteers, distributed the food to 250 families meeting DHS criteria.
Without so many people and businesses from Western North Carolina as well as several from other states, this Thanksgiving effort could not have helped as many of our county’s needy residents. So once again, kudos to all who opened their hearts as well as their wallets to help their neighbors.
Tammy Wight
President
Maggie Valley Area Lodging Association
To the Editor:
In last week’s letter to the editor (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/16807), Mr. Jones commented on the politicizing of WCU. Let me encourage us all to think about his letter and what is also happening in our university system.
Chancellors are getting raises the size of a faculty member salary times two while faculty have received a $750 payment to stay quiet last year. They took a 5 percent cut during the Bush recession and have only gotten a 1 percent increase since. Retiring professors are finding starting salaries for replacements to be as much as $20,000 more than their current salaries. I have to wonder if these excessive salaries are derived from reduced faculty positions and stagnant faculty and staff wages.
The North Carolina university system charges students a fee for recreation services. Those fees translate into millions of dollars that should be — and used to be — paid by the state. While the students are paying millions to the universities, the students who work on campus are paid minimum wage and are double taxed on their meal plans. Let’s all start driving around the North Carolina University campuses to protest our universities creating the same wealth gap as in much of corporate America.
Furthermore, the movement to privatize our public education continues with BB&T placing “distinguished Libertarian” professor of Ayn Rand in the WCU School of Business while the Koch brothers use a Trojan Horse in the form of several million dollars for a Free Enterprise Center to potentially advance Libertarian principles. Will WCU take the 40 pieces of silver?
The answer is affirmative, with the reasoning “we need the money.” The faculty senate voted against taking the grants. The state cuts funding and the free enterprise fanatics take advantage to further privatize public education. Will the new system president continue privatizing by using for-profit software giants to install e-learning and eliminating faculty positions to pay for the services?
Social justice is just as much an issue as minority students on many North Carolina campuses quietly talk about the abusive remarks they experience. Duke University students are actively engaged in the issue as are students and faculty at Appalachian State and UNC Chapel Hill. Isn’t it time students and faculty in our public school system from k-12 and higher education take the kind of action we witnessed at the University of Missouri? When the football team refused to play on Saturday, university leaders immediately made changes. The powerful listen when their sources of revenue are at risk. Anything less does not matter. How much change happened with the Moral Monday marches? How much happens with letters to the editor? The General Assembly is still up to its mischief. It has not changed because tax revenues are not threatened and business as usual has not been interrupted.
Isn’t it time we the people of Western North Carolina become visible and take the kind of action that says “enough is enough” and motivates our leaders here to change?
Ron Robinson
Sylva
To the Editor:
It is time to wake up and take a big whiff of reality. The shape of our economy has shifted over the years and not for the better. I hear people say things like “If low-wage workers want to make more money they should get a real job.” But the reality of our current job market makes this impossible. Corporations have restructured and outsourced so many of our “real jobs” that many college graduates simply can’t get hired anywhere but in low-wage fastfood or retail jobs.
I ask you why is this the case? In an age when corporations are consistently posting billion dollar profits, why do they refuse to pay their employees a living wage? Is it greed? Is it cultural bias? I can’t answer these questions, but what I can say is that more money finding its way out of offshore corporate accounts and back into our economy can’t be a bad thing.
While some companies have taken that bold step of becoming trendsetters by voluntarily raising wages, many more will reluctantly hold back until forced to change by legislation. But here we find that these money-hoarding corporations are suddenly willing to part with their hard-earned dollars to pay lobbyists who work to block those very laws from becoming reality.
However, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, I am hopeful and optimistic. I am hopeful because I know deep down in my heart that we are a good people. I know that we can, in spite of the media rhetoric, still empathize with our fellow human beings. I am optimistic because I know that many of us want to do the right thing and build a better society for everyone.
Armed with hope and optimism, I decided to join a group of other concerned citizens in a drive-through protest in Asheville on a recent Saturday. We drove a circuit around the city passing through each McDonalds with a drive-thru and handed the employee at the window the seventeen cents the company would have to charge extra per meal to cover the raise in wages. Never mind the fact that McDonald’s could easily dip into its $6.5 billion in annual profits to pay employees better without a price hike.
With this knowledge firmly in mind, I encourage each and every one of you to also take action, be that a call to your state and federal representatives or simply spreading a message of positive change to friends and family. If each of us does even a small part we can make our country strong again.
