REGIONAL–Smoky Mountain Times outdoor writer Jim Casada continues his series of columns on literature of the Smokies with a piece about waterfall books.
An excerpt:
For people who find joy in the incredible beauty and majesty of waterfalls, visiting them is an ideal way to find peace of mind. Some may stand in wonder while listening to their music – perhaps the crashing crescendo of a powerful fall or the cymbal-like tinkling of a tiny one dripping and dropping across a rock face.
Recognizing the enduring appeal and magnetism of waterfalls, writers have produced a number of guidebooks to the ones in the Great Smokies as well as surrounding mountains. Have one (or several) of these available when planning a hike, seeking advice on photography, or seeking new destinations.
These folk art houses are from the collection of Steven Burke and Randy Campbell, the largest such collection in the country. According to the exhibit attendant this is the first (and probably only) time this collection will be exhibited.
The project is an effort in five national media markets – Seattle, Tucson, Miami, Charlotte and Asheville – to gather ideas and lessons for future collaborations between media outlets of different sizes, and will be coordinated by the daily newspaper in each of the markets except Tucson, where an online-only news provider, Tucson.com, will oversee the effort. The project is funded by a grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
The Southern Highland Reader and its regional partners will form WNC LINC in order to share readers, resources and ideas. The sites will link together and from a portal on the homepage of the Asheville Citizen-Times.
The Southern Highland Reader, launched in 2008, has three main goals: to provide news that pertains to the southern mountains of North Carolina; to serve as an aggregator that leads readers to other online news sources for the region, including all of its weekly papers, its blogs and broader regional dailies; and to offer features and information that help paint an accurate picture of life in the southern mountains.
The Asheville Citizen-Times became one of the five markets involved in the project to some extent on the strength of its web presence. Citizen-Times.com was recently named one of the best seven newspaper websites among the largest publications in the Southern Newspaper Publishers Association.
REGIONAL–Dave Tabler’s Appalachian Historyblog touches on an interview with herbalist Tommie Bass (1908-1996), and Bass’s take on giving money to politicians. Here’s Bass:
I figured . . . the fact of the business is a fellow running for office, a man or a woman, I’m like the little boy was about the peckerwood.
Peckerwood pecked a hole in a hollow tree and he went in there, and the little boy he drove a peg in behind it. Somebody said to him, “Son,” said, “you shouldn’t of done the little bird that way.” [And the boy said], “Well the son-of-a-gun pecked in, now let him peck out”.
And so I’m that way about a politician. If he wants to get into office, let him get in there (chuckles), but I ain’t gonna try to help him. Course, if he’s a good guy, I’d talk for him, but as far as paying him in there, I don’t go along with that.
REGIONAL–The Smoky Mountain News’s Bibeka Shrestha reports that four far west counties and the Qualla Boundary are moving quickly to organize enforcement of child support laws after the state announced it would no longer handle the chore.
An excerpt:
The state will save about $4 million each year by cutting the program, which now serves 28 out of 100 counties in North Carolina. The rest of the counties, including Haywood and Jackson, already handle the program in-house.
For a successful takeover, the affected counties must learn how to set child support payments and how to punish deadbeat parents who don’t pay by withholding wages, revoking driver’s licenses, and even sending them to jail. Agents will also be responsible for establishing paternity in some cases.
REGIONAL–199th district state representative Phil Haire forwarded the following resources:
For personal economic aid information in North Carolina:
North Carolina residents in need of government services related to personal finance, health and medical, nutrition, careers, transportation, and housing assistance might find some help through the PEARL NC website Personal Economic Aid Resource Links in North Carolina.
Many of the services identified on PEARL are free or are provided at reduced cost to support individuals and families struggling to make ends meet.
For assistance with prescription medication from the Partnership for Prescription Assistance
The Partnership for Prescription Assistance is America’s pharmaceutical companies working together with the health care community to help people in need.
Since the launch of the Partnership for Prescription Assistance in April, 2005, more than 5.7 million Americans have found programs that can help them pay for their medicines. Thousands more find help every single day.
