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The Macon County Sheriff race will be short and sweet. Incumbent Sheriff Robbie Holland, a Republican, only faces one challenger, Bryan Carpenter, also a Republican. Because the two candidates are in the same party, the primary election will decide the race.

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Swain County Sheriff Curtis Cochran will have an easy primary season, with no Republicans challenging his bid for a third term in office. But four Democratic challengers are fighting it out during the primary. Here’s a look at those candidates:

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Franklin is one step closer to getting its first microbrewery, which plans to set up shop in the former town hall building on Main Street.

The Franklin town board voted unanimously last week to lease and possibly sell the old town hall building to The Lazy Hiker, a brewing company owned by two Macon County men. 

The Lazy Hiker would lease the building for $1,250 per month for the first year and $2,500 per month thereafter, according to the 10-year contract approved by the town.

At any point along the way, the brewery could exercise an option to buy the building outright for $325,000. That’s less than the building’s 2013 appraised value of $725,000, but more than the highest offer the town has received so far, $200,000. 

There’s a 10-day window for higher bids on the property to be submitted before the deal is signed.

— By Holly Kays 

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Swain County

Swain Commissioners

What’s up for election? All five seats on the county board are up for election, including four commissioner seats and commissioner chairman. Both Republican commissioner candidates here automatically advance.

About the race: As usual, there’s a deep bench of candidates running for Swain commissioner. And in this Democratic leaning county, where it’s rare for a Republican to win local elections, the Democratic primary is always the most packed. The winners in the Democratic primary nearly always prevail come the general election. All five sitting commissioners are Democrats and are running for reelection.

This is the last year that all the commissioner seats will come up for election at the same time. Going forward, the terms will be staggered — instead of all the seats being on the ballot every four years, half the seats will be up for election at a time, with alternating seats up on the ballot every two years. This year’s commissioner election will set the stage for staggered terms. The top two vote getters will serve a full four years. But the third and fourth highest vote getters will only serve two years before their seats are up for election again. They will resume a four-year election schedule after that, with alternating election cycles established.

Swain voters approved the switch to staggered terms in a ballot question in 2012. It passed with 2,912 voters in favor of staggered terms compared to 1,930 against.

Swain Commissioner

Democrat

•David Monteith is the longest serving county commissioner with 16 years on the board. Retired Ingle’s market manager and a school bus driver.

•Donnie Dixon, a machinist at Conmet manufacturing plant, has been on the board for four years, plus a previous term in the 1990s.

•Steve Moon, owner of a tire shop, has served for 8 years.

•Robert White, retired school superintendant, has served for eight years.

•Correna Elders Barker 

•Ben Bushyhead, a retired department director in Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians government. He narrowly lost in the 2006 election for the county board.

•Thomas Ray Simonds, foreman at Owle Construction

•Vida Cody, former county finance director who sued the county for wrongful firing

•Danny Burns, a Pepsi Cola technician 

Republican 

•Carolyn Bair, retired grocery store cashier and fast-food worker.

•Lance Grant II

Swain Comm. Chairman

Democrats

•Phil Carson, on the board for eight years and chairman for the past four, works with his family-owned plumbing business.

•Boyd Gunter, 63, recently retired medical technologist at the VA Hospital in Asheville.

Gunter ran for commissioner four years ago but lost. He lives in the Alarka area. He believes the county’s outlying communities are not currently represented on the board.

Swain Sheriff

About the race: Sheriff Curtis Cochran has served two terms as sheriff. And like his reelection campaign in 2010, he will once again face a suit of challengers, although not nearly as many this go around. When Cochran first won in 2006, the victory was narrow but impressive, as one of the few Republicans to ever serve as sheriff in this predominantly Democratic county — and given his odds as a novice lawman against the sitting sheriff at the time, who was a career law enforcement. Cochran’s first term was a bit rocky, with controversies including inmate escapes, a money-losing jail, and political feud with county commissioners. But his second term has been calm. Can Cochran hang on to the seat again?

Republican

• Sheriff Curtis Cochran

Democrat

•Chuck McMahan retired in 2010 from the North Carolina Highway Patrol after 27 years of service. The candidate said he would like the opportunity to work to keep Swain residents safe. “I think there’s a need and I think I can make a difference.”

•George Powell has taught martial arts for the past three decades, currently overseeing the Shotokan School of Martial Arts and two regional non-profit Christian martial arts organizations. The retired police officer and detention officer previously ran for sheriff eight years ago. If elected, Powell said he would “hold officers accountable for their actions” and “get back to the basics of community policing.”   

•Larry Roland currently works at the Microtel Inn in Bryson City and previously worked for the state prison system. The candidate believes the current powers-that-be are “abusing their powers.” “It’s just time for a change. That’s what everybody says, it’s time for a change.”

