W e e k l y W e a t h e r F o r e c a s tWednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

38/22 40/26 41/23 46/34 45/26 40/15 38/20

4800 Hwy. 64W Suite 305Murphy NC, 28906

USDA Grant awarded to

Land-of-Sky

SentinelCHEROKEE

DEVELOPMENT

Plans are underway for the region’s first homeless shelter for women. !e shelter, New Life Women’s Center, is the result of executive director Brenda Cormack’s vision to open a faith-based center for women in Hayesville, but even though she heard the call, answer-

ing wasn’t easy.“I thought, ‘Is this me? Is this God?

I don’t see any homeless people; I don’t think there’s a need for that,’” she said.NUMBERSCormack said she still has no idea

how many homeless people there are in Hayesville.

“No one keeps numbers here,” she

said. “It’s devastating because the law enforcement are losing money from the government. A lot of things are not computerized here… Numbers do not exist here in this area.”

Yet as Cormack began asking churches, meeting with local law en-forcement and o"cials from the health department, she realized that the need was huge.

!ough there’s no o"cial progress to keep a count of the homeless population in the mountains, Cormack said she’s part of a coalition that’s trying to find the numbers.

“In Franklin people are sleeping un-der bridges and in cars,” she said. “We have the same situation here. !ere are people who are living in the woods… We just don’t see it.”

Cormack said she’s already been contacted by three churches wanting to know if the shelter is open yet because they have people ready to fill the beds.

“People are sleeping on other people’s sofas because there’s no place for them to go,” she said. “!e health department

sees women all the time who can’t even give an address.”SHELTERCormack isn’t a newcomer to the

homeless scene; in Florida she worked for a similar shelter that has served the community for more than ten years.

Like the shelter in Florida, the New Life Women’s Center will o#er beds to women for about three months, Cor-mack said.

“!ey have time to actually try and change their life with those 90 days,” she said, noting that the shelter will o#er programs and a case manager to help solve issues and get to the root of problems.

!e shelter will be open 24/7, she said.

“Women can actually feel at home when they come in; it’s not like they have to roll their stu# up and get out of here at a certain time,” she said.

!e local center will accept homeless women from Clay, Cherokee, Graham and Macon counties in North Caro-

New Shelter to serve region’s homeless womenCOMMUNITY

See  INTERNET  Page  8ASee  USDA  Page  8A

By: Harrison Keely

Sentinel Writer

Logan’s Run Rescue featured on The View

!is past Friday, February 19, two dogs that were rescued by Logan’s Run Rescue of Marble,NC, were featured on the morning show, “!e View.”$ After being rescued and fostered locally by members of Lo-gan’s Run Rescue, these two dogs were shuttled to Northshore Animal League in New Jersey to find forever homes.$ It is much easier to find adoptive homes for dogs in other areas of the country than it is here in Cherokee County, because those locales have much more stringent spay and neuter laws, resulting in fewer animals for adoption.$ Many of the humane societies in N. GA and WNC have so many stray and unwanted animals brought in, that they are euthanizing numerous ani-mals that are not old or sick, but simply because they do not have room for them.$ It is the goal of Logan’s Run Rescue to help end the local problem of animal overpopulation.$ Information about Logan’s Run’s programs, including low-cost spay and neuter, PEPOP, and LOCO, can be found on their website at www.logansrunrescue.com.

During his appearance on “!e View,” Mike Malloy, of Northshore Animal League, discussed the work of his organization.$ As a part of his interview, he recognized two dogs, Suzie and Bruiser, which were a part of Logan’s Run Rescue’s last shuttle of 15 dogs to Northshore, two weeks ago.$ Twelve of those dogs, half of which were puppies, have already found their forever homes through Northshore.

NEWS

See  HOMELESS  Page  8A

Green Jobs Created through education

Page 3A

Andrews Resident wins NWTF award

Local Wildlife Manager awarded

for hard work

ECONOMY

ROCKSLIDE KILLING

COMMERCEE!ects of Highway 64 rockslide felt

by more than just the asphalt

Contributed Photos(Above) Pictures of the rockslide on HWY. 64 just after it occured. (Inlay Right) Current picture of Rockslide progress. Still much work to be done.

Nature has a funny way of going to ex-tremes from one year to the next. Not long ago, some local residents would have given anything for a few drops of rain to fill their

depleted wells. Now excessive rains have triggered rockslides in three di#erent parts of our region. When the first rockslide occured on Highway 64 in the Ocoee River Gorge, they originally predicted it to be cleaned up within 2 weeks. !at was early November 2009. Cleanup crews have remained opti-

mistic to accomplish the work as quickly as possible. However, 4 months later, more rockslides have since occurred and there is still much work to be done.

Aside from causing a major inconve-nience for drivers traveling to and from Chattanooga, the slide has also taken it’s toll

on the local businesses in Cherokee County, NC and Polk County, TN. For some busi-ness owners, each day that the road is not in operation means lost money. One conve-nience store owner noted that since the road

By: Bryan Hughes

Editor

See  ROCKSLIDE  Page  8A

Land-of-Sky Regional Council of Asheville received a grant of $50,700 from USDA Rural Development’s Rural Community Development Initiative Program, Congressman Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) announced today. !e grant money is dedicated to providing Land-of-Sky re-sources to help train and bolster the work of local organizations that o#er housing support to those in need. !e grant will allow Land-of-Sky to pro-vide training and technical aid such as financial planning, strategic planning, and sustainability.$$$

$ “Regional Councils such as Land-of-Sky are critical to the economic growth and success of our local communities.$ Our mountain communities are better because of the work they do.$$$ I applaud Land-of-Sky for tackling tough issues in our re-gion, such as housing,” said Congressman Shuler. “Only 31 of these grants were awarded, and to only 18 states.$$ I am proud that one of these valuable and sought-after grant awards is coming to West-ern North Carolina.”

$“!ese funds support USDA’s partnership with rural America to bring increased economic oppor-tunity to rural citizens and communities,” Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said. “!ey will serve as investments that will help organizations build the capacity and expertise of local nonprofit groups.”

$“From first review of the USDA – RCDI grant program, we recognized that it was a perfect fit for the Asheville Regional Housing Consortium and Land-of-Sky area,” said Asheville Regional Hous-

Shuler notes council as being critical to the economic growth and

success of our local communities

Harrison Keely / Sentinel PhotoThe new shelter is currently rented from Truett Church.

National Exposure for Local Animal Rescue Group

Licklog Players make a snazzy tribute to

Cole PorterLatest play entitled

“Hot N Cole” a big hit

SentinelCHEROKEE

Page 2APage 1BThe Green Column

WWW.WNCSENTINEL.NET | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2010 | 50 CENTS

NEWS The  Cherokee  Sentinel 2AFebruary 24, 2010

BRIEFSFamily sues School District after Webcam used to spy on student

Report: More people dying of infections acquired at hospitals

A family filed a class-action lawsuit after their son’s high school re-motely activated the webcam embedded in his school-issued laptop, spied on him and accused him of engaging in “improper behavior” in the privacy of his home.

In the lawsuit, the family claims the assistant high school principal confronted their 15-year-old son with a photograph taken with his com-puter’s webcam and accused him of improper behavior. !e behavior was not specified.

Lower Merion School District o"cials have disabled the security sys-tem on all 1,800 of the computers distributed to students.

Michael and Holly Robbins are claiming damages in their suit against the district for using the webcam to spy on students and their families. !e Robbins alleged the district’s use of webcams resulted in theft of private information, invasion of privacy, unlawful interception and access to electronic communications.

!e suit claims the district violated numerous state and federal laws, as well as the U.S. Constitution.

!e Apple laptops came with a security feature that allowed district o"cials to remotely snap a photo of whoever was using the computer if the computer had been stolen. Some privacy experts say that remotely activating the webcam while a computer was in a home, even to catch a thief, would violate surveillance wiretap laws.

Hospital-acquired infections kill about 48,000 people every year and cost the health care system about $8 billion, according to a new study.

!e Washington, D.C, think tank Resources for the Future released a report this week detailing the cost in dollars and mortality resulting from sepsis and pneumonia caused by deadly microbes, including the antibiotic-resistant MRSA.

!e report stated that many of these illnesses could be avoided by better infection controls at the hospitals.

!ese controls could help save lives, reduce costs and lessen the amount of time patients stay in the hospital following surgery.

!e report’s authors wrote, for example, that sepsis after surgery causes patients to stay an average of 11 days longer in the hospital and costs an extra $33,000 per patient to treat.

!e report in published in the Feb. 22 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Sentinel Newsgroup 828.837.6397

TWITTER.COM/SENTINELSCOOPGET BREAKING NEWS UPDATES ON YOUR PHONE:

!e third most expensive license plate in the world was sold in Abu Dhabi on Saturday, cementing the UAE as a vanity-plate record holder.

A plate bearing solely the digit ‘7’ was sold in Abu Dhabi for 17 million dirhams, or $4.6 million, in a government auction on Saturday.

According to the Guinness Book of Records, the most expensive plate ‘1’, was sold in Abu Dhabi to Emirati businessman Said Khouri in 2008 for a staggering 52.2 million dirhams, or the equivalent of $14.2 million.

!e second most expensive plate, ‘5’ was also sold in Abu Dhabi to the UAE’s Al-Awail Holding company for 25.2 million dirhams, or $6.86 mil-lion, during a special number-plate auction organized by the Emirates Auc-tion Company in 2007.

In total, 72 specialized plates were sold on Saturday for a total of 50 million dirhams.

Abu Dhabi ‘Vanity Plate Record Breaker’

Employers increasingly use social network sites to screen applicants

A new survey finds that nearly three quarters of employers search online to check out potential hires. !e data lends itself to the notion that in addition to a stellar resume, potential hires need to have a polished digital presence.

!e practice has often been discussed as the digital age has spawned more and more users on social networking sites. To put it simply, the Internet has put the glare of a computer screen on our personal lives.

As a result of social networks, the kind of scrutiny that only was reserved for our friends is potentially available to everyone including employers. Some 72 percent of executives interviewed in the study said they search online for personal information about job applicants. Another 59 percent search specifi-cally for LinkedIn and Facebook profile pages.

Additionally, blogs and Twitter posts were sought out by the executives polled.

Susan Robison, interim director for the Center for Career Development at West Virginia University’s College of Business and Economics, said many companies seek out social networking companies to research current and fu-ture employees to find evidence that can be used against them.

“!is is a $5 million business,” Robison said. “It’s becoming more popular because of company use of Web-based recruiting.”

U.S. Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) will formally an-nounce on Monday, February 22nd that he has secured $300,000 in fed-eral appropriations for CarePartners Health Services of Asheville to inte-grate all home-based services with a mobile electronic health record. !e funding was requested by Shuler dur-ing the Fiscal Year 2010 appropriations process. It was included in the Omni-bus Appropriations bill that was passed and signed into law in December, 2009.

!e 300,000 appropriation will al-low CarePartners to purchase a new software program that gives sta# the ability to access patient information remotely while in patient’s homes, en-abling them to provide care more ef-fectively and e"ciently.$ !e software

will be used by sta#$in three di#erent areas of CarePartners- Hospice, Home Health and Private Duty.$

!e software$ will link CarePart-ners to all hospitals in Western North Carolina through Datalink, making the organization the first non-hos-pital healthcare service to participate in Datalink.$ !is linkage will enable CarePartners to access patient data from regional$ hospitals and vice-ver-sa. !is seamless transition between health care providers will reduce the need for unnecessary and duplicative tests, eases the burden on emergency rooms and Medicare, and ultimately saves taxpayer dollars while ensuring better and more e#ective health care for Western North Carolina residents.