If you don’t have prescription coverage and can’t afford your medicines, call 1-888-477-2669 or go to www.pparx.org. More than 2,500 brand-name and generic medicines are covered. You could get them free or nearly free. Finding out if you qualify is quick and easy. Here’s all you have to do:
1. Know the names of the medicines you take.
2. Call toll-free – 1-888-477-2669.
3. A trained specialist will answer your questions and help you apply.
For assistance with prescription medication from the Social Security Administration
You may be eligible to get extra help paying for your prescription drugs. The Medicare Prescription Drug Program gives you a choice of prescription plans that offer various types of coverage. You may be able to get extra help to pay for the monthly premiums, annual deductibles, and co-payments related to the Medicare Prescription Drug Program.
Your application will be reviewed and you will be sent a letter advising you as to whether or not you qualify for extra help. To use the extra help, you must enroll in a Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.
If you need information about Medicare Prescription Drug plans or how to enroll in a plan, call 1-800-MEDICARE or visit www.medicare.gov
REGIONAL–Widely-read Asheville political blog Scrutiny Hooligans has a look at the territory west of Balsam Gap — considered oh-so-mysterious by many Ashevillians – in this post.
Tom Sullivan is the author.
An excerpt:
There are Democrats out there. Not hemp-wearing Asheville Democrats, maybe, but Democrats, and more left-of-center than some here believe. At 10 a.m. on a weekday ahead of the 2006 election, it was a delight to find twenty people gathered at a Murphy campaign headquarters to discuss get-out-the-vote efforts. At a meeting this year after one of the votes on the stimulus bill, Democratic county chairs from across the district gave Shuler’s staff a tongue lashing over his no vote.
NC-11 is, on the whole, a moderately conservative one, with about 35 percent Republican registration and some leftover Reagan Democrats on the rolls. In 2008, Obama won only Buncombe county and Jackson county, home of Western Carolina University. He narrowly lost Madison and Swain. Shuler is a good fit for the district, whether Buncombe progressives like it or not. But it might be strategic for the congressman to show them a little more love whether or not they understand how things are done west of the Balsams. His vote on Saturday night did him damage that only a vote for final passage of the health bill might repair. Might.
REGIONAL–Hendersonville, NC, mayor Greg Newman will challenge incumbent Democrat Heath Shuler for the 11th District’s seat in congress.
Shuler, who unseated long-time Republican incumbent Charles Taylor in 2006 and won handily in 2008, is a relatively conservative “Blue Dog” Democrat in a conservative district.
An excerpt of a story in the Hendersonville Times News:
If elected, Newman said he would not hesitate to hold town hall meetings to hear what the people want. One of the biggest reasons he has decided to run is what he has been hearing from residents.
“We have young people who want to know if they will have a good job when they get out of school,” he said. “There are elderly residents who are hearing about possible cuts in Medicare. National security is a major issue that needs to be addressed. Are we meeting the needs of avoiding a terrorist threat?”
He said his major focus would be to bring industry to Western North Carolina.
REGIONAL--I had an adversarial relationship with elementary school, so late summer is evocative for me.
For example, the particular small of school bus exhaust — especially on cool, foggy mornings — takes me back three decades real quick, dredging up a sense of adventure and dread.
Likewise, the song of the late-summer katydid heralds fall about as clearly as anything I can think of. My family spent summertime weekends at a cabin with a loud old water pump whose drum beat was in perfect time with the katydid chorus, and told me I’d be back in the classroom soon, worrying about bathroom breaks.
Tipper at the Blind Pig and the Acorn has katydids on her mind, too. Here’s her post.
REGIONAL–The Asheville Citizen-Times‘ Mark Barrett reports today that some 6,200 mountain residents will lose unemployment benefits during the next six months.
An excerpt:
The number of people scheduled to lose their benefits will not match up with the number who actually do, since some will surely find jobs first. But projections suggest getting a new job will be particularly tough over the next few months, and other workers not eligible for a lengthy period of benefits will join the ranks of the unemployed.