•Rocky Sampson 

Unaffiliated

• Odell Chastain is a retired law enforcement officer who has worked at both the city and county level. Chastain said he is seeking office “because I’m a patriotic American and I see that our rights and our liberties are being taken away from us.”

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Macon County

Macon Commissioners

What’s up for election: One seat in the Highlands district and two seats in the Franklin district.

About the race: There are three commissioner seats up for election in Macon County: one seat for the district representing the Highlands area and two seats for the district representing the Franklin area. All three incumbents are running.

Do I vote in all the districts, or just mine? Every voter in Macon County gets to vote for every commissioner seat, no matter where you live in the county. While the county is parceled up into three territories for the commissioners race, the geographic districts only apply to the candidates. Candidates must live in the district of the seat they are running for, but that’s the only import of the districts.

Macon commissioner: Highlands district, one seat

Republican 

•Jim Tate is seeking reelection because he wants to “ensure that Macon County will continue to be a great place to live and call home through low taxes, great schools, safe communities and efficient services.” He is president of Tate Landscaping Services, and has served on numerous Highlands town boards.

•John Shearl is a business owner — J&J Lawn and Landscaping Services and Shearl Produce — and former Highlands volunteer firefighter. Currently serving on the Macon County Planning Board, the candidate is seeking a the Highlands commissioner seat with an eye on “lower taxes, limited government and less regulation.”

Democrat

•Michael David Rogers owns a landscaping business. If elected, he plans to focus on attracting business to the area, as well as environmental issues. “I love the mountains and the water and I just don’t like seeing it be trashed out and destroyed.” 

Macon commissioner: Franklin district, two seats

Republican

•Ron Haven, a motel and inn owner and sitting commissioner, said he intends to “keep taxes low” and work to improve the community for future generations. “I’ve got an interest in watching my children grow up and have opportunities in life.”

•Gary Shields, a retired educator and Vietnam veteran, said he feels a sense of  “civic responsibility” to his home. “I care, I care about Macon County. If you’ve got the time, the energy and the want-to, you need to be involved.”

Democrat

• Ronnie Beale is a two-term commissioner who previously served as chairman, and is a leader in the NC Association of County Commissioners. He is president of a construction company and previously served on the planning board.

Libertarian

• John Martin is a “semi-retired entrepreneur” who has worked in the insurance and real estate fields. He wants to “facilitate a better tomorrow” through “long-term sustainable growth.” He intends to work to “keep taxes low” and ensure Macon County is “business friendly.”

“Good jobs in Macon County are getting tougher for people to find today and citizens deserve better.”   

Macon Sheriff

About the race: Since there are only two candidates — both Republicans — whoever wins the primary will be the ultimate winner, since there would be no Democratic challengers to face come fall.

•Robbie Holland, 47, has served as Macon’s sheriff for the past 12 years. He intends to continue the stint.

“I want to continue serving my community and making a difference,” Holland said.

•Bryan Carpenter, Republican, 30, is a local business owner. He is running for office in an effort to “bring the hometown feeling back home.”

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Jackson County 

Jackson Sheriff 

About the race:  This promises to be one of the most hotly contested elections in the region this year. Current Sheriff Jimmy Ashe will step down and that has thrown the floodgates wide open for contenders — nine in all.

Candidates were going public months before the official candidate sign-up period in February. And several had turned in their election finance paperwork far in advance so they could start their campaign wheels turning.

Ashe would have been a vulnerable candidate had he decided to run, due to lack of public visibility in recent years and a series of public relations stumbles and controversies.

Democrats:

•Steven Lillard, assistant police chief at Western Carolina University

•Chip Hall, chief deputy in the sheriff’s department

•Glen Biller, a Haywood sheriff’s deputy

•Robin Gunnells, who has a custom truck cover business and has worked in a variety of law enforcement positions

•Doug Farmer, a Sylva police officer

•Michael Gosnell, private security guard in Highlands, with a variety of law enforcement positions over his career 

Republicans:

• Curtis Lambert, a Sylva police office

• Jimmy Hodgins, a retired logger

• Mary Alice Rock, a bail bondsman 

 

Jackson Commissioner

What’s up for election? Three of the five seats on the board.

About the race: There was a major power shift in county politics four years, after an upset election ushered in a slate of conservative-leaning candidates. Three sitting commissioners, all Democrats, were ousted by three challengers.

It’s hard to say whether the election four years ago was an indictment of the progressive policies of the commisioners at the time, or whether it was trickle-down effect from a national Republican tide that election year.

This year, Democrats are trying to take back the seats they loss, and voters will have a chance to endorse or oust the new leadership that took over four years ago.

Do I vote in all the districts, or just mine? Every voter in Jackson County gets to vote for every commissioner seat, no matter where you live in the county. While the county is parceled up into four territories for the commissioners race, the geographic districts only apply to the candidates. Candidates must live in the district of the seat they are running for, but are elected by voters countywide.

