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Dr. C.L Gray, who is well known for his activities promoting healthcare reform, will speak on May 3 at the Mountain High Republican Women’s Club luncheon at the High Hampton Inn and Country Club.
Gray founded Physicians for Reform in December 2006 to find solutions for American healthcare. The organization’s position is that working together, physicians, patients, and the business community can recapture the heart of medicine and secure a political platform to reform American healthcare.
Dr. Gray, a practicing internal medicine physician in North Carolina, previously served as chief medical resident at Bassett Healthcare, an affiliate of Columbia University.
All interested parties are invited to attend the luncheon.
828.743.9005 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Western Carolina University’s spring graduating class will be honored as the university holds a trio of commencement ceremonies over a two-day period, May 6 and 7.
Commencement for WCU’s Graduate School will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, May 6. Commencement for the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Education and Allied Professions, and Fine and Performing Arts will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 7, and that event will be followed the same day by a 3:30 p.m. ceremony for the College of Business, College of Health and Human Sciences, and Kimmel School of Construction Management and Technology.
WCU’s ceremonies are open to everyone, with no limit on the number of family members and friends who can attend.
The events will include recognition of the service of outgoing WCU Chancellor John W. Bardo, who will be stepping down from his position July 1.
828.227.7216.
A 40-hour training program for professionals who have encounters with mentally ill people will be held May 16 through 20 at Haywood Community College.
CIT (Crisis Intervention Training) specializes in teaching the best methods to defuse and stabilize encounters with mentally ill persons. This program is designed for law enforcement officers and emergency personnel. Officers from local hospitals and universities are also eligible for the training.
CIT is a pre-booking jail diversion program designed to improve the outcomes of police interactions with people with mental illnesses and brain disorders.
828.452.6675 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
The Macon County Health Department implemented a new open-access appointment system in February that has cleared a four-week backlog of appointments.
The open-access system replaced the previous system of clinic days. Now, most services are available every weekday, allowing patients to be seen in the first available appointment slot, no matter what service they need. Most appointments can be scheduled within 72 hours of contacting the public health department.
Only Franklin area services are affected by the system. Highlands and Nantahala clinic days will not change. Macon County Public Health will file Medicare, Medicaid, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Tricare,
Crescent, and certain Medicare replacements for its patients.
828.349.2081 or visit www.maconnc.org.
Mountain Mediation Services will hold a three-day community mediation training from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., May 24 through 26 in the Bryson City United Methodist Church at 76 Main Street.
The training is recommended for those who want to learn neutral ways to mediate conflict in workplaces, families, churches, community organizations and neighborhoods.
The fee of $195 for the three-day training covers all materials, the training and the snacks and beverages provided throughout the day (lunch is on your own).
828.349.2561, 800.789.4675 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
The 2011 FUNd Party Series will kick off with Cinco de Mayo in the Garden from 5 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 5, at the home of David and Rosemarie Harrington at 225 Seasons Drive in Clyde.
The series benefits the Haywood County Arts Council and will feature three parties in May, offering food, entertainment and unique experiences.
The first late-afternoon party invites gardeners of all levels to join in celebrating Cinco De Mayo on the porch and in the garden with appetizers and drinks and sharing and trading plants from your own personal gardens.
All attending will have the opportunity to bring some of the results of early spring digging and thinning. Ideas and plant-growing wisdom will also be shared. Participants may bring as many plants as they want. Tickets are $35 and seating is limited to thirty partygoers.
The second party in the series is Birding for the Arts, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, May 7. Birders will meet at the Performing Arts Center at 8 a.m. to set out on a day-long stroll through the area in search of regional nesting birds with sponsors Joe Sam and Kate Queen and naturalist Don Hendershot. A gourmet boxed lunch will be provided.
Tickets are $25 per person and participation is limited to 35 partygoers.
828.452.0593 or visit www.haywoodarts.org.
The Mother’s Day Gemboree will open its doors from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 6 and 7 and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m on May 8 at the Macon County Community Building in Franklin.
Gem and mineral dealers will display and sell everything from fine jewelry to rough and cut gems and minerals. This show complements two other gem and mineral shows held in July and October. Door prizes will also be given. Admission is $1 for adults and children under 12 are free.
800.336.7829 or 828.524.3161.
Airing of the Quilts, a new event showcasing quilt artistry, will be held on Saturday, May 7, in downtown Franklin.
Businesses and homeowners will hang quilts from their storefronts and porches to create a burst of spring color throughout the town.
While the downtown area will be the focus of the event, everyone is invited to join in to create a county-wide display of quilts. Residents can call to have their location added to a list that will be handed out during the event.
The Smoky Mountain Quilters Guild, Macon County Quilt Trail project and Macon County Art Association will also have displays on the square in downtown, while the Cowee Quilters will be demonstrating at Pleasant Hill AME Church in the West’s Mill District.
828.524.2516.
The first Art After Dark of the season will kick off from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 6, in downtown Waynesville.