Holiday hiring in retail businesses usually moderates the typical job losses that come toward the end of the year as seasonal businesses like tourism and construction slow down. But this year, consumers are expected to rein in holiday spending and as a result retailers nationwide aren’t expected to add as many workers as usual.
REGIONAL–After reading a CNN story about camping as a cheap vacation and a New York Times story about the rise in shantytowns, bloggerRednecromancerdoes the ironical two-step, reminding us of an old truism: economic downturns aren’t as noticeable where there was never really an upturn.
An excerpt:
“As a teen I used to eat my breakfast sitting on the floor. My dad told me that he used to do the same thing. Our reasoning is that you can’t fall off the floor when you are tired and half-asleep. I figure that most of what hurts is the impact; lying there ain’t so bad. Same with us hillbillies. We are already camping. We are already sittin’ on the floor.”
REGIONAL-This well-written eastern Kentucky blog offers plenty of thoughts about off-the-grid Appalachian living and parenting.
And in the case of one of her most recent posts, a time-honored point of caution.
An excerpt:
I have been taught since childhood about the importance of watching out for snakes. I learned how to identify the different species and the ones that were the most dangerous. I was told what to do if I saw a snake, or if I was bit by one. It comes with the territory being a child of Appalachia. One of the things that I have always remembered is – where there are blackberries, there are snakes.
I don’t know if it is the brambles that attracts them, or the plethora of little critters coming to eat berries. If I were a snake, I’d say it is a little of both.
REGIONAL--Fans of bluegrass and newgrass recognize Mark O’Connor’s name instantly; his career stretches back more than two decades, and he has a rumpus-room full of country music awards to show for it.
But his musicianship stretches far beyond his Appalachian successes, as this feature interview in the Wenatchee World well describes.
An excerpt:
By the time he was in his teens, the Seattle native had wowed classical violinists, bluegrass masters and jazz giants. Reared on the European masters, he went on to study with Texas folk fiddler Benny Thomasson and won four championships at the National Old-Time Fiddler’s Contest in Weiser, Idaho. Then, at 17, he toured in the Gypsy jazz combo fronted by one of the music’s creators, Stephane Grappelli. Then on to Nashville, where he became a coveted session player and won six Country Music Association awards from 1991 to 1996.
Then, into new territory — creating solo, ensemble and orchestral works that unite all these fields. His “Fiddle Concerto” was the thin end of the wedge, the first of more than 40 compositions that use chamber string instruments — violin, viola, cello — but can’t comfortably be classed in any of the existing genres.
<snip>
I know that I’m a very unusual artist in that I’ve been able to experience artistic success in the main genres, the classical, the jazz and folk and country. I can say it’s an exceptional career for 2009, but in my opinion, I think that’s just an open door for more people to do something similar. I think 10 years from now, 15 years from now, you’re gonna see more people with careers that are similar. I think the instrumental world demands that the artist be a bigger-tent artist. How far are they pushing the boundaries?
SYLVA–Landscaping crews are wrapping up the placement of sod at Sylva’s Bridge Park this week, just in the nick of time for the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce’s inaugural “Concerts on the Creek” series, to take place each Saturday in August.
Dehlia Low
The 2009 series will feature five top-notch regional bands.
“All the bands have regional recognition and we hope people will visit Sylva for a nice evening and maybe dine out or shop around,” says Chamber representative Mary Kelley. “We’ll have information available for local restaurants, as well as arts and crafts exhibits.”
Music fans are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for the free shows, which run from 6-9 p.m. each Saturday in August.
Aug. 1–Chris Cates and the Master Plan
Asheville band with an eclectic sound that blends rock and roll, funk and R&B, with a dash of beach music.
“Well take everyone on a journey through the history of rock, R&B and beach music, playing a lot of favorites, as well as a few from our latest CD,” said Cates.
A Jackson County native returns home with her Asheville-based band having just released her second CD, “Love is a Special Way of Feeling.” Her avant-garde folk rock music has been described as “Appalachian anti-pop.” In addition to possessing an unforgettable voice, West is also an accomplished pianist.