 

Commissioner chairman

•Jack Debnam, the current commissioner chairman and a Realtor. As an unaffiliated candidate that belongs to neither party, Debnam must gather 1,200 signatures of registered voters to get on the ballot. He has until June. 

•Brian McMahan, a Democrat, previously served as commissioner chairman but lost to Debnam in 2010. The 39-year-old chief of security at Balsam Mountain Preserve is now seeking a rematch.

Jackson commissioner: district that spans from Dillsboro to Qualla 

•Charles Elders, a Republican and sitting commissioner, is the owner/operator of Elder’s Superette. 

•Joe Ward, a Democrat and farmer, is retired from CSX Transportation. 

Jackson commissioner: district that includes Sylva and Scotts Creek

•Doug Cody, a Republican and sitting commissioner, has worked in the insurance industry for 29 years. “I feel that we’ve done a good job and there’s still more to be done, and I want to be part of that.” 

•Boyce Deitz, a Democrat, is a retired teacher and football coach. He coached former U.S. Rep. Heath Shuler as a high school quarterback, and later went to work for the congressman. 

“I have a passion about where I live, our culture and the mountains. People back in the coves and hollers don’t have a voice and I feel that they need one.”

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The Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District has announced the winners of its annual poster and essay contests.

Third- through sixth-grade students participated in the poster contest while the essay contest was open to sixth-grade students. About 200 students participated. This year’s theme was The Living Soil. The first-place poster winner advanced to the Area 1 contest in Waynesville, where they will compete against 15 other Soils and Water Conservation Districts of Area 1. 

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Interactive activities for kids have been installed along a 1.3-mile section of trail at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville, which has officially joined the network of Kids in Parks TRACK Trails.

“The TRACK Trail provides an educational experience for families that can be accomplished at their own pace,” said Jonathan Marchal, the arboretum youth education manager. “Opportunities for kids to explore their natural world and get their hands dirty are essential, and that’s what the TRACK Trail provides.”

Kids hike with the help of Turtle Tales, which lets them experience the trail from the point of view of Shelly, an eastern box turtle. 

A grand opening for the trail will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 22. There will be a pond exploration, scavenger hunt for soil invertebrates, backyard bird watching advice, butterfly hunt and a tour of the EcoLab classroom.

There are several other kids’ TRACK Trails in the region, developed by the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation with funding from a Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation grant.

Brochures with suggested adventures and activities are available for each trail, and children can earn prizes for TRACKing their hikes in online nature journals on the Kids in Parks website.

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out ginsengThe U.S. Attorney’s Office reminds the public that gathering ginseng on the Nantahala National Forest without a permit is illegal. 

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out volunteersGreat Smoky Mountains National Park is recruiting volunteers to rove the Oconaluftee River Trail, Mountain Farm Museum and fields along Newfound Gap Road near Oconaluftee Visitor Center at the main N.C. entrance to the park outside Cherokee.

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out paddlersA major paddling race will be held on the Nantahala River March 22 and 23, with around 60 of the country’s top slalom paddlers coming from as far away as Colorado, Texas and Washington.

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MedWest Haywood will hold another series of community meetings in April and May. Feedback collected from the community during an initial round of public meetings last spring will be shared during the upcoming events.

Last year, Medwest Haywood Health System hosted meetings in an effort to learn how it might better serve the community. 

“I continue to be interested in knowing how our community thinks we are doing, because this is their community hospital,” said MedWest President and CEO Janie Sinacore-Jaberg. “I want to know the good as well as the cases when maybe we didn’t meet expectations, because if we don’t know about it we can’t fix it. We are here for one reason only; to provide safe, excellent care to our community. And it’s important to me that I get out and hear what people have to say.”

The first meeting will be held from 6 to 7 p.m., April 2 in the auditorium at the Haywood Community College. A second meeting will take place from noon until 1 p.m., April 8, at the MedWest Haywood Health and Fitness Center. The third meeting is scheduled from 6 to 7 p.m., May 1 at the town hall in Maggie Valley. The final meeting will take place from 6 to 7 p.m., May 5 at the Colonial Theater Annex in Canton. 

Community members may R.S.V.P. by calling 828.452.8883 or emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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To the Editor:

As I discuss the upcoming District 50 senatorial campaign with my neighbors, it is becoming clear to me that they are deeply troubled by the current senator from Franklin.  They are especially disappointed in his unwillingness to support our public schools. They know that the tactics being used by Republicans in the North Carolina legislature now are part of a long-range plan to privatize education. Almost all local school systems recognize this fact and realize they must steel themselves for a struggle against these ill-advised attacks.

Ron Robinson is a voice of reason. He knows that our public schools face great challenges. He wants to work to meet those challenges rather than run from them. He knows that the latest technology must be made available to our students. He knows it is wrong for vouchers to bleed money out of the public schools for which they are constitutionally mandated.