Presented by the Waynesville Gallery Association, Art After Dark takes place the first Friday of each month May through December. Enjoy a stroll through working studios and galleries on Main Street, Depot Street and in Historic Frog Level. Flags denote participating galleries and pianist Steve Whiddon is musician on the street for the evening.
Haywood County Arts Council’s Gallery 86 is hosting an artist reception during Art After Dark for its new exhibition, “310 ART Contemporary Works from the Rivers Arts District,” with work from Waynesville, Asheville, and Hendersonville artists.
Gallery Two Six Two’s featured artists for May are watercolorists Pamela Haddock and Margaret Roberts.
Textures will feature new work by painters Joe Parrot and Sarah Faulkner, and potter John Nickerson, along with live blues music by Karen “Sugar” Barnes. At T. Pennington Art Gallery, come see a recently completed Biltmore Estate drawing and a 2011 St. Nicholas that Teresa Pennington will be working on during Art After Dark.
Twigs and Leaves Gallery will feature jewelry fashioned by Carolyn Brigman.
828.452.9284 or visit www.waynesvillegalleryassociation.com.
An introductory photography class will begin Tuesday, May 3, at First Baptist Church in Waynesville.
The class is offered by Lori Johnson and will teach students to work with buttons and menus, as well as how to start making better photos. Students will work on a variety of subjects such as landscape, portrait, architecture and storytelling to get used to the controls.
Lori will also be teaching children’s art classes, which include a variety of activities, from painting to cookie decorating.
828.627.6214 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for class times or to register.
Macon County youth will take the stage at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Franklin High School Fine Arts Center in Showcase of Talent 2011.
The showcase is a non-competitive talent show for third- to 12th-graders, featuring students chosen from the county’s public, private, and home schools, performing a variety of acts, from vocal and instrumental numbers to dance, gymnastics, and comedy routines.
This year’s show will include a special segment of African Dance with Franklin dance teacher Jada Bryson.
Tickets are $5 for adults and $2 for youth 16 and under. Proceeds support the Arts Council’s Artists-in-the-Schools Program, which brings arts programs to Macon County Public Schools.
828.524.7683, e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.artscouncilofmacon.org.
A poetry slam will be held at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 28, at the Marianna Black Library in Bryson City as part of National Poetry Month. The event will feature fifth-graders from the Mountain Discovery Charter School, whose poetry is already on display at the library.
828.488.3030 or visit www.fontanalib.org/brysoncity.
A stained glass course will be offered from 6 to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, May 5 through June 9, at the Cordelia Camp Building at Western Carolina University. Courses are run by the school’s Division of Educational Outreach.
The course, suitable for both beginners and advanced students, will follow the Tiffany method of stained glass, where each piece of glass is wrapped in copper foil and soldered. Students will complete a project in plain glass and a small panel in colored glass while learning about safety, cutting techniques, foiling and soldering, and simple metal framing, as well as types of glass, solders and copper foils.
The instructor, Moya O’Neal, has been working in stained glass for more than 20 years.
Cost is $85. Pre-registration is required. 828.227.7397, 800.928.4968 or visit learn.wcu.edu.
The first of this season’s Sylva After Dark events is coming to downtown from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, May 6. The evening is an opportunity to stroll through downtown Sylva and enjoy arts, dining, music, shopping and more.
Sylva After Dark is a seasonal celebration of local art, held every Friday, May through December, in downtown Sylva.
828.586.1577 or visit downtownsylva.org.
The 12th annual Taste of Chocolate competition will run from 6 to 9 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 at the Maggie Valley Country Club.
Tickets are $12 each and can be purchased at Fun Things, Etc. or Blue Ridge Books and News.
Around 30 chocolatiers will compete in three categories: professional, amateur and B&B. Judges from the community will choose the winners. Guests will enjoy sampling the chocolate along with coffee, a wine bar and milk fountain. A silent auction with selections from local businesses will also be on offer.
Proceeds will support the Haywood-Jackson Volunteer Center.
Needtobreathe will play at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, April 27, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin. The 4-piece rock band will perform songs from their current album “The Outsiders,” which debuted at No. 20 on the Billboard Top 200.
With non-stop touring and performances at festivals such as Bonnaroo, the band’s live show has helped build a dedicated fan base.
Tickets are $20. 866.273.4615 or visit greatmountainmusic.com.
Animal lovers and those in the mood for a laugh will find plenty of entertainment when Popovich Comedy Pet Theater comes to Western Carolina University’s Fine and Performing Arts Center at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 1.
Comedian Gregory Popovich leads the family-friendly show along with a cast of professional clowns and jugglers and trained animal performers, including cats, dogs, geese and parrots, all originally rescued from animal shelters.
As the son of Russian circus performers and dog trainers, Popovich discovered his passion for animals and onstage entertainment at an early age, joining the Moscow Circus at age 17.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $20 for senior citizens and $5 for students and children.
828.227.2479 or visit fapac.wcu.edu.
The Great Smoky Mountains chapter of the Audubon Society, based in Maggie Valley and Waynesville, has been officially recognized and accepted by The National Audubon Society after initially forming a year ago.