What: !$$$$$$$$$$$$Announcement of

$300,000 in federal appropriations for CarePartners Health Services

Who: !$$$$$$$$$$$ U.S. Rep. Heath Shul-er; Tracy Buchanan, CEO; Stephanie Grant, Home Health

RN; Darlene Crisp, Hospice RNWhen: $$$$$$$$$$9:45 a.m.$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$Monday, Feb. 22ndWhere: CarePartners Health Ser-

vices68 Sweeten Creek RoadAsheville, NC 28803 Note: Funding was secured the regular

appropriations process, not the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

CarePartners is a private, nonprofit healthcare organization that o#ers what healthcare professionals call a “full continuum of post-acute care.” !e organization o#ers a wide range

of services to help patients and clients serve live full and productive lives, de-spite illness, injury, disability or issues related to aging. CarePartners encom-passes a number of health care services, including an 80-bed Rehabilitation Hospital, outpatient rehabilitation ser-vices at five locations throughout Bun-combe County, home health nursing and therapy, and private duty services in Buncombe, Henderson, Haywood and surrounding counties, and hospice and palliative care services in the home, in long-term care facilities and in the John F. Keever, Jr. Solace Center, a 27-bed, home-like facility for those near-ing the end of life. For more informa-tion, call (828) 277-4800 or visit

Federal Appropriation for Care Partners

Andrews wildlife manager wins NWTF award

For his hard work and dedication to land management and conserving wildlife, David. C. Allen of Andrews, N.C., was honored today with the Na-tional Wild Turkey Federation's Joe Kurz Excellence in Wildlife Manage-ment Award.

Allen, a 37-year veteran of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, received the award at the NWTF's National Convention and

Sport Show, taking place Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 in Nashville, Tenn., and spon-sored by MidwayUSA.

"I love wild turkeys, turkey hunting and the biology associated with wild turkeys," Allen said. "I'm surprised and pleased to receive this award, which honors many years of hard work for this great game bird."

!e Joe Kurz Excellence in Wildlife Management Award recognizes wild-life managers who have proven them-selves as exceptional stewards of wild turkey populations and habitat. Wild-life managers, such as Allen, are the unsung heroes who do on-the-ground work for wild turkeys and other wild-life.

"NWTF volunteers and state agen-cies nationwide have spent the past 37 years bringing wild turkeys back from alarmingly low populations," said the NWTF's Chief Conservation O"cer James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D. "From the onset, David distinguished himself as a leader in North Carolina's turkey

restoration e#orts and has since made fostering wild turkey and other wildlife populations and land stewardship his life's work."

Allen has spent the last 35 years as a wildlife technician III and crew leader for the Andrews Wildlife Manage-ment Crew in Andrews, N.C. Since wild turkey restoration e#orts began several decades ago, Allen has trapped and transferred 260 birds.

"David has many accomplishments for which to be proud. He's helped de-velop and maintain more than 1,000 acres of wildlife openings and pre-scribed burn areas and cooperated with the Great Smoky Mountain Chapter of the NWTF on more than 20 proj-ects," said Kennamer.

Allen's conservation work doesn't stop when he's o# the clock. Each year, he volunteers as a guide at a lo-cal turkey hunting fundraiser to benefit the North Carolina Chapter of !e Wildlife Society and even finds time to manage a trout production facility.

!e Joe Kurz Excellence in Wildlife Management Award is named in hon-or of Joe Kurz, a former Georgia De-partment of Natural Resources wildlife chief for his leadership and the vital role he played in improving wildlife management. Kurz was also a principal figure in the wild turkey trap and trans-fer program across North America.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and pre-serving our hunting heritage. !rough dynamic partnerships with state, feder-al and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

To learn more about the NWTF's National Convention and Sport Show, visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.

Gov. Bev Perdue today signed Exec-utive Order No. 50 that will give North Carolina-based businesses a price-matching opportunity when bidding on state contracts for the purchase of goods. !e Governor’s order will help North Carolina businesses protect and grow jobs.

Under the Governor’s order, if a North Carolina-based business is not the low bidder on a state contract, but submits a bid within a specified range of the low bid from an out-of-state company, the North Carolina business will receive the opportunity to match

the out-of-state bidder’s price and se-cure the contract. Gov. Perdue believes leveraging the buying power of the State of North Carolina can provide an immediate economic benefit to our citizens and companies during these di"cult times.

“!is order can help save and grow jobs right here in North Carolina,” said Gov. Perdue. “At a time when North Carolina companies are looking hard for customers, this change will give them a better chance to compete for business, stay in business, and grow their business.”

Executive Order No. 50 directs the Secretary of Administration to develop price-matching procedures for North Carolina resident bidders on state con-tracts for the purchase of goods. Such a preference would provide a qualified North Carolina company whose bid price is within 5% or $10,000 of the lowest bid, whichever is less, an oppor-tunity to match the price of an out-of-state low bidder and be awarded con-tracts with the State of North Carolina.

In addition to signing the executive order, Gov. Perdue also today named Scott Daugherty to serve as North

Carolina’s first Small Business Com-missioner.

!is position will establish an orga-nizational structure and a collaborative partnership model within which the leading state-funded small business assistance resources will clarify their roles and responsibilities, identify op-portunities to collaborate and most ef-fectively serve the small business com-munity. !e Governor also named Dr. George Millsaps to serve as Assistant Commissioner for Small Business.

First NC Small Business Commissioner appointed

Gov. Bev Perdue announced today that the federal high-speed rail grant to North Carolina will create or maintain as many as 4,800 private sector jobs in North Carolina over the next four years, with 1,000 of those expected this year alone as ready-to-go projects get under way.

!e jobs will come from more than 30 projects in 11 North Carolina coun-ties that the governor identified today. !e projects are being funded with the $545 million the state received through the American Recovery and Reinvest-ment Act (ARRA) for further devel-opment of the Southeast High Speed Rail (SEHSR) Corridor and the state’s intercity passenger rail program.

“!ese rail projects are going to have far-reaching benefits for North Caro-linians,” said Gov. Perdue. “!ey will put people to work while providing transportation, environmental and en-ergy benefits through reduced conges-tion and improved air quality.”

!e projects are located in Ala-mance, Cabarrus, Davidson, Durham, Guilford, Halifax, Mecklenburg, Nash, Northhampton, Rowan and Wake counties and range from $340,000 in Cabarrus County for station improve-

ments to more than $129 million in Mecklenburg County to begin mod-ernizing the rail network. Several proj-ects will begin in the next few months.

Since the U.S. Department of Transportation designated Charlotte to Washington, D.C. as a high-speed rail corridor in 1992, NCDOT has in-vested more than $300 million in the state’s intercity passenger rail service for renovation and construction of train stations, track improvements and cor-ridor preservation projects in order to pave the way for high-speed service.

SEHSR is being developed in-crementally between Charlotte and Washington, D.C. and will serve as a main street for East Coast travel. It will provide business and leisure trav-elers with a competitive alternative to air and auto for trips between 100-500 miles at top speeds of up to 90-110 miles per hour and an average speed of 86 m.p.h. ARRA funding will enable North Carolina to continue its pro-gram of upgrading existing rail right of way.

ARRA made available $8 billion in competitive grants for high-speed and intercity passenger rail across the country. Last month, Environmental

Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson announced the $545 million award for North Carolina to improve safety, service reliability and build net-work capacity—laying a foundation for

more trains and higher speeds.Additional information is available

at www.bytrain.org, www.sehsr.org and www.ncdot.gov.

High Speed Rail expected to bring 4,800 jobsProgram includes thirty projects in eleven counties

This map highlights the route of the high speed train and it’s expected completion.

Regular exercise can play key role in reducing stress

Regular exercise can significantly reduce the symptoms of stressed expe-rienced by people su#ering from chronic illnesses, University of Georgia re-searchers said.

!e scientists analyzed the results of 40 randomized trials involving almost 3,000 patients with di#erent medical conditions. !ey said in a statement that they found patients who exercised regularly reported a 20-percent re-duction in anxiety symptoms than patients who did not exercise.

VIEWS 3AThe  Cherokee  SentinelFebruary 24, 2010

The Sentinel Newsgroup is proud to serve this community

CORRECTIONSIf you find a mistake of fact in the Smoky Mountain

Sentinel that is serious enough to warrant a correction or clarification, call 828-837-6397, fax 828-389-0075 or email

cherokee@wncsentinel.net

ADVERTISEMENTSIn case of errors, the Cherokee Sentinel is responsible only

for the cost of the actual advertisement. Customers are encouraged to check their advertisements the first week of run. In case of errors, the Cherokee Sentinel will not credit

advertisements for more than one week.

(USPS # 017-584) is published weekly every Wednesday.

Subscriptions are $25 in Cherokee County for 1 year,

$45 out of area for 1 year.Single copy rate is $.50

Periodical postage is paid at Murphy, NC

To Subscribe call: 828-837-6397

Postmaster: Send address changes to:

Cherokee Sentinel 4800 U.S. Hwy 64 W. Suite

305 Murphy, NC 28906

Sentinel Sta!FRANK BRADLEY, Publisher

BRYAN HUGHES, Editor

DEBBIE WALKER Editorial Assistant

CirculationPAT MCCOLLUM

Bookkeeping

SentinelCHEROKEE

YOU CAN SOUND OFF TOO! Send your letters to - cherokee@wncsentinel.net

As I sit in Guam, half the world away from the American South, I realize the power of the internet and satellite tele-vision. !e political debates in the US are evident even here. After watching Fox News and reading several letters to the editor that were posted online, I am reminded that conservatives con-tinue to present themselves as little more than hysterical children throwing a temper tantrum. Temper tantrums require little more than pique over not getting ones way. !ey bear little relationship to reason or fact, just anger, pure unadulterated anger.

For more than two years, I have been arguing that people who complain about the decline of America should provide spe-cific examples and cease speak-ing in broad, general terms. As one example of the latter, a recent letter writer sounded the alarm about DC– but o"ered not one ounce of proof. It was an emo-tional argument totally lacking reason or common sense. !e writer wrote, “Washington has been hijacked by a group of ungodly, self-seeking, anti-American’s bent on destroying our country and the Constitution upon which it was formed under God.” !e letter went downhill from there. Obvi-ously, Democrats were the target of this vacuous diatribe.

It is so easy to rant and rave. How-ever, it is another thing entirely to sup-port such meaningless drivel with con-crete examples that a reasonable person would agree buttresses the complaint. But then, it is very di#cult to study an issue and understand its complexity.

One has to wonder who hijacked Washington. Obama was elected by a wide, uncontested margin. His or her constituents duly elected every Repre-sentative and Senator. A majority of

the Senate duly confirmed every Su-preme Court Justice. In other words, Washington reflects the electorate. Washington reflects the form of gov-ernment our ancestors thought would be best for the country. Is the letter writer suggesting our ancestors made a terrible mistake? I suppose the writer wants to “take back America,” a phrase often heard from conservatives, but from whom?