Ron pledges to work with a proven system of public education. He will make every effort to raise all teacher salaries to at least the national average. He will push to restore due process and, thereby, provide a sense of security for them when political changes come about.

I urge you, your friends and family to vote for Ron Robinson in the upcoming election. 

Dave Waldrop

Sylva

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To the Editor:

Politics does indeed make strange bedfellows. The recent edition of The Smoky Mountain news said this: “Carla Miller, the chair of the Macon County Republican Party, admits there is a right-wing faction of the party, but said that faction does not represent the party as a whole. Miller specifically cited the Freedom Works (sic) group as being outside the mainstream of the local party.” Curiously, unless I am mistaken, Miller and her husband have attended at least the last three FreedomWorks meetings, and I’m sure they are welcome and encouraged to continue. Evidently, they felt attending so worthwhile they invited Commissioner Jimmy Tate to attend the most recent meeting, which he did.

FreedomWorks exists to provide conservative ideas in contrast to the Republican Party, which seems to have strayed from the reservation. I became a registered Republican in 1956 and have voted Republican in every election, national and local, since. Shortly after arriving in Macon County, I was asked to run the Republican Party Men’s Club, which I was pleased to do. Later, I was elected Chairman of the Macon County Republican Party.  Sometime after I served my term, the principles of the party changed to the extent that I felt compelled to start the Macon County Chapter of FreedomWorks.  

Further quoting the SMN, concerning the challenge of Gary Shields’ residency: “I see this as being the Freedom Works (sic) people retaliating against moderate Republicans and Democrats, saying you are not going to take away our one candidate.” This statement was made by Corey Duvall, Macon County Democrat chair. I am curious how a Republican lodging a challenge against a Republican involves the Democrats in any way. I guess the wisdom of a 22-year-old is beyond my understanding.

I like Gary Shields. We have been more or less friends since I came to Macon County 20 years ago. I hope we continue to be on good terms. I like him and respect him. We just differ in our politics. He describes himself as “purple,” I describe myself as “red.”

Don Swanson

Franklin

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op frBy Doug Wingeier • Columnist

Recently my wife and I attended the showing of a documentary film on animal rights. When the floor was opened for comments after the film, two members of the audience made the point that, while the cruel treatment of animals in laboratories and factory farms depicted in the film was deplorable, not all farmers and scientists should be “tarred with the same brush.” Immediately, they were jumped on by several vegans and animal rights activists in the crowd — to the point that one of the dissenters fell silent while the other stormed out in an angry huff, charging that he was being treated disrespectfully.

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The acclaimed classical music duo of Alyona Aksyonova and James Waldo will be featured at 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 24, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

The concert is a benefit for the United Christian Ministries of Jackson County and the WCU Honors College’s student study abroad fund. A reception will be held following the evening concert.

Aksyonova, a pianist from Russia, and Waldo, an American cellist, met and began playing together while attending graduate studies at Mannes College in New York City. Based in Manhattan, the duo is beginning its second season of professional engagements this spring, including performances at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival in Charleston, the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival, and appearances in New York, Connecticut and Rhode Island.

The program for the concert will include works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Ayumi Okada, Alexander Scriabin, Chandler Carter and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Funding for the A.W. Duo’s appearance at WCU is being provided by Dr. Mark Whitehead and his wife, Kathy Whitehead, both members of the Honors College’s Advisory Board from Highlands.

Prior to the March 24 performance, Aksyonova and Waldo will present a workshop focusing on the business aspects of their artistic lives at 4 p.m. in the Catamount Room of WCU’s A.K. Hinds University Center. The workshop is open to the public.

Tickets are $5 for students and $15 for all others.

828.227.7383 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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A celebration of Appalachian storytelling, music and drama, The Liar’s Bench will hit the stage at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 20, in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Storyteller Gary Carden will begin the program with his opening monologue, followed by singer and instrumentalist Paul Iarussi and Cherokee storyteller Lloyd Arneach. Carden will then present a preview of his new play, “Tuckasegee Rising.” The staged reading, which expands upon the material presented at the Mountain Heritage Center last June, will feature narrator Tom DeWeese, as well as Newt Smith in the role of the Pied Piper, with additional commentary by Carden and Dave Waldrop.

This dramatic work-in-progress owes its origin to the historical account of the drowning of 19 African-American chain-gang laborers in the Tuckasegee River on December 30, 1882. The event took place while they were working on the Cowee Tunnel, a vital component of the newly constructed Western Carolina Railroad, which marked the 19th century onset of industrial development in the Appalachian region.

Free.

828.227.7129.