The mission of the chapter is to promote an awareness and appreciation of nature and to encourage responsible environmental stewardship through education, protection, conservation and restoration of natural ecosystems, focusing on birds, other wildlife and their habitats for the benefit of humanity and the earth’s biological diversity.
The Great Smoky Mountains Audubon Society meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of the month, April through October, at the Maggie Valley Pavilion beside town hall. It also has a full line-up of programs and outings planned for the spring.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or www.gsmas.com.
• “Wolf Tales”, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 26.
Rob Gudger, a wildlife biologist who works with wolves, and animal handler Robert Edwards will introduce Wayah, Amaroc, & Mohican for a multifaceted “hands-on” program on the life of a wolf. Held at Maggie Pavilion.
• “Spring Migrants”, Saturday, April 30. Birding Field Trip led by Don Hendershot, a naturalist, biological consultant and freelance writer. His column “The Naturalist’s Corner” has appeared in The Smoky Mountain News for more than a decade. Meet at 7:30 a.m. in the Super Wal-Mart parking lot on the side closest to Verizon.
• “Return of the Songbirds”, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, May 10. Program Curtis Smalling is the Important Bird Areas Coordinator and Mountain Program Manager of Audubon North Carolina. Held at Maggie Pavilion.
A pesticide disposal collection day has been scheduled in Haywood County from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, May 18, at the N.C. Cooperative Extension Center at 589 Raccoon Road.
The primary objective is to assist farmers and homeowners in properly disposing of any unwanted pesticides. There is no charge for this service. Bring any pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, herbicides, etc.) that are in their original containers and are clearly labeled. Materials of unknown identity, paints, or other hazardous waste will not be accepted. 828.456.3575.
Help protect the creeks in the Tuckasegee River Watershed by learning to collect and identify aquatic insects, considered key indicators of how polluted a creek is.
The Watershed Association of the Tuckasegee River (WATR) will hold a one-day training on from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, April 30, at the Whittier Community Center. Participants will learn how to report water quality problems, identify aquatic insects and collect valid field samplings. Volunteers work in small groups to take samples on at least twice a year, usually spring and fall, for a total of about eight to 10 hours per year. Agencies use this information to identify waterways in need of additional attention.
For those oriented to environmental education, it is an opportunity to build your resume and earn credits. Anyone, age 17 and up, and all levels of experience are welcome. For ages 15 and 16, call ahead to the WATR office to discuss participation. A $5 donation or more is requested to help cover costs for materials. Participants should either bring a lunch, or purchase a lunch for $5.
828.488.8418 or www.WATRnc.org.
Western North Carolina has one of the highest concentrations of summer camps in America, and an economic-impact study completed in January by a team of researchers from N. C. State University found it amounts to about $365 million.
The researchers looked at residential summer youth camps in four counties: Buncombe, Henderson, Jackson and Transylvania. The study also estimated a direct economic impact of $218 million; more than 10,000 full-time equivalent jobs created in addition to camp staff; $260 million in increased resident income and $33 million in tax revenue during the summer of 2010.
Seasonal staff, who traveled specifically to WNC because of the residential camps, were shown to spend an average of $2,402 during their stay (before, during, and after camp) in WNC.
Incremental visitors, who traveled specifically to WNC because of residential camps and did not live in the four-county WNC region, each spent an average of $2,096 during multiple stays in WNC.
The study also examined families’ perceptions of the benefits of summer camps. More than 93 percent of camp families felt camps made a positive difference in their children’s lives, and 95 percent would not only recommend a camp experience, but would send their child back to camp.
The two Jackson County camps included in the study had an $11.5 million total economic impact, $7 million direct economic impact, and $800,000 in tax revenue.
Families can discover how the great outdoors exists in their own backyards during “Outdoor Adventure Day,” from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, in Asheville. The event is being put on by the N.C. Arboretum but will be held at the Asheville Outdoor Center on Amboy Road in West Asheville.
The event is designed to introduce families to fun and low-cost outdoor entertainment and activities offered by the Arboretum and Asheville Outdoor Center. Children and adults will learn about local wildlife through live animal presentations. Arboretum staff will lead nature walks, as well as geocaching activities and make-and-take crafts. Visitors can enjoy some friendly competition through nature-centered field games, complete with prizes.
www.ncarboretum.org or 828.665.2492.
Several plant sales are coming up for gardeners and flower lovers.
• Haywood Community College will hold a Spring Plant and Craft Sale from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. on Friday, April 29. The sale will be held on campus at HCC’s horticulture parking lot. All plants for sale were raised by students in the Horticulture Program and all crafts were made by students in the professional crafts programs.
828.627.4672 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
• The ninth-annual plant sale of the Macon County Master Gardener Association will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 30, at the Environmental Resource Center next to the landfill in Franklin. There will be a wide selection of plants – perennials, woody ornamentals, annuals, vegetables, herbs – at reasonable prices. New this year will be the raffle of a quilt, handmade by two of the gardeners. All proceeds of the sale go to the further development and maintenance of the demonstration gardens.