This unique group serves as quintet in residence at Western Carolina University and has performed nationally in such venues as Carnegie Hall. Their unique music ranges from early renaissance to rock.
Aug. 22–High Windy Band
The future of bluegrass music is showcased by this band from Asheville. This award-winning group brings a modern spin to bluegrass with a high-energy mix that prompted WNC Magazine to name the band one of the top regional acts for 2009.
A critically-acclaimed band from Asheville, this bluegrass group focuses on songwriting that draws from the sounds of early roots country, with instrumentation influenced by early and modern bluegrass. The five band members hail from all points of the bluegrass nation: Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, West Virginia and Mississippi. Their self-titled EP was named No. 16 in the top 100 releases in 2008 by WNCW.
At least a dozen people have died in accidents on WNC waterfalls since 2001, either by being pulled beneath the surface of the water, or, as has been more often the case, plunging to their dooms after being swept off their feet by the rapids.
<snip>
The majority of deaths on WNC’s waterfalls, however, have involved people going into places where really have no business being — clambering up the faces of waterfalls or venturing too close to the edge of a cliff on the water’s edge, only to find that what seemed like a tranquil scene out of a chamber of commerce brochure suddenly has transformed into a nightmare.
Outdoors experts caution that people need to understand that mountain waterways can be risky places, and they advise whitewater rafters, mountain “swimming hole” swimmers and trail hikers to be careful when around rapidly moving water.
REGIONAL–Asheville website RomanticAsheville.com offers up this list of what it considers the region’s top waterfalls.
Whitewater Falls, south of Cashiers, makes the cut at number four, and Gorges State Park and Graveyard Fields are in the top half.
The piece links to a separate list of Highlands-area falls.
An excerpt:
Upper Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. The falls plunge an amazing 411 feet! The best part is that you can get a great view with a short walk. Just follow the paved walkway to the upper overlook. The walkway begins at the end of the parking lot and is accessible to wheelchairs. A lower overlook is located at the bottom of 154 wooden steps. More energetic hikers can continue down the half-mile spur trail that drops 600 feet in elevation to the Whitewater River and Foothills Trail.
Upper Whitewater Falls/Photo by Mark File/RomanticAsheville.com
REGIONAL–Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC) President and CEO Sutton Bacon will testify before the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Small Business tomorrow. The “Heroes of Small Business” hearing is scheduled for 10am.
An excerpt of a release published on SNEWS:
At the hearing Bacon will discuss NOC’s $48 million impact on western North Carolina’s economy and the company’s plans to open NOC’s Great Outpost, an 18,000-square-foot LEED certified flagship store in Gatlinburg, TN bordering the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
NOC’s Great Outpost is a rare example of dynamic small business expansion during the current economic slowdown, and Bacon will testify on the importance of innovation and new product development through tough times. The new store will occupy an anchor position in Gatlinburg’s downtown shopping and entertainment district, one of the most popular vacation destinations in the Southeast with over 14 million visitors annually, and will feature a wide selection of top outdoor apparel, camping, climbing, cycling, paddling, hiking and travel brands. When it opens it will become the largest retail store in Gatlinburg, creating approximately 55 jobs.
According to a recent Western Carolina University study, NOC, the nation’s largest outfitter, contributes $48 million to the economy of western North Carolina and supports over 579 full-time jobs in a region that had been reeling from a loss of traditional manufacturing jobs. Bacon’s testimony will emphasize the importance of outdoor recreation as a regional economic driver. According to the Outdoor Industry Association—of which Bacon is a board member—the outdoor industry sustains 6.5 million jobs and contributes $730 billion to the nation’s economy.
The release goes on to describe NOC’s 18,000 sq. ft. “Great Outpost” flagship store, soon to open in Gatlinburg.
REGIONAL–Haywood Regional Medical Center located in Haywood County and WestCare Health System located in Jackson and Swain counties have taken the next step in planning for the integration of the hospitals and have selected a larger healthcare organization to manage the integrated system.