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Highly-acclaimed Christian rock bands Audio Adrenaline, Kutless, Finding Favour and Shine Bright Baby will perform at 7 p.m. Friday, March 21, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

Audio Adrenaline formed in 1986 at Kentucky Christian University. In 1999, their third album “Bloom” was certified gold. Soon after, they were asked to open for DC Talk on their Jesus Freak World Tour in 1999. The group co-founded a venture called the Hands and Feet Project. As part of this organization, Audio Adrenaline helped build an orphanage in Haiti. 

Kutless has sold over three million records worldwide and released their most current album, Believer, in 2012. Believer debuted at number one on the Billboard Christian Albums chart. 

Tickets start at $15 each.

www.greatmountainmusic.com or 866.273.4615.

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art greeningupThe 17th Annual Greening Up the Mountains festival will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in downtown Sylva.

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art zacbrownRenowned country group the Zac Brown Band will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

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art malpassAmericana/country act The Malpass Brothers will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 29, at the Highlands Performing Arts Center.

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Jackson County Republicans have been busy during the winter season finalizing plans for their 2014 annual county convention, the NCGOP Convention and arranging for offices in Cashiers and Sylva. The annual convention and precinct meetings will be held on Friday, March 21 at the Jackson County Senior Center Heritage Room in Sylva. The 2014 Republican headquarters offices, slated to open on or around April 1, are located in Cashiers, at Laurel Terrace on Highway 64 East, and in Sylva at 58 Sunrise Park. These locations were also used as Republican offices in 2012. 

Registration for the county’s fourteen precinct meetings begins at 5 p.m. Participants will elect precinct officers and select delegates and alternates to attend and speak for Jackson County at the county, district and state conventions. To be eligible, delegates and alternates must live in Jackson County and be registered Republicans as of January 31, 2014. 

The convention features two speakers. Michelle Hicks, principal chief of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians, is expected to report on what will be offered at the state NCGOP Convention to be held in June in Cherokee. Nick Tennyson, chief deputy of the North Carolina Department of Transportation and former mayor of Durham, will also be speaking.  

Also at the convention, Republican candidate attendees will be available to meet, greet and answer questions. Among the candidates expected to attend are Jackson County commissioners Jack Debnam (unaffiliated), Doug Cody and Charles Elders. State Senator Jim Davis, U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows and District Judge Donna Forga, all in reelection races, will also attend. Primary race candidates slated to attend are Dodie Allen, Mike Clampitt and Aaron Littlefield for election to District 119 of the state House of Representatives and three candidates for Jackson County sheriff,  Jimmy Hudgins, Curtis Lambert and Mary Rock.

Jackson County Republican Party Chair Ralph Slaughter of Cashiers, who will be heading the convention committee, has announced that “Republicans, conservatives, constitutionalists, unaffiliateds, Libertarians and Tea Party members interested in attending the Convention are welcome” 

Reservations may be made by calling 828.743.6491, or by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Further information may be found on the organization’s website, www.jacksoncountygop.com.

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fr steinemBy Melanie Threlkeld McConnell • Correspondent

Here is a simple solution for stimulating the economy in this country: give women equal pay for equal work, said author and activist Gloria Steinem, during a recent speech at Western Carolina University.

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Students and visitors to the Western Carolina University campus, whether in a car or on roller skates, will soon have a few dollars more of incentive to follow the school’s rules governing vehicular and pedestrian traffic. The WCU Board of Trustees approved an increase for a number of citation fees during its March 7 meeting. 

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A new bakery and bistro is coming to downtown Sylva. The Perk & Pastry Bistro will offer a wide array of pastries and baked goods, espresso drinks, breakfast, lunch and house-made gourmet grab-and-go items. The new business plans to open in early April.

The new bakery — a venture being launched by City Lights Café owners Bernadette Peters and Pat Thomas — will be located at 506 W. Main Street, the former Main Street Bakery and Annie’s Bakery location. With the loss of Annie’s, followed by the closure of Main Street Bakery, Peters and Thomas feel there is a need in downtown Sylva for a sustainable bakery.

“Having been involved with the Main Street Sylva Association and having started City Lights Café three years ago, we realized that the town needs more restaurants and retailers in order to thrive,” explained Peters. “The Association formed a committee to recruit key businesses to Sylva and highlight our town. We decided to step up and be a part of that by reopening the bakery.”

The Perk & Pastry will feature plenty of gluten-free and traditional sweet and savory baked goods. A new self-service bar will be added to for convenient in-and-out purchases of coffee, pastries, salads and sandwiches. A full service espresso menu will be available as well as locally made goat cheese, house-made salsas, salads, hummus and soups. Made-to-order breakfast burritos and bagel sandwiches will be offered for breakfast, as well as some of Main Street’s most popular cold sandwiches, paninis and salads.

As the owners open the new bakery, City Lights Café will no longer be open for breakfast during the week. The café will continue serving lunch and dinner seven days a week, including breakfast and brunch on the weekends.