• The Whole Bloomin’ Thing festival from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 7, in the Frog Level district of downtown Waynesville will feature locally-grown garden starter plants, including annuals, vegetables and herbs, as well as perennials. 828.734.5819.
• And, finally, the Corneille Bryan Native Garden, at Lake Junaluska in Haywood County, will hold a plant sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m Saturday, May 14. The sale will be held at the top of the garden, at the junction of County Road and Ivey Lane. Plants will include native perennials grown from seed collected in the garden.
828.778.5938.
The grand opening of a 14.5-mile trail system near Hayesville in Clay County is set for 10 a.m. Saturday, April 30.
The Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association, Clay County Communities Revitalization Association and Tusquitee District of the Nantahala National Forest will host the celebration of the Jackrabbit Mountain Bike and Hiking Trail.
Following a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the Southern Appalachian Bicycle Association will lead group rides, the Young Harris College cross country team will lead group trail runs, and the Mountain High Hikers will lead hikes. There will be music, food and other presentations as well.
Construction on the trail started five years ago, and a practice trail and restroom were recently constructed at the trailhead to provide users with additional facilities. The trail system skirts the edge of peninsulas along the lakeshore. The layout allows riders to pick from multiple loops with various lengths and difficulties. The system is not open to horses. Mountain bikers reviewing the trail system in online forums have given it five-out-of-five-stars.
Jackrabbit Recreation Area has a large campground with several loops, a swimming area with a sandy beach and boat put-ins. www.sabacycling.com or 828.837.5152.
Nantahala Outdoor Center and The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa have unveiled plans for NOC’s Basecamp Asheville, solidifying a strategic relationship between two classic Southern travel destinations.
NOC will operate an experiential retail and outdoor activity concept shop within the luxury resort, serving as an on-site
activity concierge for hotel guests. The outfitter will offer outdoor trip planning and provide expert advice for exploring the mountains, from rafting to mountain
biking to canopy tours. NOC will also have a retail shop including men’s, women’s and children’s apparel, footwear and
accessories from leading outdoor brands such as Patagonia, The North Face and Keen.
NOC’s Basecamp Asheville will be located immediately off The Grove Park Inn’s Great Hall. It will be the first LEED- certified retail project in downtown Asheville and one of the first nationally within a historic hotel. NOC’s Basecamp Asheville is expected to celebrate its grand opening in early summer.
Other elements of the alliance include convenient buttons on all in-room telephones, multi-day adventure packages and numerous on-premise experiences such as workshops, clinics and outdoor activities.
The Appalachian Trail Conservancy is seeking volunteers to help remove the invasive weed garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) from the trail’s corridor at Max Patch in northern Haywood County this Saturday, April 23.
Teams will competing to pull the largest amount of the weed. Garlic mustard escaped cultivation and has spread aggressively in North American natural areas because of a lack of natural controls, and its release of allelopathic chemicals that inhibit seed germination of other species.
The Great Garlic Mustard Gathering will also teach people about the threats of invasive exotic plants, how to identify them and what techniques are used to monitor and remove these infestations.
After a morning of garlic mustard removal, the group will gather on nearby Max Patch for an optional potluck and picnic.
Meet at 9 a.m. Work gloves and all other materials needed for the garlic mustard removal will be provided. In case of rain, the event will be rescheduled for the following Saturday, April 30.
828.254.3708 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A meteor shower with up to 20 meteors per hour will happen Friday night, April 22.
The most meteors are expected Friday night and early Saturday morning, but might be as good Thursday night as well. Unfortunately, the light of the moon will interfere with optimal viewing.
The spring meteor shower, which happens every year about this time as the Earth intersects with a trail of particles left behind by a comet, had its first recorded observation in 687 B.C.
Wildflowers, Waterfalls and Vistas will be featured in an upcoming Field Photo Program by Bob Grytten beginning May 17 to June 14. Participants will meet at the Waynesville Armory Recreation Center Wednesday morning at 8 a.m., and carpool to the shooting location, returning about noon. Then, on every other Tuesday evening from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., the group will meet to discuss and review the shoots. The program will be centered on helping participants with composition, light and what to shoot when. Field shoots are $40 per session, Tuesday meetings are $10 each, with a 20 percent discount for taking all sessions for a more comprehensive program. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828.627.0245. Bob Grytten photo.
Asheville writer and poet Holly Iglesias will read from her new collection, Angles of Approach, at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 22, at City Lights bookstore in Sylva.
Iglesias, who teaches at UNC Asheville, is a recent recipient of a major fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts.
Iglesias is also the author of Souvenirs of a Shrunken World, a collection of poems focused on the 1904 World’s Fair, and a critical work, Boxing Inside the Box: Women’s Prose Poetry.
An autograph session will follow.
828.586.9499.
Cyrano’s Book Club will meet at 5 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, in the Senior Citizen’s Center in Sylva.
The current book discussion will deal with Tom Franklin’s new novel, Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter. New members are welcome.