!e writer asserts that the Constitu-tion was founded on Christian prin-ciples. As I have said before, if you look at what some of our founding fathers

said, it becomes clear that they were more interested in freedom of, and from, religion. For example, John Ad-ams is quoted as saying: “!is would be the best of all possible worlds if there were no religion in it.” !en we have Benjamin Franklin who is quoted as saying: “Lighthouses are more useful than churches.” !omas Je"erson, a Deist, is quoted as saying, “Christianity is the most perverted system that ever shone on man.” !ese men were not opposed to Christianity but they un-derstood the evils of merging church and state. Modern conservatives, espe-cially Southern conservatives, seem to believe just the opposite. !ey seem to forget that the Constitution grants mi-norities the same rights as the majority. Conservatives have all the earmarks of wanting to force their views on every-one, an arrogant stance that defies the

basic principles of our Democracy. So, who is trying to hijack the Constitu-tion and pervert it with their prescrip-tion for life?

As for destroying our country, the conservative temper tantrums and ob-structionism appear to be doing more to cripple this country than anything progressives have done, either now or in the past. !eir hypocrisy is appalling; too bold to be believed. For example, Sarah Palin rails against government health care, equating it to death pan-els and big government’s intrusion into our lives. All the while, her grandson,

Tripp, is on government health insurance. If she felt so strongly against government-sponsored health insurance, she could surely a"ord to enroll him in private insur-ance. Alternatively, consider the conservative congressio-nal representatives who vote against the recovery act and then took credit for funding local projects in their districts. Finally, as I have pointed out

before, watch the tea party rail against career politicians while re-electing them.

I would suggest that conservatives rejoin our Democracy by realizing that at least half of the country has ideas that are di"erent then conservative views. !ey should realize that what has prevented a second civil war has been the wisdom of Washington in giving di"erent views a place at the ta-ble and melding disparate ideas so that everyone gets something. To demand it all is to destroy the compromises that have made this country the greatest na-tion on earth. Moreover, they will fail to gain credibility until they are able to better articulate and support their con-cerns. Until they do, there cannot be an intelligent national discussion that leads to constructive solutions.

Conservatives should rejoin our democarcy

By: Jim Fitzgerald Columnist

“I am reminded that conservatives continue to present themselves as little

more than hysterical children throwing a temper tantrum”

The Green Column

In order for the green movement to create jobs, a long bridge must be crossed, that of education. Local green builders deal with a lack of training among their workers. Organizations like the Southern Appalachian Sus-tainable Building Council and local builders associations have approached local high schools and community colleges about creating green building programs.

!e schools are interested in helping people fit into the local job market. But the colleges have a valid concern. Set-ting up a program like this, organizing a curriculum, and hiring teachers is all very expensive. What if they build it and no one comes? !ey need to see an interest in taking these courses.

Are you a laid o" construction

worker? Are you tired of watching TV reruns? Can you invest some of this time learning about green building? Is there financial aid for your job training? Research on line, ask the employment o#ce, the local colleges.

Meanwhile do your own self edu-cation. !e Internet has a mountain of information. If you are not on line, do your research for free at the library. Start on these web sites: building-science.com, southface.org, healthy-builthomes.org. epa.gov/greenbuild-ing/, and usgbc.org. Research phrases like green construction, energy e#cient buildings, etc.

!ere are many promising fields in green construction:

HVAC (heating, ventilation, and cooling) systems consume more en-ergy in our buildings than anything else. Learning how to design and in-stall more e#cient systems could help people reduce their cost of living while keeping them more comfortable.

Insulation installers are key to mak-ing buildings e#cient. !ere is a huge need to bring older buildings up to standard. !is is our largest poten-tial for reducing energy consumption. Many times the energy savings can pay for the improvements.

Energy raters are trained experts

at finding ways to reduce energy loss. !ey might pressure test the building and its HVAC system for leaks. !er-mal imaging photography can identify where the hidden leaks are. Computer software can be used to create an ener-gy model of the structure to help them calculate the best ways to save energy for that specific building.

!ere is also a need for radon reme-diation. Home inspections often un-cover unhealthy levels of radon in our local homes, and this can stand in the way of a sale.

Study areas outside your field. Un-derstanding how all the systems of a building work together is very impor-tant for everyone working on green projects. It can also put you ahead of the line for re-employment, and you will be more proud of your work.

!ere are many other possibilities. Maybe you are ingenious enough to discover a new way to help people re-duce energy costs.

!e next column will be about Radon, a radioactive gas in our buildings. Richard C. MacCrea is the director of !e Green-ing of Andrews Valley, a program of An-drews Valley Initiative. He works in the field of energy e"cient, green building.

By: Richard C. MacCreaAndrews Valley Initiative

rmaccrea@mountainhomeshow.com

#004 - Green jobs created through education

From the desk of Heath Shuler

Do you have a Green question? Email Richard MacCrea - rmaccrea@mountainhomeshow.com

EDITOR’S INBOXCell phones, internet - Reliable communication seems impossibleEditor:First of all, I would like to congratulate Harrison Keely

on his fine article concerning the lack of Internet access in Cherokee County, North Carolina. His article is both timely and important. For years I have been trying to get faster In-ternet service.

After frustrating experience with dial-up service, I resort-ed to satellite communication, but even that has proved to be unsatisfactory. !e satellite company has severe restrictions on the amount of information that can be downloaded. !is seems ridiculous when you consider the fact that

I’m paying more than two dollars per day for the service. Some files are so large until I have to wait until 3:00 to 7:00 A.M. in the morning to download them.

In addition I have had numerous equipment problems. About every three months my system goes down and I have to pay a service charge of $125 to have it restored. When you add the monthly service charge to these intermittent service calls, it really adds up.

However, there is another concern that needs to be ad-dressed, the lack of cell phone service in Cherokee County, especially in the western section. One of my main concerns is the impairment of safety for people trying to use their cell phones to communicate an emergency. Practically all of the

West end of Cherokee County is a dead zone. In particular Appalachia Lake as well as Hiwassee Lake is completely in-accessible by cell phone. In the event of an emergency, people using the lakes have no recourse.

!e argument is often made that we can’t have good cell phone service because we live in the mountains. !at is sim-ply not true. A number of years ago I had the opportunity to visit Jamaica in the Caribbean, a distinctly third world country. Jamaica has several mountains. No matter what its other drawbacks are, cell phone communication is excellent on the island. Towers are placed strategically in the moun-tains making it possible to make a phone call from any place on the island.

It seems to me that a survey of the local area would reveal strategic locations that would provide cell phone service to almost anyone in Cherokee County. Some might argue that the cell towers would be unsightly. !ey could be, but they don’t have to be. Such structures could be camouflaged so that they fit into the terrain better.

!ank you for letting me sound o" on this matter. I hope somebody out there somewhere is listening before it’s too late.

Regards,William V. Reynolds

Today, Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) expressed his sup-port for the President’s establishment of a bipartisan commission created to evaluate federal spending and recom-mend measures to reduce the national debt.$$ President Barack Obama signed an executive order yesterday to create the debt commission which has been dubbed the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.$ Congressman Shuler previously called upon the President to establish a bipar-tisan independent commission, like the one created today, to scrutinize govern-ment spending and propose cuts to reduce wasteful and unnecessary ex-penditures.$

“!is Commission will put this Congress and this government back on track with regard to fiscal respon-sibility.$ Now that PAYGO rules have been signed into law and a bipartisan debt commission has been established, we are on our way to reeling in the

national deficit,” said Congressman Shuler.$ “I am disappointed that the Senate did not pass legislation estab-lishing this commission, but pleased that the President realizes the impor-tance of fiscal responsibility.$ !is com-mission will guarantee that the actions our government makes today will not become burdens on the backs of future generations.”$$$

As a leader in the Blue Dog Coali-tion, Congressman Shuler plays a sig-nificant role in drafting, co-sponsoring and enacting fiscally responsible leg-islation such as the Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) budgetary rules and the Securing America's Future Economy (SAFE) Commission.$ PAYGO rules became law on February 4, 2010.$ In late January, Shuler and the Blue Dog Coalition outlined a 15 point plan, the “Blue Dog Blueprint for Fiscal Re-form,” aimed at cutting spending and balancing the budget.$ $ In just a few short weeks, two key elements of the

Blueprint, PAYGO rules and an inde-pendent debt commission, have been put into place.$

!e National Commission on Fis-cal Responsibility and Reform aims to reduce the deficit which is currently above 4 percent to 3 percent of the gross domestic product by 2015.$ Un-der the plan, an 18-member commis-sion will seek out wasteful spending in the federal budget and suggest budget cuts to the Congress. !e House and Senate will be required to agree to the cuts by a supermajority, or two-thirds.$ Congressional Democrats and Repub-licans will each appoint six members of the commission and President Obama will appoint six, with no more than four members aligned with the same political party.$ !e recommendations proposed by the bipartisan commis-sion require the support of 14 of the 18 members in order to be taken up by Congress.

Shuler Praises Establishment of Bipartisan National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform

Advertisements + Sentinel Newspapers = Exposure

Exposure + Your Business = A Better Local Economy

Advertise with Sentinel

Newspapers and Be Seen!828.837.NEWS

6 3 9 7

COMMUNITY 4A

Murphy Ace Hardware

& Building Center

2450 Highway 64 West

Murphy, NC 28906&  Building  CenterHardware

828.837.7575

Dayspring  ConceptsRemodeling  and  Renovation

T.C.  Cogsdell,  owner

STUDLEY CHIROPRACTIC CLINICDr.  Charles  F.  Studley

828-835-9586

Peachtree Farm & Home Supply, Inc

Best In Class Foods For All Types Of Animals With Competitive

And Friendly Pricing

828-837-6638

Turner’sFamily Pharmacy

Located in Downtown Andrews

451 Mainstreet

Andrews, NC 28901

828-­321-­3827

W.N.C Marble & GraniteQUALITY MONUMENTS AT LOWER PRICES

294 Old State Road

Marble, NC 28905

Bus.: 828-837-2647

800-621-1279

Bring this ad in for $1.00 off the buffet

1321 Andrews Rd.Murphy

828-835-9320

TENNESSEE GEORGIA

NORTH CAROLINATRI STATE

Termite & Pest Control, INC

The  Cherokee  Sentinel

PharmacistsTony Godfrey

Jim Hendrix

Jody Lee

PARKER’S DRUG STORE

14 Valley River Avenue

Murphy NC 28906

837-2318

Lewis D. Jones

Insurance

837-2612Attend theChurch of

Your Choice!

Advertise Here(828) 389-8338

February 24, 2010

Advertise Here(828) 389-8338

Do you need to place a

legal notice?

We offer the best rates in the county

Contact the Sentinel at

(828) 389 - 8338

You are invited to join Tri-County Women’s Connection’s “Going Green” Luncheon on !ursday, March 4 from 12:00 noon-1:45pm. !e monthly luncheon meeting will take place as usual in the fellow-ship hall of Murphy’s First Baptist Church at noon at a cost of $10.50 which includes lunch and all activi-ties.