Cory Lomax
Sylva
To the Editor:
As the U.S. Forest Service proceeds through the plan revision for the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests, it is a good time to reflect on the role that forest management can play in protecting environmental values while enhancing our regional economy. One example of how environmental values and our regional economy can both be improved is through integrated forest management that incorporates and restores mixed age stands and creates early successional habitat that is lacking throughout the region. Such a strategy would provide a sustainable source of harvestable trees for the local timber industry, and also provide unique habitat settings for a wide variety of native wildlife species such as ruffed grouse and some songbirds.
Though the current Nantahala-Pisgah National Forests Management Plan covers 1,040,000 acres, only 800-900 acres have actually been logged annually over the last 10 to 15 years. More frequent harvests in targeted areas can be a valuable tool for increasing the pace and scale of restoration.
Forest management at optimum levels will require staff resources within the U.S. Forest Service that are currently not available. Budget cuts continue to reduce staff numbers, and the remaining staff are increasingly needed for other duties, including wildfire control outside the region in various areas around the country. We need a forest management plan that addresses both economic and environmental issues, but it should be administered by an agency with the capacity to follow through and implement the strategies that are ultimately approved.
I encourage everyone to visit the Forest Service’s website at http://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home/?cid=STELPRDB5397660 and learn about the forest management planning process and how you can be involved. There is a lot at stake for the economy and the environment.
Jason Love
WNC Public Lands Council
To the Editor:
I hope to be understood that my family is as pro-wireless communication as anyone in Cashiers. Verizon needs to find a new place to put its antennas because the tower currently hosting its antenna will have to move sometime late next year.
All the other carriers serving Cashiers have their antennas on a different existing tower behind Freeman Gas. That tower has room available and is willing to host Verizon’s antenna. Colocating there is the best place to put them, instead of on a new tower 12 stories tall to be constructed in the Gana Sita neighborhood.
Even if our neighbor’s 20-acre tract in Gana Sita were the best place for a new tower, it doesn’t have to be put in the far corner, next to two of our property lines. There is ample room. They have 20 wooded acres in which to work. It doesn’t have to go so close and in such an exposed place within our view corridor of surrounding mountain peaks, and that is exactly where it is currently proposed.
Alternate sites on the same parcel were reviewed by all interested parties last summer at the bidding of the Jackson County Planning Board. We felt a compromise was struck by moving the tower site only 250 feet southeast (or further), embedded in the woods and just slightly off the ridge line.
It was and still is a reasonable compromise.
We were surprised to learn that, even after Jackson County Planning Board suggested that we find a compromise and consider moving the tower site, the big corporation that wants to build it refused to budge, even though it hurts our property value deeply.
We are asking the Jackson County Commissioners to deny the application for the proposed site, but not necessarily alternate, less harmful sites in the middle of the same parcel if Verizon doesn’t colocate on the existing tower behind Freeman Gas, or a less intrusive site for a new tower cannot be found.
We can do better when it comes to site location than what this global corporation wants to ram down our throats. We can still have good Verizon service in the Cashiers crossroads area without damaging neighboring properties.
Please come to the public hearing at 11 a.m. on Dec. 10 and and the judicial hearing at 1 p.m. on the same day at the Cashiers Library. The public is welcome and so is your opinion.
Rick Barrs
Cashiers
To the Editor:
Below are several of the solutions proposed by many of the candidates running for president to end the terrorist threat in the United States. These solutions are backed by appeals to Americans’ patriotism, suggesting our very way of life as well as our safety is at risk.
The people are rallied in support of a perceived common threat or foe of an ethnic and religious minority, in this case Syrians and Muslims. We must build up funding for a mighty military force, neglecting pressing domestic issues. Fear for our nation’s security and way of life is used to motivate public support and suppress civil liberties.
Christianity is the most common religion in our nation. Several presidential candidates support suppression of religious minorities even though it violates our Constitution. The Supreme Court decision supporting “Citizens United” has resulted in the use of huge amounts of money to elect candidates to public office who support the above policies. Expensive advertising campaigns are used to smear opposition candidates.
The business aristocracy puts government leaders into power to create a mutually beneficial business/government relationship. Many state legislatures are dominated by politicians whose election campaigns were paid for by this wealthy minority. These legislators passed laws to redraw political district boundaries and manipulate election outcomes to favor their financial backers. Laws are passed to suppress voting by citizens opposed to the above policies. Labor unions, supporters of workers’ rights, are often eliminated or severely suppressed.
Another related issue, supported by many candidates, would shrink government’s role in the economy. Proposals include privatizing social security and health care. If this were to happen, big corporations would reap huge profits and the average American would suffer.