Additonal information about this meeting and future meetings can be obtained by contacting Gary Carden at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
To the Editor:
The Republican design on Medicare comes straight from that dubious chapter of the Vietnam War in which “it became necessary to destroy the town to save it.”
Rep. Paul Ryan’s voucher scheme would destroy Medicare as surely, if not as fast, as repealing it. It is wrong in so many ways as to be diabolical:
• By making it easier for Congress to freeze payments and then slash them. For all their presumed influence, seniors have less lobbying clout than the doctors and hospitals Medicare presently pays directly.
• By putting America’s elderly on the hook for ever-increasing costs, captives once again to the health insurance racket and the vagaries of charity care.
• By pitting those who are already seniors against those who hope to live to be. Nothing could be more cynical than to say to some of us, “You can keep your Medicare. We’re throwing only younger folk under the bus.”
We have already tried “consumer choice” and “competition.” The notion that patients can spend more wisely out of pocket is woefully unrealistic. What are your options when you’re felled with a stroke or heart attack? Only to go where they take you, or lie there and die.
If the commercial market were as efficient as the Republicans pretend, health care would not be costing America nearly half as much again as the average of all 30 nations that belong to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Health consumes 16 percent of our gross domestic product, compared to 10.3 in Canada, 11.2 in France, and 10.5 in Germany, to name only a few of the nations that provide universal coverage without socializing doctors. The excuse here is that we have the best health care in the world, but do we really? Our life expectancy of 77.9 is nearly two years less than the OECD average.
As a citizen on Medicare, I’m willing to do my part for our country’s future. For starters, I could pay more for the prescription drug plan that a Republican president failed to finance. I could also pay higher taxes. But the Republicans don’t want to share the burdens fairly — not when they refuse even to consider tax increases for people like Donald Trump.
Martin A. Dyckman
Waynesville
To the Editor:
Circumstances have prevented the organization of the annual county-wide litter pick-up/recycling event to celebrate Earth Day here in Macon County.
Because there has been no one able to fill this breach for a spring-time effort, let me personally urge all Macon County residents to please go outside, pick up and appropriately recycle the glaringly evident roadside trash, the plastic bags blown into the fields, brush and trees, and the various junk decorating our streams and mountain vistas.
It is my hope we can organize a county-wide litter pick-up later in the year, on Saturday, Sept. 24, to coincide with an international earth effort taking place at that time.
Shirley Ches
Franklin
To the Editor:
In the April 6-12 issue of The Smoky Mountain News, Carole Larivee wrote a letter to the editor that was headlined “GOP legislators try to block federal money.”
Larivee referenced House Bill 422 sponsored by three Republican state representatives, claiming it would block “a $461 million federal grant to improve rail service between Raleigh and Charlotte, creating 4,800 jobs over the next two years.” She claimed the money “comes with no strings attached.”
I believe Larivee’s letter misled readers.
First, HB 422 prevents the N.C. Department of Transportation (NCDOT) from applying for, accepting, or expending federal grant funds unless the project had been approved through an act of the General Assembly. Under current law, NCDOT is given unlimited authority to receive funds for rail programs from the federal government, and spend those funds, without legislative oversight.
HB 422 is not draconian! N.C. county commissioners must approve applications for state or federal grants before they are made by county departments. Why shouldn’t the same apply to state departments?
Gov. Perdue is proud of reorganizing DOT to remove political cronyism from its decision-making. Passing HB 422 would be another excellent way for her to bolster that goal.
Second, the Obama administration allotted $8 billion of its $862 billion stimulus program for high-speed rail projects. This stimulus spending has been one factor in adding around $3 trillion to our national debt in two years. The DOT grant is more borrowed federal money.
Third, the $545 million grant will not create 4,800 jobs in two years, as Larivee wrote. The DOT’s own press release from Aug. 10, 2010, on the award claims “It is estimated to create or maintain 4,800 private-sector jobs.” These are jobs over four years. Furthermore, the way the estimate was made counts one job which lasts four years as four jobs. How’s that for creative accounting?
Finally, Larivee says the money “comes with no strings attached.” There are strings. If the rail project turns out to be a failure, and is shut down, N.C. would be required to repay the $545 million. N.C. will also have to provide supplementary operating funds in perpetuity. This project could be our State’s Amtrack.
Governors and legislators in Florida, Wisconsin, and Ohio have declined the free federal high-speed rail grants totaling in excess of $3 billion. I would not be disappointed to see N.C. come to its senses and decline to use its grant.
Vic Drummond
Franklin
Once more the Department of Transpor-tation will come to Macon County, in the name of listening to community input, when they hold a hearing on the fate of McCoy Bridge Monday evening, April 25, at 6 p.m. at Cowee School.
Spanning the Little Tennessee River between the Oak Grove and Rose Creek communities, McCoy is one of about thirty truss bridges remaining in service in North Carolina. It is part of an historical and scenic corridor along the northern reach of the Little T, starting with the West’s Mill Historical District, embracing the Cowee Cherokee Mound and McCoy Bridge, passing the buried remains of long forgotten Cherokee settlements and taking the slow pace of a winding highway on one side and the uniquely beautiful Needmore Road on the other. And the river itself, of exceptional quality, boasts a number of rare aquatic species as well as ancient fish traps that appear in times of low water.