Popular local musical group “!e Bear Notes” will present a mini-concert of Celtic and Irish Melodies. !e members of this all girl band are: Linda Allen (fiddle), Amanda Burts (recorder and accordian), Nancy Beach (guitar, mandolin dulcimer & vocals), and Amy Johnson (bodhran, guitar & vocals). !e ensemble’s rep-ertoire features a unique blend of jigs,

reels, waltzes, hornpipes and strath-spey, each traditional to Scotland and Ireland. Inspirational speaker, Vivian Blackerby, former food service direc-tor of Juliette, GA, will present..... !e Perfect Recipe for Life.

Reservations (and cancellations) will be taken by Linda at 828-508-0387 through Monday, March 1, noon. Participants are encouraged to honor reservations with payment if plans must change after that time. All women are encouraged to be a part of Tri-County Women’s Con-nection (a"liated with Stonecroft Ministries). Complimentary child-care will be available. Door prizes are compliments of !e Bear Pages shop in Murphy.

Contributed Photos(Above) Kourtnie Richarme and Alex Trias enjoy a dance at the Sweetheart Ball. (Inlay) Kindergarten Sweetheart Ball representatives Isabell Denny and Enoch Gillespie wear their masquerade masks for the !rst dance of the evening.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

!e Andrews Valley Initiative (AVI) is pleased to announce that it was awarded a grant of $35,000 by the trustees of the Z. Smith Reyn-olds Foundation during their No-vember 2009 Board meeting. !is grant, earmarked for operating sup-port, will allow AVI to further fulfill its mission of planning for progress in the Andrews valley while preserving its heritage and protecting its beauty for generations to come. A 501(c)3 non-profit organization, AVI was in-corporated in 2003 with the goal of the revitalization of Andrews and the Valleytown Township in a nature-based framework.

Since that time, and with the sup-port of several di#erent agencies and grantors, and many dedicated volunteers, AVI has completed a paved walking and recreational bik-ing trail, and a fishing pier, around the old football field on Robbinsville Road and a gravel trail around the perimeter of the 32 acre “Heritage Park” located on the north side of the Andrews Recreation Park. With the assistance of Handmade in America, AVI has also been instrumental in the on-going renovations to the Val-leytown Cultural Arts Center, which serves as a venue for art and cultural activities in Andrews.

In recent years, AVI has also be-come a catalyst for projects designed to enhance Andrews’ livability and its sustainable economic develop-ment. !e public is warmly invited to visit AVI’s o"ce, located at 985 Main Street, Andrews, open from 11AM to 5 PM, Monday through Friday, for an overview of these projects.

AVI receives 35,000 dollar

grant

My name is Kara Mejia…..and what do I love?... What am I pas-sionate about?….. Food… Whole Food… Food that feeds the great-est gift I have been given…my body. !e vehicle that must carry me throughout all my days and depending on how I care for it will greatly determine how productive I am, how long I have, and how much JOY I am able to experience.

After personally changing the quality of foods I chose to eat to overcome my own debilitating ill-ness15 years ago it has become my passion to share my experience with others so they may realize the same. A Natural Health Advocate (A per-son who believes that we are Natu-rally supposed to be healthy and to live a life free of chronic pain, illness and dis-ease) I inspire others to take control of their health and their own condition with delicious whole foods recipes and basic body care.

After much success in Clay

County I am very excited about being able to now share my pas-sion with the folks of Towns and Union County’s. New to the scene, I hope that over the coming weeks and months I am able to impart on you the reader some great informa-tion that will inspire you to return to whole foods as a key ingredient to a life free of dis-ease.

If you living a life hampered with pain and medication or are just in-terested in the deliciousness that is whole foods look for me “Cooking with Kara” Beginning March 1st I will be located behind the Exit Re-alty on Rt. 76 in Hiawassee in the old “Let’s get Cooking location” Take a moment and please stop by to introduce yourselves. I will be o#ering free mini-cooking dem-onstrations during the week and full cooking classes on Saturdays throughout the coming months. Until then, I’ll look forward to meeting you…Enjoy!

Let me introduce myself...

Going “Green” Luncheon

NEWS

2010 Sweetheart Ball

!e Learning Center! Charter School held its annual Sweetheart Ball Saturday, February 13th. Originally planned for Friday night, the event had to be rescheduled for Saturday due to snowy weather. !is year’s theme for the formal event was “Valentine Mas-querade” and attendees wore beauti-fully decorated “mardi gras” styled masks—some of them handmade by students and teachers. !e Dining Commons was decorated in white, red and black with beautiful table decora-tions, a giant heart-shaped balloon arch and hanging banners decorated with hearts and masks. Prior to the Ball, students learned how to dress and act in formal social situations. Members of the Sweetheart court practiced walking down a red-carpet and how to dance at a formal. A large crowd of parents, students and alumni came dressed up for the occasion, joining in the danc-ing, and enjoying the fancy bu#et.$“I’m amazed at the turnout considering the bad weather and having to reschedule the event,” said school director Mary Jo Dyre, “I think this is the best turnout we’ve had yet!”

Kindergarten through 8th grade nominated fellow classmates to repre-sent them as King and Queen of the ball and voted for their favorites.

Each nominee walked down a red carpet rolled out by VIP's, James Pen-dergrass and Ana Swan Bowleg, both fifth graders. !e carpet bearer VIP’s were teacher-nominated based on character.

Assistant director Karen Brinke, who MC'd the event, introduced each nominee then announced the Queen and King of the Ball as 5th grader Carina Dockery and Kindergart-ner Enoch Gillespie. Carina received a crown and bouquet of roses and Enoch also received a crown and candy scepter. !e two led o# the first dance of the evening with music provided by professional D.J., Robert Hamilton of Sounds Good Electronics. Hamilton kept the crowd dancing until 10pm many of them wearing masks created for the occasion.

“I was blown away at the work that some people put into their masquer-ade masks.” said Jamie Keener, school publicity director. “I heard so many comments throughout the night and for days after about the caliber of this event and what a special evening it was that their child will remember forever. !at says a lot about the kind of ex-perience we want for students who at-tend this school.”

Parents, teachers and students danced amid colored lights, disco ball and bubbles falling from the ceiling, much to the delight of the younger kids. A highlight of the evening was the attendance of alumni from the last 2 graduating TLC classes. “It’s become a tradition.” said Dyre, “We love hav-ing them come back for this event and they seem to look forward to it.”

In spite of the weather, turnout was the highest yet and the evening was considered a huge success by event

coordinators. Days after the event, pre-schooler Sofia McNabb excitedly asked her mom, “Can we do it again next weekend?” Becca McNabb shared her daughter’s request with Dyre, to which Drye laughed and responded, “Sure we’ll get right on that!”

TLC! Montessori Preschool mas-cots-

King’s scepter bearer: Carlee Catuto,King’s crown bearer: Memphis

PharrQueen’s flower Bearer: Keela

MimbsQueen’s crown bearer: Ian Hopper.Sweetheart Court Nominees were: $K: Isabell Denny and Enoch Gillespie1st: Sireen Hargett and Joseph Whitener2nd: Maddie Noland and Chase Newton3rd: Madison Woody and Alex Haines4th: December Queen and Kyle Beaver5th: Carina Dockery and Eli Sellers6th: Aisha Hall and Ozzy Corrales7th: Angel Slucher and Masen Trias8th: Sarah Co#ey and Mark MichiFor more information about !e

Learning Center! Contact Mary Jo Dyre, Director 828-835-7240

maryjo@naturallygrownkids.org

ADVERTISEADVERTISEADVERTISEAD-VERTISEADVERTISEADVERTISEADVER-T ISEADVERT ISEADVERT ISEADVER-

TISEADVERTISEADVERTISE ADVERTISEADVERTISEADVERTISEADVER-TISEADVERTISEADVERTISE ADVERTISEAD-VERTISEADVERTADVERTISEADVERTISEAD-

There’s only one way to EFFECTIVELY grow your business

Call the Sentinel at 828.837.NEWS (6397) and start your advertising campaign today!

LOCAL 5AThe  Cherokee  SentinelFebruary 24, 2010

Tributes

LEGALS

8A

Debbie Clayton, age 55 of Locust Grove, GA and!formerly of Murphy, NC! passed away Satur-day, February 13, 2010!at Stockbridge, GA.

!!!! She was a native of Galax, Virginia and the daughter of! Norma Seal of Dobson, GA and the late Arnold Seal. Debbie worked with Maurice Sporting Goods. She loved taking care of her children and grandchildren. Debbie was a member of Little Brasstown Baptist Church.

!!!! In addition to her mother she is survived by her husband, Rick Clayton of Locust Grove, GA; two sons, Paul Clayton of Locust Grove, GA and Matthew Clayton and his wife, Tif-fany of Locust, GA; three daughters, Angie Payne and her husband, Chris of Locust, GA, Missy McDonald and her husband, Stacey!of McDonough, GA and Brittany Clayton of Locust Grove, GA; three brothers, Gary Seal and!his wife, Christie of Dobson, GA, Craig Seal of Newport News, VA and Mark Seal of Dobson, NC; one sister, Gayle Landis of Newport News, VA; 11 grandchildren, one great grandchild

and several nieces and nephews.

! ! ! ! Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday, February 17, 2010 at Little Brass-town Baptist Church in Brasstown, NC. Rev. Aud Brown will o"ci-ate. Burial will be in the Little Brasstown Baptist

Church Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Adam Reaves, Stacey McDonald, Da-vid Clayton, Michael Clayton, Chuck Clayton and Bobby Clayton. Honor-ary pallbearers will be Mike Clayton, Scott Reaves, Chris Payne and Larry Teems.

! ! ! ! #e family will receive friends from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM, Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at Little Brasstown Baptist Church in Brasstown, NC.

! ! ! ! In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in memory of Debbie Clayton to Little Brasstown Baptist Church, Kenya Mission Fund, PO Box 12, Brasstown, NC 28902.

! ! ! ! You may send tributes to the Clayton family at www.mem.com or view other obits at www.townson-rose.com Townson-Rose Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements.

Debbie Clayton

View an online archive of

tributes at wncsentinel.net

Emma Lou Mash-burn Palmer, age 81, of Murphy, NC passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in the Murphy Medical Center Nursing Home.

!!!! She was a native of Cherokee County, NC and the daughter of the late Jack and Ada Rose Mashburn.!Emma was a homemaker and a member of the!Second Baptist Church.

!!!! In addition to her parents she was preceded in death by her husband, Carl (Bear) Edward Palmer;!brother, Glen Mashburn and four sisters, Sue Carroll, Willa Mae Lochaby, Lee Ellen Bun-garner and Alice Patterson,

! ! ! ! She is survived by her son, Robert (Cub) Palmer of Murphy, NC;! two brothers; Lon Mashburn

of New Middletown OH and! Lawrence Mashburn of Knoxville, TN;! !one!granddaughter, Carrie Palmer; one step-grandson, Gabriel Palmer, five great-grandchildren, Lauryn Elizabeth Hawk, Emiley Leigh Hawk, Isa-iah Newman, Kaleb Rob-erts and Emma Palmer

and a host of nieces and nephews.!!!! A Memorial Service was held at

2:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Murphy, NC.

! ! ! ! You may send! tributes to the Palmer family at www.mem.com or view other obits at www.townson-rose.com

!!!! Townson-Rose Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Emma Lou Mashburn Palmer

John Frank Abernathy, age 43, of Murphy, NC passed away #ursday, February 18, 2010 at his residence.