The policies endorsed by many presidential candidates reflect basic tenants of fascism. Economic depression, a declining middle class, and international disgrace following World War I led to the rise of Adolph Hitler. Hitler was elected by popular vote in Germany, promising to make Germany great again. The people voluntarily surrendered their civil liberties and voting rights in exchange for Hitler’s rebuilding Germany’s military might and restoring economic prosperity by promoting the growth of private corporations.
Will the majority of Americans support presidential candidates who endorse policies taking us down the same road?
Margery Abel
Franklin
Haywood County commissioners will hold a public hearing Dec. 21 regarding the construction of a new EMS headquarters beside the sheriff’s office in Hazelwood.
Members of the public are welcome to provide feedback on the project before commissioners consider approving and executing an installment financing contract for $2.1 million to pay for the construction.
Right now, the county’s ambulances, supplies, office spaces and storage are located in numerous places throughout the county. The new EMS campus, which will include ambulance and equipment bays and a 13,000-square-foot building, will provide a centralized home base for emergency operations. The new emergency management headquarters will be built on the site of an old state prison — 144 Hemlock Street — that was closed several years ago and acquired by the county for $1.
The public hearing will be held at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 21 in the Haywood County Historic Courthouse.
Blue Ridge Food Ventures and Ingles Markets announce the 2015 BRFV Holiday Market !!!
North Carolina has issued a draft plan to comply with federal carbon-control rules, but the plan falls short of federal requirements for state carbon-control plans.
That’s because North Carolina, along with 23 other states, has filed a lawsuit protesting Environmental Protection Agency rules that would restructure how energy is generated and consumed in the United States.
The N.C. Department of Environmental Quality — formerly known as the Department of Environment and Natural Resources — believes those rules are outside the authority the Clean Air Act grants. DEQ’s proposed rules only address its plan to make the state’s electricity generating units more effective.
“The proposed rule will have very little, if any, environmental benefit, and many of the provisions regarding carbon capture and storage are overstated,” said DEQ Secretary Donald van der Vaart of the disputed portion of the federal rules. “This rule will not achieve significant reductions in carbon dioxide emissions and relies on unproven technology that could be technically and economically impractical.”
Environmental groups, however, have decried the state’s plan as an ineffective document that is “designed to fail,” in the words of Gundrun Thompson, senior attorney for the Southern Environmental Law Center.
“It is disappointing to see the Department of Environmental Quality once again putting politics before pollution cleanup,” Thompson said, adding, “Instead of using the Clean Power Plan as a political football, DEQ should take advantage of the Clean Power Plan’s flexibility to design a plan that could continue boosting North Carolina’s clean energy economy.”
DEQ is working on a backup plan should the lawsuit be unsuccessful.
The carbon control plan is currently out for public comment. Email comments through Jan. 15 to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Naturalist and historian George Ellison will preview his upcoming collection of essays, Literary Excursions, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, at the Macon County Public Library in Franklin.
A lawsuit alleging the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is falling down on its job to protect the world’s only wild population of red wolves, which inhabit a five-county area in eastern North Carolina, has been filed by a trio of environmental groups. The suit questions why the USFWS has suspended the red wolf reintroduction program.
A rockslide has kept the 14-mile section of the Blue Ridge Parkway between Maggie Valley and Cherokee closed for a week and counting.
A motorist discovered the slide at milepost 467 last Tuesday (Nov. 24) around dawn and reported it to rangers. At the widest and deepest spots, the slide is 30 feet wide and 8 feet deep.
There is no expectation of additional slides in the area, but the entire 14 mile section of the parkway from Maggie Valley to Cherokee had to be closed — from milepost 455 to 469.
This time of year, all work is weather-dependent, but Parkway officials initially estimated it would take a week to clean the debris and stabilize the slope. If more stabilization is needed than originally thought, or if winter weather restricts access, the closure could take even longer. The Parkway will be doing the work using its own staff.
Rockslides happen more often in the winter than at other times of year because the often-daily freeze-thaw cycle of water in the cracks between rocks systematically weakens them and can cause slope failure. When cruising the Parkway, it pays to be cautious and watch out for loose and falling rock.
Meanwhile, repairs to a tunnel on the parkway around Mount Pisgah have caused a parkway closure between Waynesville and Asheville through spring. Repairs to the Buck Springs Tunnel at Milepost 407 have caused a closure from Milepost 405 where N.C. 151 intersects with the Parkway to milepost 408 near Mt. Pisgah. Before heading to the Parkway, check for closures at maps.nps.gov/blri/road-closures/.