When the state DOT last held a McCoy hearing in January of 2009 and presented only their preferred alternatives – all of which were quite similar – they were perhaps taken aback by community reaction and memory, which recalled the 2002 hearing and DOT promises made then for a detailed study of how the bridge could be refurbished. They had not done that, but promised to have a thorough analysis available at the next hearing, which is now at hand.
DOT would have us believe that truss bridges are unsafe. This simply is not true. To emphasize the fear associated with an unsafe bridge, shortly after the last hearing DOT lowered the McCoy Bridge load limit from 15 to 3 tons. This for a bridge that has been posted at 15 to 21 tons for over 70 years. The crossing at McCoy Bridge is slow speed and low volume. There has never been a recorded accident at or on the bridge.
Refurbishing – a highly successful practice for keeping historic bridges in service in other states – is not the only option. Two retired engineers – one in Rose Creek and the other in Oak Grove – presented a redesign proposal in person to the NC-DOT in May of 2009. This proposal would upgrade the capacity of McCoy Bridge to 26 tons, widen the bridge slightly while keeping its one-lane character, and have trusses remain as historical, rather than load-bearing, members. This plan was largely ignored by DOT, who was unable to deviate from the policy of “we don’t replace one-lane bridges with one-lane bridges.”
Other states do. Pennsylvania has over 700 truss bridges in service; Iowa over 1,200. These are both states comparable to North Carolina in geographical size. Indiana makes a point of restoring and bringing its historic bridges up to modern load-bearing standards. But North Carolina is rapidly losing its history to rigid policy standards that breach no exceptions. This must stop if we are to have any living history left. Come out Monday to Cowee School at 6 p.m. to meet with NC-DOT and make your voice heard. Safety and history are compatible.
Doug Woodward
Macon County
Governments at all levels and all across the nation are broke. At every county courthouse and state house, money taken in from taxes and fees can’t match the spending elected officials have become accustomed to. As they say in literature, a reckoning is coming. Over the next several years, the relationship between taxpayers and our government will undergo a fundamental shift.
It’s a pendulum swing, similar to what we experienced with Ronald Reagan in the 1980s. Many of us won’t like the consequences, and so we’ll write opinion pieces or letters to the editor, or blog, or protest in the streets, and finally elect folks who will do our bidding. That’s the way it works.
As I was reading about local unrest toward government spending, I got an email form Doug Woodward about the McCoy Bridge in Macon County. You can see his thoughts in our letters section.
Woodward and his neighbors are up in arms about a bridge. I wrote about that bridge controversy nine years ago, and at that time my argument did not focus on the monetary cost of rehabilitating a bridge versus building a new one. Everyone had money back then, and building around the mountains was booming. No, I worried about the cultural and symbolic value of the old bridge to the community it served.
Today we can include the fiscal argument. If it is cheaper to rehab the old bridge and give the community what it wants, then just do it. It makes sense on every level.
Anyway, here’s a portion of that column from 2002 that Woodward asked us to re-print prior to the April 25 public hearing that could decide the fate of the bridge:
Bridges have a unique symbolism in literature and in real life. At their best they provide a thread of connectedness, while at other times they highlight the distance and depth of opposing views.
In Macon County, the McCoy Bridge crossing the Little Tennessee River just off N.C. 28 is bearing the burden of exposing how government and communities can sometimes work against each other. In this case, the individual entities involved don’t harbor ill will toward the other. The real underlying problem is that the government units — the county and the state — don’t have the kind of planning in place to adequately deal with the situation that has arisen.
When that occurs, the government entities and the private citizens must share in the blame. Whether you believe it or not, in this country private citizens still determine what kind of government leaders they will have, and therefore share in whatever decisions are made. As we learn to grapple with the modern challenges of growth, sprawl and protecting the environment, this little bridge may provide an example of how to work together to meet common goals.
The McCoy Bridge is a one-lane vehicular truss bridge, the last one in Macon County. Vehicles traveling in opposite directions between the highway and Rose Creek Road must wait for cars coming across the bridge before they can pass. There is no room for zooming, two-way traffic moving at dangerous speeds. Residents in the Oak Grove community of northern Macon County want it to remain that way.
… The bridge serves a rural community a few miles outside of Franklin. As it is, massive, sprawling development on the opposite side of the river — and across the bridge — would be difficult. Many of those who might see the development potential of that mountain real estate would refrain because access is limited by the bridge. It serves as a kind of barrier, not natural, of course, but one that was built in 1939.
The state Department of Transportation, however, has determined that the bridge needs work. Engineers have deemed it functionally obsolete and unable to handle future traffic demands. Its structural integrity is suspect, they say.
…. There is also a very significant cultural and historical side to this issue. Throughout these mountains we are building roads and opening up rural areas for development instead of tackling the more difficult issue of protecting these lands and containing development in areas where infrastructure already exists. The DOT is right that the bridge is probably in dire need of some engineering work. A Ford Excursion certainly puts more stress on an old bridge than a 1945 Dodge did.