!!!! He was a native of Towns Coun-ty, GA but had lived his entire life in Cherokee County, NC.!John was the son of Retheal Bell Abernathy of Mur-phy, NC!and the late Paul Burnell Ab-ernathy.

!!!!!John enjoyed fishing, hunting and working on cars. He worked as a cook for Murphy Medical Center and John C. Campbell Folk School. John deliv-ered furniture for Bellview Home Fur-nishings and Heilig-Myers Furniture. He was a member of the River Valley Baptist Church.

!!!! In addition to his father he was preceded in death by two brothers, Tim Abernathy and Gregory Abernathy.

!!!! He is survived by in addition to his mother; two sons, Justin Abernathy and Jeremy Abernathy both of An-drews, NC; five sisters, Eva Abernathy of Murphy, NC, Paula Abernathy of Hendersonville, NC, Brenda Aberna-thy of Maryville, TN, Linda Aberna-thy of Cleveland, TN and Mary Ab-ernathy of Murphy, NC; two brothers, Bryan Abernathy of Murphy, NC and Mark Abernathy of Cleveland, TN and several nieces and nephews.

!!!! No Funeral Services are planned at this time.

!!!! You may send tributes to the John Frank Abernathy family at www.mem.com or view other obits at www.town-son-rose.com

!!!! Townson-Rose Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

John Frank Abernathy

New  Life

Murphy Medical Center staff would like to congratulate Brittanee Burrell and Felix Baulista of Murphy on the birth of their twin daughters. Elena Faith and Aliyah Marie was born Feb-ruary 10, 2010 at Murphy Medical

Center. They weighed 5 pounds 3 oz each and were 18 inches in length at birth. You can view their picture and our other new arrivals on the Web, go to www.murphymedical.org

Elena Faith and Aliyah Marie

NOTICE TO CREDITORS OFBARBARA GENE S.

MARLERHaving quali!ed as Executor of

the Estate of Barbara Gene S. Marler, deceased, late of Cherokee County, State of North Carolina, this is to no-tify all persons having claims against the estate of said deceased to exhibit them to the undersigned at the fol-lowing address: c/o W. Arthur Hays, Jr. P.O. Box 596, Murphy, NC 28906, on or before the 24th day of May, 2010, or this Notice will be pleaded in bar of their recovery.

All persons indebted to said de-cedent will please make immediate payment.

This 24th day of February, 2010.Terry Paul Marler,

Executor of the Estate ofBarbara Gene S. Marler, deceased

W. Arthur Hays, Jr.Attorney for the Estate

Hays, Bius & Walker, PLLCP.O. Box 596

Murphy, NC 28906(828) 837-2178

Grant available for Summer Kids ProgramsApplication Deadline is March 1#e Community Foundation of

Western North Carolina is accept-ing applications for the “Summertime Kids” grants program. Grants of up to $2,000 are available for qualified nonprofit organizations or public in-stitutions to provide recreational and enrichment activities for disadvantaged children who otherwise would not have special summer opportunities.

Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations and public agencies located in or serv-ing the 18-county mountain region are encouraged to apply for 2010 Sum-mertime Kids grants before the March 1 deadline. Programs funded through Summertime Kids generally serve chil-dren who are from low-income fami-lies, live in remote areas, are disabled or have been neglected or abused. To be considered for funding, a nonprofit organization must be located in or serving one of these western counties of North Carolina: Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Hay-wood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rutherford, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey.

#e Community Foundation wel-comes contributions to the “Summer-time Kids” program. In 2009, a $100 gift sent a child to a two-week theatre camp, $500 provided more than 150 pool passes and $1,000 sent ten kids to 4-H camp. To help make summer experiences possible for disadvantaged children in Western North Carolina, please make a tax-deductible contribu-tion at www.cfwnc.org or by check to CFWNC, P.O. Box 1888, Asheville, NC 28802.

#e Community Foundation of Western North Carolina has served the mountain region since 1978 by promoting philanthropy and profes-sionally managing charitable funds created by individuals, families or busi-nesses. In partnership with our donors, CFWNC has awarded more than $100 million in charitable grants and scholarships.

For more information about apply-ing for a Summertime Kids grant, visit www.cfwnc.org or contact Spencer Butler at #e Community Foundation: (828) 254-4960.

Angel Cheyanne Marrero, infant daughter of Freddy Miguel Marrero and Monique Elizabeth Adams of Andrews, NC! passed away Monday, February 15, 2010 at Murphy Medical Center in Murphy, NC.

!!!! Angel was preceded in death by her paternal grandfather, Freddy Mar-rero.

! ! ! ! In addition to her parents she is survived by paternal grandmother, Sherry Marrero and companion, Bob-by Craig of Adairsville, GA;!maternal grandmother, Lori Adams of Andrews, NC; brother, Freddy Chase Marrero and!sister, Misty Leanna Marrero.

! ! ! ! Funeral Services were held at

12:00 P.M.,!Sunday, February 21, 2010 at!the Episcopal Church of the Messi-ah in Murphy, NC. #e Rev. Dr. James A. Johnson o"ciated. !Interment was at the Moss Cemetery in Marble, NC.

!!!!! In lieu of flowers memorial con-tributions may be made to the Episco-pal Church of the Messiah, PO Box 67, Murphy, NC 28906 or the Moss Cemetery Fund,! c/o Donald Cook, PO Box 243,!Marble, NC!28905.

!!! You may send tributes to the!Mar-rero family!at www.mem.com or view other obits at www.townson-rose.com

!!!! Townson-Rose Funeral Home is in charge of all arrangements

Angel Cheyanne Marrero

James Harold Glad-son, 75, moved to heaven on Monday, February 15, 2010.

Harold lived almost his entire life in Murphy, making a home with his wife, Betty Berrong Gladson, on the same piece of land where he grew up, son to James and Pearl Gladson.

Harold was a deacon and member of Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He was also an active Gideon for 27 years. He gave his life to serving God and spreading his love to everyone he met. He was a sharp salesman, a talent-ed musician, and beloved community advocate.

He is survived by wife Betty Glad-son; one daughter, Sharon Stiles of Hampton, Ga; one son, James David Gladson of Atlanta, Ga; two grand-

daughters, Ti$any Stiles of Marietta, Ga, and Candie Shahlaie and husband Je$ Shahlaie of Atlanta, Ga; one great granddaughter, Maddox Falconer of Marietta, Ga; one sister, Christine Jones and Gaines Jones of Li-thonia, Ga; several nieces and nephews; and tons of

other family and friends.Sister, Kathaleen Ramsey of Logan-

ville, Ga; brother, Kenneth Gladson of Blairsville, Ga; and sister Sue Singleton of Snellville, Ga, preceded Harold in death.

Funeral services were held on #urs-day, February 18, 2010 at 2 pm at Cochran Funeral Home. Rev. Larry Shope, Rev. Steve Ware, and Rev. Jerry Karnes o"ciated. He was interred at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church Cem-etery.

James Harold Gladson

Dr. John R. Spencer, 89, of Murphy died Sunday, Feb. 21, 2010 in Murphy Medical Center Nurs-ing Home. A native of Canton, PA, he had lived in Laurel, MD before moving to Murphy in 2006. He was a veteran of World War II, serving in the United States Army as a nurse in the 85th Infantry Division in the European #eatre in Italy. He received his MD degree in 1953 from Loma Linda University in California. He practiced medicine for 30 years in Burtonsville, MD. He was a member of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. His hobbies included coin and stamp collecting, photography, and gardening.

! He was the son of the late John Wesley Raymond and Rosalee Andrus Spencer.

!Surviving are two daughters, Sherrie Maize and husband, Lonnie of Mur-phy and Debbie Spencer and fiancé, Doug McCarty of Phoenix, AZ; a son, Sheldon P. Spencer and wife, Elma of Laurel, MD; four grandchildren,

Shelly Merryman, Kristi French, Cheyenne Lere, and Michael Pechacek; and three great grandchil-dren, Arabella, Aaron, and Arika Merryman.

! A graveside service will be held at 10:30 AM #ursday, Feb. 25 in Memory Hill Cemetery with military graveside

rites and with Pastor Dennis Schreiner o"ciating. Pallbearers will be Lonnie Maize, Jay VerCrouse, Dennis Sch-reiner, Jason Merryman, and Allen Harris.! Aaron Merryman will serve as honorary pallbearer.

!#e family requests memorials be made in memory of Dr. John R. Spen-cer to the Memory Hill Cemetery Fund, c/o Murphy Seventh Day Ad-ventist Church, PO Box 620, Murphy, NC 28906.

! Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of all arrangements.

!An online guest register is available at “Obituaries” at www.iviefuneral-home.com

Dr. John R. Spencer Cherokee and Clay Counties It’s a brand new year, and while many are trying to stick to their new year’s reso-lution, others haven’t decided on one yet. Why not take this time to focus on what’s important – donating blood? #e American Red Cross wants do-nors to “Make A New Resolution: Give Blood.” #e need for blood re-mains constant - it’s important to take the time to give blood and platelets during these coming months.

#e campaign, which runs from January 1 to March 31, 2010, allows each person who presents to donate blood or platelets with the Red Cross to have an opportunity to win a $1,000 gift card.

Friday, February 26Hiwassee Dam High School Blood

Drive (267 Blue Eagle Circle)9:00 am to 2:00 pmPlease call the school at 644-5115

for more information or to schedule an appointment.

Monday, March 8 Murphy Community Blood Drive

at the First United Methodist Church (71 Valley River Avenue)

1:30 pm to 6:00 pm

Please call 837-3889 for more infor-mation or to schedule an appointment.

Friday, March 26 Hayesville Community Blood

Drive at the Clay County Health De-partment (Riverside Circle) 1:00 pm to 6:00 pm

Please call 389-8052 for more infor-mation or to schedule an appointment.

Every two seconds, someone in the United States needs blood. #e Amer-ican Red Cross Carolinas Blood Ser-vices Region provides lifesaving blood to patients in 103 hospitals. Approxi-mately 1,600 people need to give blood or platelets each week day to meet hos-pital demand.

Blood can be safely donated every 56 days. Most healthy people age 17 and older, or 16 with parental consent, who weigh at least 110 pounds, are eligible to donate blood and platelets. Donors who are 18 and younger must also meet specific height and weight requirements.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to donate, call 1-800-RED CROSS (733-2767) or visit RedCrossBlood.org.

Red Cross asking donors to give blood for

the new yearPresenting Donors May Win $1,000 Gi! Card

Do you need to place a legal

notice - we have the best rates

in the county 828.837.6397

SENTINEL NEWSGROUP

Sunshine and warmer weather helped crews make progress today on the Interstate 40 rockslide project.

#e forecast for this weekend also calls for more sunshine and tempera-tures that will climb into the mid-50’s, giving crews a break after days of freez-ing cold and snow.

When weather conditions are good, crews can make progress. As the first shift drew to a close today at 4 p.m., crews had:

·!!!!!!! Drilled at least six more holes where rock bolts can be installed. In all, 590 anchor bolts will be installed into the mountainside.

·!!!!!!! Grouted 30 places where bolts have already been installed. Grouting cements the bolts into place. #e bolts are then ready to be tested.

·!!!!!!! Tested one more bolt. Once a bolt passes inspection, it is then tight-ened and secured into place.