Crisp wintry weather makes for perfect sky-watching weather, and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute in Rosman is planning a pair of opportunities for star-gazers to get their fix.
The final Art After Dark of the year will be held from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4, in downtown Waynesville.
To the Editor:
This is in praise of our new hospital, “new” meaning the Haywood Regional Medical Center, now run by Duke University and Lifepoint.
A couple of weeks ago, I had total hip replacement surgery, done by Surgeon Dr. Gerald King. He is superb! He also is a kind, compassionate, caring man who has genuine concerns about the welfare of his patients (I’m now calling him St. Gerald!).
The nursing staff of the fifth floor orthopedic wing was terrific. The anesthesiologist was terrific. The lady who cleaned rooms was terrific. The cafeteria staff was terrific. The physical therapist was terrific (and a special thanks to Mitch, the taxi driver.)
The picture is clear, is it not? You don’t need to go to Asheville. We have a great hospital right here.
Thanks to all.
JoAnna Swanson
Waynesville
To the Editor:
It is my understanding from an article written in the Asheville Citizen Times that Western Carolina University is considering the establishment of a Center for the Study of Free Enterprise at Western Carolina University. I also understand that this center would be established with $2 million in seed money coming from the Charles Koch Foundation.
As both an alumnus and a former faculty member of WCU, I have some questions and concerns. It is my understanding that the Charles Koch Foundation will provide $2 million in seed money to get the center going. I also note that the estimated budget for the new center will be $3.4 million per year.
For the first year, where is this other $1.4 million to come from? The article quotes Dr. Edward Lopez, BB&T Distinguished Professor of Capitalism, as stating that the center will become self-supporting. What is the time estimation on this and how much of the university budget of WCU will be tied up over this period of time until it does become self-sufficient?
And thirdly, if the center is to become self-supporting, where is this money to come from? We are looking at a cost of $1.4 million the first year and $3.4 million each year thereafter until such time as it becomes self-sustaining, whenever that might be.
Several years ago, WCU was offered money by a large bank (BB&T if I remember correctly), but with it came the caveat the book Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand had to be required reading. It was rejected by the Faculty Senate at that time as it rightly should have been. The educational policy of an educational institution does not need to be established by outside influence from non-educational institutions that are promoting their own economic and sometimes political agenda. All ideas should be open to discussion and inspection in classes at a university. I don’t know if the money from the Charles Koch Foundation comes with any strings or not. I think that is only part of the problem.
The public perception of the acceptance of this money will be damaging to the reputation of Western Carolina University. Faculty and staff have not received appreciable cost-of-living raises since 2008. The University of North Carolina system recently gave major raises to the majority of the chancellors of the system. I do not begrudge Dr. Belcher his increase. He was underpaid to begin with and is well worth the increase, but the public perception is bad. Tie this to the fact that the new president of the University of North Carolina system was obviously a political appointee, and that the self-sustaining Center on Work, Poverty, and Opportunity at UNC-Chapel Hill was closed within the past year, again for obvious political reasons, it gives indications of the politicization of the University of North Carolina system, at least in the public mind.
I am not sure that Western Carolina University wants to be a part of this perceived politicization. At least I know as an alumnus that this is something that I would not like to see happen.
Luther Jones
Sylva
Western Carolina University, in collaboration with the University of Central Florida and Florida Atlantic University, received $1.8 million from the National Science Foundation to support first-generation college students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math programs, better known as STEM.
The grant will provide scholarships to students majoring in STEM disciplines and create an innovative living-learning community that will provide additional supports and opportunities for students to succeed and graduate in fields that drive innovation and economic growth.
First-year students will live in the same residence hall, take core disciplinary classes together, work with mentors and engage in a 12-week research apprenticeship with faculty. Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Cheryl Fulghum, Haywood Community College’s distance learning coordinator, was recently named Innovator of the Year, Western Region by the NC Community College Association of Distance Learning.
NC3ADL is an educational, nonprofit organization that supports and promotes distance learning (also known as e-learning, digital education, or digital learning).
In addition to serving as learning management system administrator and distance education coordinator, Fulghum is tasked with providing professional development for faculty who teach online.
Describing one aspect of her job as ‘cheerleader for faculty,’ the award was given for expanding her cheerleading focus for online instruction to include on-ground teaching topics. Fulghum and her Distance Learning team developed, coordinated, and staffed a wide-ranging schedule of professional development best practice workshops for faculty and staff covering many 21st century learning and teaching practices.
I am not a big fan of the “don’t eat that” messages on Thanksgiving or the ones that try and shock you with “Did you know that ______has ____fat/calories/ingredients/additives?"