The trouble is that the DOT mandate to keep roads and bridges safe also enables them to carry more traffic, makes them wider, and makes them safer for higher speeds. Those attributes, though, are not necessarily good things for the community that uses the road — or the bridge in this case — that is being “improved.” And what we must remember is that the bridge was built to serve the community.
It’s easy to guess what will happen in this unique area of Macon County in the future if local and state leaders — along with private citizens — don’t wrestle with issues like this and get on the same page. Roads will be widened and curves will be straightened. Houses will be built. Schools will be needed in the outlying areas, solid waste will have to hauled somewhere, septic tanks or sewer lines, along with other infrastructure, will need to be built. Taxes will go up to meet these needs. The rural countryside five miles outside of Franklin will become just another suburb. A one-lane truss bridge will not be able to handle the traffic.
The McCoy Bridge dilemma serves as an example of the challenges facing these mountains. Residents who value our rural countryside have to make sure they put the leaders in place who have the same values, not those who will pave over paradise instead of working for a better alternative. Time is running out.
That warning from 2002 didn’t foresee the housing bubble burst and the ensuing recession. The dizzying pace of construction in the mountains has ground to a halt. So now we do have time to take stock of what’s important and work to save it. And we have to be more careful with every tax dollar that is spent.
In this case, we stand with the Woodward and the residents who live in this community — rehab the historic bridge and make it a showpiece instead of building a concrete slab spanning the Little Tennessee river.
(Scott McLeod can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
Public hearing
The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing on Monday, April 25, regarding alternatives for replacing the McCoy Bridge. The hearing will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Cowee Elementary School gymnasium. It will be a question-and-answer session with transportation officials. Maps displaying the bridge replacement alternatives will be available prior to the public hearing from 5 to 6 p.m.
The Small Business Center of Haywood Community College will offer a free seminar entitled, “Business Owner’s Guide to Facebook and Twitter: Starting from Scratch to Online Success” from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, April 26.
The hands-on workshop will be held on campus in Room 219, with each business owner at a computer station. During this workshop you will learn to:
• Create a Facebook business page
• Add information about your business
• Learn how to post on your wall and how to share information
• How to build a following
• Interact on Facebook as your business page
• Add and manage photos
• Open and manage a Twitter account
• Set goals and manage success
Cintia Listenbee is a journalist and the owner of Listenbee Media (cintialistenbee.com), a consulting firm that works with businesses and non-profits developing social media strategies, offering training, coaching and managing social media campaigns.
Bring a few photos of your business and you will leave this workshop with a Facebook business page as well as a Twitter Account ready for use. Space is limited so please pre-register early to reserve your seat. Call the Small Business Center at 828.627.4512 for this free seminar.
Jackson County is one of four counties in North Carolina that has decreased its dropout rate the most, according to a report recently released by the N.C. Department of Public Instruction.
Jackson County’s dropout rate fell from 4.43 percent in 2008-09 to 1.99 in 2009-10. That state’s average dropout rate is 2.55 percent, the lowest rate ever recorded in North Carolina.
Steve Jones, Jackson County’s assistant superintendent, said he couldn’t point to “any one thing that made the difference, but rather a hundred little things designed to meet kids where they are in life and take them as far as they can go.” He did point to two of Jackson County’s student retention initiatives – the Bridge Program which targets 9-12 graders, and Momentum Victory, which is geared toward 7-9 graders.
The Bridge Program is funded by Southwestern Commission’s Workforce Investment Act Youth Program and works one-on-one with high school age students to keep them in school, help them graduate, and move on with their lives. The Momentum Victory Program is funded through a grant from the General Assembly and is dedicated to early intervention and prevention among middle-schoolers and early high school age students.
The N.C. Department of Transportation will hold a public hearing from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, April 25, regarding alternatives for replacing the McCoy Bridge on Rose Creek Road over the Little Tennessee River in Macon County.
NCDOT has proposed replacing the existing bridge with a new bridge located downstream from the current location. The proposal will require additional right of way. The public hearing is the final opportunity for the public to ask questions and state comments before an alternative for replacing the bridge is chosen.
The public hearing will take place at the Cowee Elementary School gymnasium in Franklin. It will be conducted as a question and answer session with a moderator and panel of NCDOT and Federal Highway Administration representatives. Maps displaying the bridge replacement alternatives will be available prior to the public hearing from 5 to 6 p.m.
For additional information, contact Christy Huff, Project Development and Environmental Analysis, Bridge Unit, at 919.707.6173 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A trash pick-up of Veterans’ Boulevard and U.S. 19 is being organized by the Swain County Chamber of Commerce beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, April 30. Participants will meet in the Ingles’ parking lot and the chamber will provide trash bags and safety vests. Volunteers are responsible for gloves and grabber sticks.
828.488.3681 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A presentation on a state bill to overhaul energy consumption will be given by the Canary Coalition at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, April 21, in Sylva.