For more information, call 678.643.3899 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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The trio of Christian ministries and advocates for the disadvantaged looking to transform the old state prison in Hazelwood into a place of renewal will look to the community to guide its next steps. 

“We hope to look at the total community and seek to identify gaps in services to meet basic human needs,” said Patsy Dowling, executive director of Mountain Projects, which is a nonprofit that carries out a host of social service programs. 

The groups will meet with interested community members at 4 p.m. March 18 at the Haywood County Senior Resources Center on Elmwood Way in Waynesville. The interactive meeting will cover many aspects of the project, including fundraising. 

The vision is for the old prison on Brown Avenue to become a transitional home for recently released inmates, a temporary shelter for homeless people and a second location for Open Door Ministries to serve hot meals to those who need them. Organizers are currently working with Haywood County commissioners, who support the idea, to come up with a lease and a Memorandum of Understanding.

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The Cullowhee Rock & Rumble Fest will attract college students from a several state area for a rock climbing and bouldering competition at Western Carolina University on Saturday, March 22.

The sixth annual event will be hosted by the WCU climbing team and Base Camp Cullowhee. It is sanctioned by the USA Climbing Collegiate Climbing Series, but students enrolled at any college or university can participate. Points are awarded for successful sends, with deductions based on the number of falls.  

Competition begins at 10 a.m. at the Campus Recreation Center on Base Camp Cullowhee’s climbing wall. 

828.227.3633 or www.basecamp.wcu.edu.

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A documentary about natural gas “fracking” in America, “Gasland Part 2,” will be screened in Sylva on Saturday, March 22, at the Jackson County Public Library.

A presentation on fracking will be held at 6:30 p.m. by Clean Water for North Carolina, with the film starting at 7 p.m.

Last year, the N.C. legislature sanctioned a feasibility study on natural gas extraction in the mountains, prompting attention from state and regional environmental groups.

The free screening is being sponsored by The Canary Coalition and www.occupywnc. 828.631.3447 or www.canarycoalition.org.

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With spring around the corner, campgrounds and secondary roads in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are reopening for the year. The schedule for facilities on the N.C. side of the park is:

• Scenic roads: Clingmans Dome Road will open on April 1; Heintooga Ridge and Balsam Mountain roads will open on May 23. 

• Campgrounds: Big Creek, Deep Creek, Cataloochee campgrounds will open April 11; Smokemont campground will open May 15; Balsam Mountain campground will open May 23;

• Horse Camps: Cataloochee will open April 4 and Big Creek on April 11. The Smokemont Riding Stable will open March 22.

• Picnic areas: Collins Creek picnic area will open on April 4; Big Creek picnic area will open on April 11 and Heintooga picnic area will open on May 23.

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Jim Costa, a biology professor at Western Carolina University and the Director of the Highlands Biological Station, has been nominated for the Roosevelt-Ashe Conservation Awards to be given out by Wild South later this month.

The awards recognize and honor outstanding work to protect wild places and wild things in the South. Nominees hail from five Southern states and exemplify dedication and passion for environmental conservation. 

“It takes working together with partners all across our region to provide landscape-level protection,” said Benjamin Colvin, Wild South’s Development Director. “We believe it is vital to recognize and celebrate the incredible work being done to unite voices for environmental protection, to promote conservation science and education, to advocate for wildlife, and to protect cultural heritage on public lands.”

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out windowAn antique window was stolen from an historic cabin in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

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out watrThe volunteer battalion of the Watershed Association of the Tuckaseigee River is looking for new recruits to help monitor water quality in creeks and rivers in Jackson and Swain counties.

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out mackayeA dicey section of the long-distance Benton MacKaye hiking trail that forced hikers to walk along the side of a narrow highway in Graham County will soon be re-routed off-road as a proper trail should be.

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out blackrockTrail runners will scramble, scratch and claw their way to the 5,810-foot summit of Pinnacle Park in Sylva during the annual Assault on Black Rock trail run held Saturday, March 22.

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out frBy Jake Flannick • SMN Correspondent

About a year ago, Patrick O’Neal bought an old, chrome-rimmed Schwinn bicycle. He was just looking for an alternative way to get to class from his off-campus dorm. Now he spends most weekends enduring long periods of what he and other cyclists acknowledge as a kind of physical and mental punishment. 

It is a grinding workout routine. The Western Carolina University senior spends his weekends pedaling several dozen mountain miles and speaks with enthusiasm about “putting your body through hell.”

“It’s pretty much my whole life right now,” O’Neal said.

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op beckmanBy John Beckman • Columnist

After the hard winter of sub-zero temperatures, heavy snows and power outages our region and much of the nation has seen in 2014, I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of people desperately hoping for an early spring. For them, the end of winter — with frozen pipes, cars in ditches, wet muddy clothes and way too much “emergency living” — cannot come soon enough. 