! #e tension created when a bolt is pulled tight and locked creates the downward pull that shores up the mountainside. Each bolt is expected to exert 140,000 pounds of downward pressure – the equivalent weight of 10 school buses. Once all 590 bolts are in place, 82 million pounds of pressure will provide the force that keeps the

rock mass from loosening or falling.! To speed up progress, crews now

work two 12-hour shifts, as long as weather conditions allow.

!A video on the challenges that the weather and terrain pose to workers has been posted on NCDOT’s You-Tube Channel at http://www.youtube.com/NCDOTcommunications. Click on the “Battling Against Nature” video.

! #is section of Interstate 40 near the Tennessee border has been closed in both directions since the rockslide occurred Oct. 25.

!NCDOT estimates that the inter-state could be fully reopened some-time in March depending on weather conditions between now and then. A decision on any partial opening of the highway will be made as work pro-gresses.

! Travelers still can reach Western North Carolina via I-40 from the east and I-26 to the north and south. Exits 20 and 27 on I-40 provide access to popular destinations west of Asheville. In Tennessee, exits 432 through 451 provide access to popular destinations in southeastern Tennessee.

!#e detour route is 53 miles longer and is an additional 45 minutes to an hour driving time. Motorists traveling

on I-40 West should take Exit 53B (I-240 West) in Asheville and follow I-240 West to Exit 4A (I-26 West). Follow I-26 West (a North Caro-lina Scenic Highway) to I-81 South in Tennessee. Take I-81 South and fol-low it back to I-40 at mile marker 421. Eastbound motorists should use the reverse directions.

! NCDOT reminds motorists to stay alert, follow instructions on the message boards on the highways, obey the posted speed limit, leave early and travel at non-peak times when pos-sible. Plan ahead before driving by vis-iting the NCDOT Traveler Informa-tion Management System Web site at www.ncdot.gov/tra"ctravel/ or calling 511, the state’s free travel information line, for current travel conditions.

!NCDOT also provides alerts about tra"c congestion and construction work on Twitter. To access them, go to www.ncdot.gov/travel/twitter/. For daily rockslide updates, please visit the NCDOT Web site at www.ncdot.gov and click on the I-40 rockslide daily news and information section or follow work on the rockslide project on Twit-ter at http://twitter.com/i40_rockslide.

I-40 Rockslide Update

CALENDAR 6AThe  Cherokee  Sentinel

Story HourStory hour at The Curiosity Shop Book-

store, 46 Valley River Avenue, Murphy, on Saturday mornings from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Bring your children or grandchildren and let them enjoy being read to. Call 835-7433 or 321-2242

Mountain High HikersMountain High Hikers sched-

ule two hikes each Tuesday, occasionally specialty hike, and regular trail maintaining trips- all in the mountains of North Carolina and Georgia. Check the web site: MountainHighHikers.org for schedule and meeting locations or call 828-389-8240 for information.

Experimental AircraftThe Experimental Aircraft Association -

local tri-state EAA Chapter #1211 meets the third Thursday, 7 p.m. of each month at Blairs-ville airport. If interested, contact Jim Olson @ 828-557-2446.

GWRRA MeetingsChapter J of the Gold Wing Road Riders

Association (GWRRA) meets the fourth Sat-urday of each month at Daniel’s Steakhouse, Hiawassee, Ga. We eat at 11 a.m. followed by the meeting at 12 p.m. during which rides and other activities are announced and dis-cussed. We encourage current members of the GWRRA and anyone interested in becom-ing a member to join us. All motorcyclists are welcome and we look forward to seeing par-ticipants from other chapters. There are great rides coming up and we hope many of you will join us. For further information, contact Chap-ter Director, June Gottlieb, 706-896-7403

.

Family ResourcesFamily Resources in

collaboration with Tri-County Commu-nity College will o!er ESL (English as a sec-ond language) classes every Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Classes will be held in the basement of Family Resources and are free to any-one wishing to participate. For more information call 837-3460.

Abandoned AnimalsJust 4 Hours. Just 4 hours a week can make a big di!erence in caring for abandoned and abused animals. Just 4 hours to walk dogs. Just 4 hours to groom dogs or cats. Just 4 house to clean the cattery. Just 4 hours to transport dogs and/or cats to the vet. If you have just 4

hours a week to volunteer your time and en-ergy, please contact Castaway Critters at 706-781-3992 or call Martha at 706-379-2729.

Amateur RadioAttention HAMs and anyone interested in

Amateur RadioThe North Georgia Tri-State A.R.C. (Ama-

teur Radio Club) meetings are held"on the #rst Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Branan Lodge in Blairsville. All of our meetings are open to the public. For more" information about joining the Club or becoming a HAM, call Don Deyton at 706-781-6665.

Amateur license testing will be held on" January 23rd in Blairsville. Contact Bob Ochs at 706-838-4728 for more"information.

Paint with a friend, pleaseCherokee Trail Decorative Painters"will be

having a “Bring" A Friend” meeting in Janu-ary." " Members" will be inviting friends" for a day of painting and fellowship."" We will have a variety of projects at all levels to paint." The projects will be provided by our Ways and Means Committee and will be a lot of fun to paint." The"meeting is January 23 at"9:30 at the All Saints Lutheran Church on Highway 76 in Blairsville, Georgia."" Cherokee Trail Decorative Painters is an a$liated chapter of the Society of Decorative Painters located in the tri-state area of North Carolina, Georgia, and Tennes-see." For more information email Nancy Gillis at wgillis@windstream.net.""

Paint with a friend, pleasePrepared childbirth classes will begin"Jan

21st through Feb. 11th 2010." Classes are on Thursday evenings 7:00 to 9:00" pm at the Cherokee County Health Department. " Par-ticipants must arrive by 6:30pm on the #rst night in order to register.""Classes are"taught by a Lamaze Certi#ed Instructor." To sign up or for more information call 828-837-7486 and ask for Ronnie or Montez.

Such thing as a free lunchFREE SOUP AND SANDWICH LUNCH Fri-

days at Noon in January – February at Hickory Stand United Methodist Church on Green Cove Road in Brasstown, NC. All are invited.

Mountain Community Chorus

Mountain Community Chorus will hold auditions for new singers at 6 PM Feb. 8th Young Harris College Clegg Recital Hall. Regu-

lar rehearsal at 7 PM. Visit www.mapaa.org.Mountain Community Seniors meets sec-

ond Thursday each month at Senior Center in Hiawassee at 2:00 P.M.. We invite and wel-come all Mountain Seniors from Towns, Union and Clay Counties to join us. We have Music, Informative speakers, picnics and #eld trips. On Thursday Feb. 11th We have Roy Perrin, Principal of Towns County High School who will give us his very entertaining rendition of Elvis. Light refreshments served. Do come join us.

Castaway CrittersThis the the beginning of a new year and

CASTAWAY CRITTERS ANIMAL RESCUE needs YOU!" We have so many areas (Puppy Promises Program, transporting dogs to northern state for adoption, assisting with adoptions,"trans-porting dogs/cats to/from the vet, etc)." I could go on and on." If you are interested in joining our wonderful team please call June Young at 706-400-8612.

Tri-County Womens Connection

Tri-County Women’s Connection meets the #rst Thursday of each month in the fellow-ship hall of Murphy First Baptist Church, wel-coming retirees, homemakers, home-school-ers, young moms-------all women. Fascinating programs, delightful music, inspirational talks, good food, child care and wonderful fellow-ship make each gathering special. Call Linda at 828-508-0387 for information and reserva-tions.

Mountain Community Seniors

The Mountain Community Seniors was formerly called AARP, but the Towns County AARP has closed. We are now called “Moun-tain Community Seniors”, which means you do not have to be retired to join in on all the fun. Our monthly meetings will still be the second Thursday of each month at the Senior Center in Hiawassee at 2 pm.

Comunity Night for Critters“COMMUNITY NIGHT”" TO BENEFIT CAST-

AWAY" CRITTERS PET RESCUE BROTHERS RESTAURANT AT WILLOW RANCH ON HIGH-WAY 76, YOUNG HARRIS TUESDAY, MARCH 2, FROM 4:30 pm - 8:30 pm

What a great way to have a great meal and also bene#t a worthy cause."" Please men-tion to the hostess when you walk into the restaurant that you are supporting Castaway Critters.

A volunteer from Castaway Critters will be there to answer any of your questions regard-ing their non-pro#t organization.

Emergency bicycle repair class

Blairsville Bikes & BoardsThursday eveningApril 1st. 7 PMThe class is free and will be approx. 1 %

hours long.Topics covered will be basic bicycle repairs

for trail or road, like #xing a &at, broken chain, minor brake & shifter adjustments, and a pro-active pre-ride check over. The necessary tools you will need & how to use them. So you will hopefully never have to push your bike out.

" For more info call the shop @ 706 745 8141 Or stop by @ 49 Blue Ridge St. Blairsville GA. Located in historic downtown

Bring your bike if you like (optional) & and what ever beverage you want to drink.

Co!ee & Soft Drinks are available at the shop.

SABA member & supporter o!ering 10% discounts to SABA members

Amateur RadioAttention HAMs and anyone interested in

Amateur RadioThe North Georgia Tri-State A.R.C. (Ama-

teur Radio Club) meetings are held"on the #rst Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Branan Lodge in Blairsville. All of our meetings are open to the public. Our next meeting is to be held"March 2nd and will"begin with a"special technical session to discuss and demonstrate interfacing/using N1MM logging/contesting software."For more"information about joining the Club or becoming a HAM, call Don Deyton at 706-781-6665.

Amateur license testing will be held on"March 13th in Blairsville. Contact Bob Ochs at 706-838-4728 for more"information and/or

make an appointment.

Tri-County Women’s Con-nection

Tri-County Women’s Connection will host a GOING GREEN luncheon Thursday, March 4 at Murphy First Baptist fellowship hall from 12:00-1:45 pm. A mini-concert of Celtic and Irish melodies will be presented by local pop-ular ensemble “The Bear Notes”. Vivian Black-erby, former food service director of Juliette, Ga, will present “The Perfect Recipe for Life.” Call Linda by Monday noon March 1 at 828-508-0387 for details and reservations.

Submit your events to us directly from

our website at wncsentinel.net

Upcoming    Events

DAR MeetingsDAR meetings will be held on the sec-

ond Wednesday of Jan.-May and Sept.-Nov. at 2 p.m. at the Harshaw Chapel in Downtown Murphy. For more information contact Joan Wallace at 837-0876 or Mar-garet Warner at 837-8777 or 837-2644.

Blue Ridge MOAAThe Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter of

the Military O$cers Association of Amer-ica (MOAA) meets the third Monday of each month at various area restaurants. All active duty, National Guard, reserve, retired, and former Military, Public Health Service, and NOAA o$cers and warrant of-#cers and surviving spouses are invited to attend. For information please contact Jim Ferrell at 828-835-9203 or visit www.moaa.org/chapter/blueridgemountains .

Amateur RadioAttention HAMs and wannabe HAMs

North Georgia Tri-State A.R.C. (Amateur Radio Club) meetings are held"on the #rst Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Branan Lodge in Blairsville. All of our meetings are open to the public. For more"information, call Don Deyton at 706-781-6665.