The action comes after almost a year of representatives of the two community hospital systems working jointly to set a future course of action that would ultimately increase patient access to quality healthcare, improve patient outcomes and reduce the cost of healthcare to patients in Western North Carolina.
In separate meetings last night, the HRMC Board of Commissioners and the WestCare Health System Board of Trustees each passed a resolution directing the organizations’ Joint Study Committee to proceed with a plan for the integration of HRMC and WestCare under a joint operating company and with a contractual relationship with Carolinas HealthCare System to ultimately manage the integrated system.
“Carolinas HealthCare System has a proven track record of successfully managing community based hospitals throughout the region,” said Glenn White, chairman of Haywood Regional’s governing board. “Under this new relationship we will develop and share a common mission while continuing local representation and input in the delivery of healthcare to our respective communities.”
Plans call for the formation of a joint operating company that will facilitate the integration of HRMC and WestCare into a coordinated system. Through the joint operating company, HRMC and WestCare will design an effective corporate structure and governance process that will allow the hospitals to create more efficient long term operational strategies.
“The joint operating company we intend to establish will largely relieve our two hospitals of the limitations and challenges of conducting business as individual healthcare entities,” said Fred Alexander, chairman of the board of trustees of WestCare. “Working jointly – in partnership – we can assure the citizens of Western North Carolina of the continued delivery of high quality medical services.”
According to White, the details of the final management agreement and the organizational structure will be developed over the coming months, and Carolinas HealthCare System will participate in the formation of the integrated health system. The final details will be presented to the governing boards of Haywood Regional and WestCare for approval once completed. No date has yet been set when the agreement would go into effect.
“Carolinas HealthCare System is proud to have been selected by the boards of these two outstanding organizations to provide management services,” said Michael Tarwater, CEO of Carolinas HealthCare System. “We recognize the significant role these facilities play in Western North Carolina and we are honored to be part of this tremendous affiliation.”
“By working with Carolinas HealthCare System, our staffs and our physicians will have access to the many resources available through the largest healthcare system in the Carolinas and the third largest nonprofit public system in the nation,” Alexander said.
“The process to reach an agreement is moving as expeditiously as possible,” said Mike Poore, CEO at Haywood Regional. “At the same time, we must carefully address certain key elements including physician retention and recruitment and planning for future growth. Our focus is squarely on enhancing and coordinating healthcare services in Western North Carolina.”
“Over the coming months, we will work closely with our colleagues from Haywood and Carolinas HealthCare System to answer the many questions that remain. Our priority will continue to be the long-term availability of high quality health services for our region,” said Mark Leonard, CEO at WestCare.
Haywood and WestCare formed a cooperative relationship through a Memorandum of Understanding in October 2008. The Memorandum of Understanding created a Joint Study Committee to evaluate the process of affiliation and to report back to the governing boards.
The Joint Study Committee consists of board members and physicians from Haywood Regional and WestCare, as well as the two CEOs. A request for proposal for affiliation was developed and submitted to Carolinas HealthCare System, Mission Health System and Novant Health. Carolinas HealthCare System and Mission submitted proposals.
REGIONAL/NATIONAL–The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has announced that Western Carolina University’s nursing school is one of five new partner schools in its nursing academy program.
Representatives from WCU and Charles Georges VA Medical Center in Asheville will make a formal announcement Thursday.
The VA Nursing Academy is a virtual five-year pilot program with central administration in Washington. It expands learning opportunities for nursing students at VA facilities, funds faculty development of VA staff for additional faculty positions to competitively selected school partners. The five-year, $59 million program began in 2007.
Joining WCU are the University of Alabama in Birmingham; University of Hawaii at Manoa; Pace University in New York City; and Waynesburg University in Pittsburgh.
Including the new facilities, the VA Nursing Academy now has 15 participants. According to VA officials, participation in the program is associated with an increase in teaching ranks, improved recruitment and retention, and new educational and research opportunities