It's not just the usual lot of spring-fevered gardeners and farmers chomping to get the first peas and mustards in the ground, or the hikers, birders and climbers looking for a chance to enjoy their hobbies with fewer chances of freezing to death. People in the construction and landscaping/grading business are likewise hoping for a stretch in the weather when the ground is neither frozen solid or too soupy to work, if you can get to the job to start with. 

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To the Editor:

The drumbeat of complaints about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) from the political right wing leave me a bit mystified. The cries of creeping socialism and government takeover of medical care either mark the duplicity of those making such claims or demonstrate a very low opinion of the intelligence of the public they serve.  

So why is the ruckus about the ACA blatant hypocrisy? Many of the core ideas in the ACA were in the plan developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation and later applied in Mitt Romney’s health plan in Massachusetts.

A consistent complaint about Obamacare is the mandate to purchase coverage. We live with all kinds of mandates with little complaint. The state mandates that we have liability insurance if we own a car. Haven’t had an accident? Doesn’t matter. The bank mandates that we have insurance if we borrow money to buy a home or car.

The government mandates that we pay taxes for Social Security and Medicare as well as a host of other government functions.

The most ridiculous complaint is that the program is socialistic. Under socialism, the government would provide the insurance, own the clinics and hospitals and hire the doctors directly. Obamacare has none of this.  

We do have programs that feature some of these elements, however. Medicare is a single-payer plan where the government provides the insurance but doesn’t own the hospitals or hire the doctors. Social Security is a form of insurance that is financed by the government through tax contributions.

Ironically, the closest we have to a socialist type medical system is the Veteran’s Administration, where the government provides the funds, owns the clinics and hospitals and hires the doctors. 

So what is all of the fuss about? The actual game has been obvious since Sen. Mitch McConnell pledged to make Barack Obama a one-term president — and failed. It’s about blocking all of the president’s initiatives, even shutting down the government at one point.  

If these complaints about Obamacare were based on real conservative principles, the U.S. House of Representatives would be voting to cancel or privatize Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the Veterans Administration. Otherwise, the objections about the ACA are simply political posturing.

John Gladden

Franklin

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To the Editor:

I’m writing as a citizen and resident of Jackson County to voice my support for Ron Robinson for North Carolina State Senate, District 50, the seat currently occupied by Tea Party extremist Jim Davis, R-Franklin. 

As a person deeply concerned about the degradation of our natural environment, I see Robinson as someone I can trust to act responsibly and reasonably in addressing the most important issues of our times. Ron Robinson will use science, not an ideological partisan political agenda, as the basis for the environmental and health policies he supports and proposes when elected. 

Ron Robinson will not be controlled by the PAC money of Art Pope’s front groups, the Koch Brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Duke Energy or any of the other corrupting influences that have been muddying the waters of our democratic electoral process in North Carolina in recent years. I would urge all who care about the environment, public health, our educational system and local control of our state government, to vote for Ron Robinson in the Democratic Primary on May 6 and in the General Election on Nov. 4. 

 Avram Friedman

 Dillsboro

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To the Editor:

I was having an otherwise intelligent conversation with one of my more liberal acquaintances the other day when I was blown away by one of his radical statements. He told me how awful it was that medical insurance companies make a huge profit of 15 percent on their insurance and that government could do it cheaper. I could only assume he has been watching altogether too much television and his favorites programs are about space aliens and finding Bigfoot and that Paris Hilton would make a great president.

In his mind, government is just something up there and he knows only that it exists in Washington and assumes federal employees work for free. He doesn’t comprehend that government is made up of human beings that need to be paid and that their unionized salaries are considerably more than any insurance company pays its employees.

The fact is that the VA is going through turmoil with veterans in some areas who wait months to see a doctor and longer to get the benefits they are entitled to and incompetent managers simply get promoted, all of which gives us a good insight into the future of a government-run single-payer medical system. Government workers are unionized civil service and cannot be fired for incompetency. My acquaintance all but seems to live on another planet.  

In the world of private medical insurance, employees are held responsible for incompetency and can be fired from their jobs.

That so-called outrageous 15 percent profit is what pays the private insurance company employees, and I’ve seen figures that range from 22 percent to 25 percent for a comparable government employee to do the same job. The efficiency of business is considerably higher than government and government costs, when all the other benefits are taken into consideration, may run as high as 30 percent more.

This all reminds me of when I was a young man, I volunteered to run a therapeutic hobby program for veterans at a mental hospital in Augusta, Ga. The patients had suffered from the effects of combat during World War II. One in particular had had a lobotomy and did some pretty good work on building model airplanes, but he had the strange habit of drifting off into a conversation about government and referred to it as “you know, them, up there” or “those people up there somewhere.” To him, government was a vague idea of the Land of Oz. 

Unfortunately, lots of Americans fall into this category and only have a vague notion of what government really is and the reality of the moment escapes them.