Brasstown PotluckBrasstown Potluck The Brasstown Com-

munity holds a potluck supper and meet-ing on the third Thursday of each month, 6:30 p.m., Brasstown Community Center, 255 Settawig Road, Brasstown.

Flying ClubFlying Club. The Over mountain Flyers

meets the second Saturday each month at the Andrews-Murphy Airport from 9 a.m. to noon. For information, call 837-3468.

Hiwasse Kennel ClubHiwassee River Valley Kennel Club:

Meetings are held at 7 p.m. the #rst Mon-day of each month at Brother’s Restaurant on Hwy 64 in Murphy, NC. We invite all those interested in pure bred dogs and ca-nine activities to attend. Call President Kit Miracle @ 706 492 5253 or Peggy Moor-man @ 828 835 1082 for details.

Experimental AircraftThe Experimental Aircraft Association

- local tri-state EAA Chapter #1211 meets the third Thursday, 7 p.m. of each month at Blairsville airport. If interested, contact Jim Olson @ 828-557-2446.

Small Scale AgricultureThe Far West Small Scale Agricultural

Action Team meets the second Monday of each month in the St. Andrews Lutheran Church community room, Andrews. For information, call Mary Janis, 828-389-1913 mjanis@meyecomputer.com

Cherokee Mountain LionsCherokee County Mountain Lions meet

the #rst and third Tuesday of each month at Downtown Pizza, 6 p.m. New members are welcome.

GWRRA MeetingsChapter J of the Gold Wing Road Rid-

ers Association (GWRRA) meets the fourth Saturday of each month at Daniel’s Steak-house, Hiawassee, Ga. We eat at 11 a.m. followed by the meeting at 12 p.m. dur-ing which rides and other activities are announced and discussed. We encourage current members of the GWRRA and any-one interested in becoming a member to join us. All motorcyclists are welcome and we look forward to seeing participants from other chapters. There are great rides coming up and we hope many of you will join us. For further information, contact Chapter Director, June Gottlieb, 706-896-7403.

Mountain Economic Part-ners

Far West Mountain Economic Partners’ Small Scale Agriculture Action Team meets at 6 p.m. the #rst Monday of every month at the Far West o$ces located at 452 Main Street in Andrews. All farmers in from Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain Coun-ties and the Qualla Boundary are invited to attend. For details, contact Pat Love at 828-321-2929 or via email at fwpartners@verizon.net.

Anti Death PenaltyPeople of Faith Against the Death Pen-

alty meets the 1st Monday each month at 7 p.m. at the Glen Mary House, next to St. William Catholic Church. For information, call 837-0867.

Commissioners MeetingThe Cherokee County Commisioners

meeting will be held on the #rst Mon-day of each month at 8:30 a.m. and on the third Monday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in the Commissioners boardroom of the Cherokee County Courthouse, unless Monday falls on a holiday, or unless oth-erwise posted.

Valley River Civitan ClubValley River Civitan Club of Andrews

meets the 1st and 3rd Thursday of each month at 6 p.m., PJ’s restaurant in An-drews. Visitors are welcome. For more in-formation call Anita Davis at 361-1247.

Basket WeaversThe Shooting Creek Basket Weavers

Guild meets on the second Wednesday of each month from 9:45 a.m. until 2 p.m. at the Shooting Creek Community Center (#re station). Refreshments are served and a business meeting is held before a weav-ing project is presented. For more infor-mation contact Joan (Guild president) at 706-896-1534.

MRACG MeetingMountain Regional Arts and Crafts

Guild, Inc (MRACG) meets the second Tuesday of each month at ArtWorks Ar-tisan Centre. ArtWorks is located at 308 Big Sky Drive (behind the Holiday Inn), Hiawassee. Refreshments are served at 6 p.m. and the meeting begins at 6:30 p.m. If you would like to learn more about the Guild, we invite you to the next meeting as our guest.Contact us at 706-896-0932 or mtnregartscraftsguild@hotmail.com or

visit mtnregartscraftsguild.org.

NCWN PoetryThere will be no NCWN West Poetry Cri-

tique Group in July, as the college campus will be closed. The next meeting will be in August at the regular time.

Alzheimer’s SupportAlzheimer’s Support Group of Murphy

meets the 1st Thursday of the month at 6 p.m. at the Murphy Senior Center. Con-tact Laura Harris at 828-644-0680 for more information. Also meetings every second Tuesday at 6 p.m. at the Senior Center in Hayesville.

Alcoholics AnonymousAlcoholics Anonymous has scheduled

meetings as follows: Tues. 7 p.m., in the back of the Episcopal Church of the Mes-siah located across the street from the Cherokee Scout and the Verizon building on the corner of Central & Church Street; Sat. noon at the 409 building; Thur. 8 p.m. St. William’s Catholic Ch., Murphy; Wed. 8 p.m., United Methodist Church, Andrews, in the fellowship hall; Tues. noon, Thur. noon, Fri. 8 p.m.; Immaculate Heart of Mary, Hayesville; Sat. 8 p.m. First Method-ist Church, Downtown Hayesville. For a complete area meeting schedule and in-formation, call 837-4440.

Domestic Violence Sup-port

Domestic Violence Support Group REACH of Cherokee County o!ers a free con#dential support group to women whose lives are, or have been a!ect-ed by domestic violence. The group meets every Wednesday at 5 p.m. at the REACH o$ce in Murphy. Please call (828) 837-2097 for more information.

Compassionate FriendsThe Compassionate Friends is a self-

help, non-pro#t organization that o!ers that o!ers friendship and understanding to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings meets at 7 p.m. every third Thurs-day each month at the Senior Center in Murphy. Call Maxine Arne at 837-0425, Mabel Cooke at 837-6871 or Vicky Sullivan at 837-9168 for details.

Weight LossTops Weight Loss “Take O! Pounds

Sensibly” in Murphy meets on Mondays at 5 p.m. at the Glen Mary Hall, Andrews Road. For more information, call 837-4587. Two Tops clubs meet in Andrews on Mondays. The morning club meets in Valleytown Baptist Church Fellowship Hall at 8:45 a.m. weigh in, meeting at 9 a.m. Call 321-5242 for more information. The evening club, which meets at Christ Community church, weights in at 5 p.m. and has a meeting at 5:30 p.m. Call 321-3040 or 321-1422 for more information.

Divorce Care SeminarDivorce Care Seminar. Divorce Care, a

special-help seminar and support group for people experiencing divorce or separa-tion will be held on Monday evenings at

6:30 p.m. at Hiawassee United Methodist Church. Divorce Care features nationally recognized experts on divorce and recov-ery topics.

English ClassesClasses de ingles gratis. Tri County

Community College. Ofrece classes de ingles como Segundo idioma (ESL Classes) Todos los Miercoles y Jueves De 9:00 a.m. a 12:00 p.m. En el local de Family Resources of Cherokee County. Ubicado en 70 Cen-tral Street Murphy, NC 28906. Para mayor informacion llame al tlefono No. (828) 837-3460.

Family ResourcesFamily Resources in

collaboration with Tri-County Community College will o!er ESL (English as a second language) classes every Wednesday and Thursday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. Classes will be held in the basement of Family Resources and are free to any-one wishing to participate. For more information call 837-3460.

KnittingKnitting and Spinning Lessons:

“From How to Knit to Knitting Design”, Monday mornings 10 a.m. to noon and Monday evenings 7-9 p.m. “Spinning Sat-urdays”, 9 a.m. to noon, once a month. Call Martha at Yarn Circle, 835-4592 for details.

Quilting ClassesQuilting Classes In Nonnie’s Attic is

quilting 100 squares in 100 days to help Andrews celebrate its 100th birthday. Join us each day at 1:30 p.m. and learn new quilt square. Call 321-2800 for more infor-mation.

Abandoned AnimalsJust 4 Hours. Just 4 hours a week can make a big di!erence in caring for abandoned and abused animals. Just 4 hours to walk dogs. Just 4 hours to groom dogs or cats. Just 4 house to clean the cattery. Just 4 hours to transport dogs and/or cats to the vet. If you have just 4 hours a week to vol-unteer your time and energy, please con-tact Castaway Critters at 706-781-3992 or call Martha at 706-379-2729.

Moose LodgeWe are now forming a Moose Lodge

and invite you to join us. Our meetings are held at Homers Corner Cafe located at Hwy 19/129 in Murphy, NC inside Fosters Flea Market. Come early and join us for a Dutch Treat lunch. Our meetings are held on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1 p.m. For further information please call Art or Donna Harris at (828) 389-6342.

Body Sculpting ClassBody Sculpting/Cardiovascular

Exercise classes are being offered at Towns County Recreational Center in Hiawassee, Ga. Class is from 6:30-7:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The cost is $4 per class or $48 per month. Contact the recreation center at (706) 896-2600 or Susan Rogers at (706) 896-6842.Square Dance Classes

Enchanted Valley Squares is having Basic Mainstream Classess on Tuesday Nights at the Towns Co Middle School

Cafeteria from 7:00-9:00 pm." For more information:" GA-Al Supplee (706) 379-2191 or NC-Bob or Loretta Hughes (828) 837-2561.

Moose LodgeWe are now forming a Moose Lodge

and invite you to join us. Our meetings are held at Homers Corner Cafe located at Hwy 19/129 in Murphy, NC inside Fosters Flea Market. Come early and join us for a Dutch Treat lunch. Our meetings are held on the 2nd Friday of each month at 1 p.m. For further information please call Art or Donna Harris at (828) 389-6342.

Brasstown SuppersBrasstown Community Club meets

at 6:30 p.m., the third Thursday of each month with a pot luck supper. Grocery game night, 7 p.m. the first Saturday of every month. Please bring snack foods.

Senior Game DayDominoes, Hearts, Scrabble, Checkers,

etc. Every Tuesday, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Clay County Senior Center Call 838-389-9271 for more info.

HAMs meetingsNorth Georgia Tri-State A.R.C.

(Amateur Radio Club) meetings are held"on the first Tuesday of each month at 7 p.m. at Branan Lodge in Blairsville. All of our meetings are open to the public. For more" information about joining the Club or becoming a HAM, call Don Deyton at 706-781-6665.

Intermediate BridgeIntermediate Bridge is being played

at the health department, downstairs in Hiawassee on Mondays and Fridays, start-ing at 12:45 p.m. All players welcome. For more information please call (828) 389-8065.

Oil Painting ClassesClasses for beginners and inter-

mediate students, Wednesdays, 9AM - 1PM at Clay County Senior Center. Cost is $65; must furnish own brushes and canvas. Call the senior center for more information at (828) 389-9271

Helping Hands meetThe ladies group at Sweetwater

United Methodist Church meets from 10 a.m. to noon every first and third Tuesday. They make quilts for Clay and Cherokee counties’ sick and needy. Helpers are welcome.

Fellowship WeeklyFull Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship

International meets at 6 p.m. every Monday at Daniels in Hiawassee, Ga. Call (828) 389-0140.

Valley Kennel ClubMeetings are held at 7:00 p.m. the

first Monday of each month at" Brother’s Restaurant on Hwy 64 in Murphy, NC." "We invite all those interested in pure bred dogs and canine activities to attend. Call President Kit Miracle @ 706 492 5253 or Peggy Moorman @ 828 835 1082 for details.