Avram Friedman, director of the Canary Coalition, will explain the Efficient and Affordable Energy Rates Bill, H135/S367, which has been introduced in the General Assembly.
The bill would lead to a new method of billing for energy use on a sliding scale. Those who conserve and use less energy will pay a lower rate. Those who use more will pay exponentially more.
Separate rate structures would apply for residential, commercial and industrial users. The bill also creates an Energy Efficiency Bank to provide low-interest loans for energy-efficient projects that would be administered as part of monthly utility bills. Seven other states currently have implemented similar rate structures.
The presentation will be held in room 220 of the Jackson County Justice Center.
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan will meet with constituents Thursday, April 21, from 10:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. at the Southwest Development Commission in Sylva.
The office is at 125 Bonnie Lane, across from Southwestern Community College. The purpose is to help people “navigate issues with federal agencies,” according to an announcement of the event titled, “Conversations with Kay.”
Waynesville resident Kristen Wall, a trainer with the Asheville Compassionate Communication Center, will present two workshops on conflict resolution.
“Communication: Skills for Transforming Conflict” will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 7, at the Haywood County Library in Waynesville and at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 14, at Blue Ridge Books at 152 S. Main Street in Waynesville.
“‘Nonviolent’ doesn’t just mean the absence of physical violence,” says Wall. “The ‘nonviolent’ in Nonviolent Communication means being powerful by being your most vulnerable human self, and refusing to dehumanize the other.”
For more information about upcoming presentations and classes, visit www.ashevilleccc.com or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
A two-day preview of The Main Street Artists Co-op gallery will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, April 22, and Saturday, April 23.
Twelve returning artists will join nine new members displaying a wide spectrum of the visual arts, ranging from wall art to 3-D works at the gallery on Main St. in Waynesville.
The gallery will officially open on May 1.
828.926.2043.
Western Carolina University’s Concert Choir and University Chorus will present a free concert at 8 p.m. Monday, April 25, in the Coulter Building recital hall.
This will be Director Robert Holquist’s final concert before he retires after more than 30 years of teaching at WCU.
The two ensembles will perform pieces by Schubert, Andrew Lloyd Webber and a selection of spirituals.
828.227.3259 or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Local lawyer Bill Jacobs will chronicle his cycling journey across the United States in a program at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 28, at the Albert Carlton Library in Cashiers.
Starting in California last September, Jacobs spent 40 days traveling through 10 states, averaging 80 miles a day to finish in Wild Dunes, S.C. The trek totaled more than 3,200 miles.
Jacobs’ bike and equipment will also be on display.
828.743.0215.
Students ages 16 to 22 who dream of a life on stage can have the opportunity to work with musical theater professionals at Western Carolina University’s 2011 Triple Arts Broadway Series, to be held July 17 through Aug. 1.
Broadway veterans Terrence Mann and Charlotte d’Amboise will lead a two-week workshop where skills in auditioning, dancing, singing and scene interpretation will be developed and honed.
A staff of expert choreographers, vocal teachers and directors will assist in the program.
To register, applicants must submit a registration form along with a $35 fee, a resume, a photographic headshot and a video audition of a song, dance or dramatic performance as well as a letter of recommendation from a non-relative vocal, dance or drama professional. All accepted applicants are required to provide a non-refundable $250 deposit by April 30.
828.227.7397 or visit triplearts.wcu.edu.
The documentary “Waiting for Superman” will be screened at 3 p.m. on Thursday, April 21, at the Albert-Carlton Library in Cashiers. The movie chronicles the state of the nation’s public schools.
After the film, charter school advocate and activist Ned Fox Jr. will lead a question and answer session. Fox served as headmaster for Charlotte Latin School from 1976-2001 and is active in the charter school debate.
828.743.0215.
A free flute and oboe concert will be held at noon on Thursday, April 21, at Grace Church in the Mountains on North Haywood St. in Waynesville.
The concert is the next in the Grace Noon series, now in its third year.
The concert will feature two local musicians, Tiffany Powell on flute and Patricia Stone on oboe. Powell is a graduate of Western Carolina University. Stone earned a bachelor and masters in music from the University of Georgia.
The Grace Noon concerts are free and begin at 12 p.m., concluding just before 1 p.m. Attendees are encouraged to bring and enjoy their lunch during the program.
Taste of Chocolate is coming April 30 to the Maggie Valley Country Club, and the Haywood Jackson Volunteer Center is looking for bakers to bake their favorite chocolate recipe.
This year’s categories are Amateur, Bed and Breakfast, and Professional. A panel of judges will sample each recipe and award first, second and third prizes in each category.
Tickets for spectators are $12 in advance, $15 at the door.
828.456.6456 or e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
When the new Jackson County Public Library Complex opens in early June, an active team of volunteers will be needed to make the library run smoothly.
Jeni Silver, the library’s new volunteer coordinator, is ready to recruit local volunteers for jobs from tour guides to book repairers to readers.
Individuals who would like to become part of the Jackson County Public Library Volunteer Team, or wish to get more information, may contact Jeni Silver at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