If a single-payer system is so great, then why is it collapsing in England and other countries that use it? Somebody has to be paid, and it’s a question of paying more efficient and responsible private insurance company employees or paying less efficient government employees higher wages? That’s all it boils down to. Which do you want?

Bob Wilson

Franklin

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op frBy Martin Dyckman • Guest Columnist

Even authoritarian regimes like Russia’s pretend to respect the right to vote. The contrast with authentic democracies is defined by these factors: the ease or difficulty of actually casting a vote, how honestly it is counted, and whether it even matters.

Democracy in North Carolina is failing miserably on two of them.

First, the Republican majority in Raleigh rigged the voting districts to guarantee their control of the General Assembly even before the people’s votes are cast and counted. The parties are contesting barely half the seats this year. Nearly a third are entirely unopposed.

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art iglesiasAcclaimed comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform at 7:30 p.m., March 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

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art encausticArtist t.e. siewert will hold an encaustic painting demonstration from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Gallery 86 on Main Street in Waynesville. 

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art williamsCountry music’s legendary “Gentle Giant” Don Williams will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

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The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns over the next three to six weeks on about 3,500 acres of the Nantahala Ranger District in the Nantahala National Forest. 

The prescribed burn will take place in the following areas: 

• Slip Off area, 190 acres, Swain County. 

• Rattlesnake Knob area, 248 acres, Macon County.

• Alarka Laurel area, 697 acres, Swain County.

• Dirty John area, 830 acres, Macon County. 

• Steeltrap Knob area, 872 acres, Macon County. 

• Pine Mtn. area, 704 acres, Macon County. 

The dates for each burn will be announced as they are decided and weather permits. The prescribed burns will reduce the amount of fuel on the forest floor, preventing catastrophic wildfire and reducing risks to nearby communities, said forestry officials. www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home  

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The Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker is set for March 8-9 at the Nantahala Bridge Gates at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). 

The Glacier Breaker is the season-opener for both wildwater and slalom competition in the United States.  Late registration for Saturday’s slalom and wildwater competition will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. at NOC’s River’s End Restaurant, followed by a competitors meeting at 10:30 a.m. Slalom races start at 11:30 a.m. at the Nantahala Bridge Gates and the Wildwater Sprint at 11:30 a.m. at Donnie Dutton Park.

Registration for Sunday’s wildwater competition will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Sunday, March 9, at River’s End Restaurant, followed by a competitor’s meeting at 10:30 a.m. Registration for Sunday’s Wildwater Classic Start will be at 11:30 a.m. at Ledge’s Rapid.  Awards ceremonies will be held each day following the competition.

Registration for the 2014 Glacier Breaker is $20 for NRC members and $30 for non-members for both slalom and wildwater. A complete schedule of events and downloadable registration forms are at www.noc.com/nrcevents. The Glacier Breaker is hosted by the Nantahala Racing Club, a local nonprofit organization sponsored by the NOC and dedicated to the development of competitive whitewater athletes in both slalom and wildwater disciplines. 

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The left loop of the Tsali Trail system has been reopened. 

Last month, the U.S. Forest Service closed the trail because of a slide along the trail. Located near Fontana Lake, Tsali Recreation Area is nationally known for its 42-mile trail system. The four-loop network is open to hikers and horses, but the system is best known as a challenging mountain bike course.

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Friends of the Smokies’ first Classic Hike of the year will be to Little Cataloochee on Tuesday, March 11.

Join renowned outdoor author and hiking expert Danny Bernstein on this easy, 6.1-mile hike on Little Cataloochee Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Each 2014 Classic Hike will highlight a park program that Friends of the Smokies has supported. Hikers will visit Hannah Cabin, Cook Cabin and Little Cataloochee Baptist Church along the trail. 

The Classic Hike is $10 for current Friends of the Smokies members and $35 for non-members, who will receive a complimentary membership. Members who bring a friend hike for free. All registration donations benefit the Smokies Trails Forever program. 

Meeting locations for the hike will be in Asheville and Waynesville. To register for this Classic Hike of the Smokies, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.452.0720. 

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out parkviewGreat Smoky Mountains National Park rangers need volunteers to help track nature’s calendar.

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To the Editor:

Ron Robinson, a Democrat and Sylva businessman, has launched his campaign to become the next senator from District 50, attempting to replace incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Davis of Franklin. Ron recognizes that the ill-advised attack on the funding of public schools by the current N.C. Legislature must be reversed. The voucher system would, if ever implemented, siphon off public funds designated for public schools.

Ron knows that public education in North Carolina has provided the means for people to improve their own lives as well the lives of all North Carolinians — people of all incomes and people of all races and nationalities. He will work to ensure that public education money continues to flow to public schools as our state laws have intended for nearly two centuries.

Dave Waldrop

Webster

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