Mountain HikersMountain High Hikers schedule two

hikes each Tuesday, occasionally specialty hikes, and regular trail maintaining trips- all in the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and Georgia.

Check the web site: MountainHighHikers.org for schedule and meeting locations or call 828-389-8240 for information.

Blue Ridge MOAA The Blue Ridge Mountains Chapter

of the Military Officers Association of America (MOAA) meets the third Monday of each month at various area restaurants. All active duty, reserve, retired and former military, and Public Health Service, and NOAA officers, and warrant officers are invited to attend.

For information please contact one of the following individuals, in North Carolina: John Bayne at 828-389-9427 and in Georgia: Jim Reynolds at 706-379-6601.Veteran Consultant

The veterans’ consultant, Mike Casey, will be at the Job Link Office on the second Tuesday and the fourth Wednesday of each month. Call (828) 837-7407 of the Social Service Office in Hayesville at 389-6301.Granny’s Attic

Granny’s Attic, Auxiliary of Good Shepherd Home Health Care and Hospice, is open Wed. - Sat., 9 am - 4 pm." We are now stocked for Fall." "To make donations or volunteer contact Linda at 828-389-4233.

REACH Thrift StoreThe REACH Thrift Store hours

are from 10 a.m. - 4:30 a.m. Monday - Saturday." We are located at 1252 Hwy 64 W. (Old KT Billiards bldg., " Donations accepted during business hours." Volunteers welcome." Call 828.389.1415 or 828.557.7416 for more information. Women in fellowship

Tri-County Women’s Connection meets the #rst Thursday of each month in the fellowship hall of Murphy First Baptist Church, welcoming retirees, homemak-ers, home-schoolers, young moms-------all women. Fascinating programs, delightful music, inspirational talks, good food, child care and wonderful fellowship make each gathering special. Call Linda at 837-2305 for information and reservations.

Submit your events to CherokeeSentinel

@gmail.com

Recur r i ng    Events

February 24, 2010

EVENT SPOTLIGHT

Environmental Heroes, is an important show airing on UNC-TV. It pro-files the green pursuits of three Tar Heels working to protect and improve the state’s environment.

!e three “environmental heroes” include: * Dean Brooks, a former dairy farmer from Goldston, N.C., in Chatham

County who started and runs one of the largest compost businesses in the southeastern United States. He and his family turn organic waste into profit while reducing garbage going into landfills.

* Gary Grant, a community activist from Tillery, N.C., in Halifax County who has worked for decades to protect his African-American farming com-munity from polluting industries such as corporate hog farms. He led the fight to institute a hog farm moratorium in North Carolina.

* Todd Miller, founder and executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation in Newport, who has built one of the largest coastal pro-tection organizations on the East Coast.

!e University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication science documentary television course produced this half-hour documentary, under the direction of Tom Linden, M.D., director of the school’s medical and science journalism program.

“We hope the documentary provides inspiration for people who believe that one individual can make a huge di"erence in protecting the environ-ment,” said Dr. Linden.

Associate producers of the program are Jim Sander, documentary film pro-ducer, and Blair Pollock, environmental film producer and solid waste planner for Orange County, NC. Videographer/editor for the program was Martin Brown of Treehouse Productions in Hillsborough, NC. Additional videogra-phy was provided by George Bryant.

Music was by Carrboro resident Chris Frank of the Red Clay Ramblers.UNC students from the School of Journalism and Mass Communication

and the Gillings School of Global Public Health produced and wrote the featured three profiles. !ey include segment producers Jessica Hughes, Julea Steiner and Sander. Segment associate producers were Kathryn Barr, Jiang Li, Joseph Marra, Kevin Mckenna, Emily Waters and Sarah Whitmarsh. Script-writers included Kelly, Linden, Julia Connors and Maggie De Pano. Anima-tion was produced by Zachary Ferriola-Bruckenstein.

Visit http://www.unctv.org/environmentalheroes for additional informa-tion and resources. For more information about the Medical and Science Journalism Program, go to: http://www.jomc.unc.edu/medicaljournalism.

UNC-TV, North Carolina’s statewide public television network, provides life-changing television services for viewers of all ages. In addition to flagship channel UNC-TV, broadcasting in high-definition, other services include UNC-EX !e Explorer Channel, as well as UNC-KD, a channel just for kids, and UNC-MX, a cable-only channel featuring a mix of programming for adults, from public a"airs shows to how-to and more. Visit www.unctv.org for more information about programs and services o"ered by UNC-TV.

Environmental Heroes

Place your ad in our classi!eds and reach thousands of West-ern Carolina readers. Cost is only $5 for the !rst 10 words for

one week in Cherokee, Clay and Graham Counties. Call (828) 389-8338CLASSIFIEDS

2005 FORD FOCUS SES, Runs GREAT! Automatic, white, power locks, power windows, leather seats, tinted windows. Great gas mileage. Well maintained car. Asking below Kelly Blue Book.

2008 Lexus GS350, 15,600 miles. One owner, non-smoker, garaged. GPS, rear camera, bluetooth, etc... Asking: $36,500 Call 706-896-6076

Bobcat T300 Track Loader, Cab-Heat-Air, 81 Hp, 1870 Hours, Good Con-dition! Rock bottom price $4500, con-tact: dmant5@msn.com / 678-609-1528

Store Manager - Kerr Drug has an immediate opening for a Store Manager in our Hayesville, NC location. Full-time position with benefits. Management experience preferred, retail experience required.Please fax resume to (828) 236-3328 Attn: Dennis Seeney

CNA’s needed for Cherokee and Clay County. Please call Helen @ (828) 835-8147

CNA available excellent references. Will work Sundays. 706-896-5794

Drivers/CDL Career Training w/ Central Refrigerated. We Train, Employ w/ $0 Down Financing. AVG $35 K-$40K 1st Year! 1-800-543-4023

Tri-County Community College Registrar—Continuing Education - Qualifications: Associate Degree Re-quired; Bachelor’s Degree Preferred. Minimum three years experience in office environment with high level of responsibility. Must have ability to multi-task with attention to detail and accura-cy in data entry. Experience in FileMaker Pro, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Word. For a more detailed description and re-quirements contact Ms. Helen Kilpatrick at Tri-County Community College, 21 Campus Circle, Murphy, NC 28906. Equal Opportunity Employer

Real Estate Attorney full-time office position: Experience with real estate transactions and /or mortgage lending background required. Send resume to : P.O. Box 2807, Blairsville, Ga 30514

Child Care in my home $20.00 per day. 828-389-9656

Bush hogging, Stump-grinding, gar-dens plowed, gravel-roads/driveways scraped, post-holes dug, sickle mow-ing. Free estimates, reasonable rates, dependable service. (828) 837-7809 Cell: (828) 361-8738 #

D&L Painting & drywall INC. Paint--

100% Quality Driven. Free Estimates cell: 828-508-5270 office(1): 828-321-2111 office(2): 828-479-4052 #

Tile installer your tile or mine, 26 years experience have references and liability insurance. Ask for Don at 828-389-9394 #

Walker Storage Corner of Old High-way 64 West and West Cherry Road. Concrete block Construction 828-389-4926 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. #

Massage Therapy- in the comfort

years experience, call Gerri; 1 hour $40; Half hour $25; 706-896-6108.

A&R Landscape Residential, and commercial lawn care. Plant, turf and grassing, lot clean up, mulching and re-taining walls. 706-994-2457.

Horse back riding lessons for kids. Horses are calm and well behaved. Giv-en by an experienced rider. Interested? Call for more information or rates. 706-299-1614.

Professional Remodeling. All types of remodel, and /or repair. Wood work, sheetrock, plumbing, electrical, flooring, etc. Call Richard at 706-851-6268

Will baby sit your child or children: Any age. Reasonable rates.References available. Call 706-299-1614

Dining Table + 4 chairs, Early Ameri-can maple. Clean , excellent condition. Oval table with Drop leafs measures 42” x 63” $225.00 Call 706-896-3383

Dry hay in 4’ x 5’ Bales $25.00 828-361-4633

Hay for Sale June 2009 cutting $3.00 a bale 828-389-0956

Reach of Clay County Thrift Store Mid-Winter Store Wide Sale. Saturday , Febru-ary 6th 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. 25%-50% off all merchandise over $1.00. Great chance to add to your Winter Wardrobe at half off and pick up other great buys! 828-389-0017

RELOCATED & OPEN The PINK RIB-BON Thrift Shoppe’ 1615 Hwy 17 (at the

Crossroads next to D-Nails). Due to ex-tensive water damage from a pipe break

again and are in need of your donations,

your purchase w/donations. Mon- Fri. 10-5p.m. Sat 10-4

Black Angus. Appalachian Grown- All natural farm raised USDA Inspected, pro-cessed and packaged by the quarter. Heif-ers and cows bred with quality genetics for sale. Walnut Hollow Ranch, Hayesville, 828-389-8931 crkissling@verizon.net

Pro-Activ Solution for sale! I didn’t read the fine print – am now swamped with the stuff. How about $20 for the $45 product package? Call me – it’s a great product but

I can’t use all of it. 706-781-3044.Sofa bed (queen) beige/ burgundy

plaid $100 and small beige recliner $60 All good condition. 706-896-6071.

33’ Travel Trailer for Sale. Very clean, no

deck with aluminum/ vinyl awning, pool, Recreation area, boat dock and storage,

Hiawassee Antique Mall 460 N. Main Street Hiawassee. Open year round. Mon.-Sat. 10-5, Sun 12-5. Antiques-Col-lectibles. 706-896-0587

Have any old Mac/Apple products -

nate old iPods and computers, even if they don’t work anymore, to Harrison by contacting hkeely@gmail.com.

Wanted: Old Pinball machines, electro-mechanical, . Call 828-389-6459

Looking for bumper-pull horse trail-er in good shape. Nothing too pricey. If you have one for sale or you want to get rid of call 706-299-1614.

MODELS NEEDED: -male models for pseudo bridal shoot. No compensation but photographer will provide images for your portfolio. Please email best images of yourself and we will contact chosen models. info@lorenrouthierphotography.com #

LOST 2 Stihl Chain Saws from North End of Dickey Road to Culberson NC. $200 reward offered for their return. Call 706.745.2590 or 828.361.4520

Free Beagle to good home 678-520-2863

Professional dog training, Board-ing & grooming. 1-4 week courses available, training service guaranteed, references abundant, in Mineral Bluff, GA. visit mountaindogboarding.com 706-374-9021

139 Acres of land with with trout stream. Good place for campground.

has spring - lacks two filter tests for be-ing state approved. Has nice views and would be good for developing. Price: $7,000 per acre. That’s less than half of what it has been priced for. Call 828.835.7880.

Investment Property near YH Col-lege? 3 BR Brick House, remodeled on

-

$195,000.00 Steve 201-315-9818At Award Mobile Homes,

3 Bedroom, 2 Bath Double-wide. FREE Fireplace, FREE Dishwasher, FREE Micro-wave Oven, FREE Entertainment Center, FREE TV, FREE Glamour Bath with sepa-rate shower, FREE Furniture, and much, much, more! Save $28,000 and now

-livery and set up and payments could be as low as $395.00 a month. One of many Specials. Award Mobile Homes – 1 mile North of Highway 53 on Highway 515, Jasper, Ga. 1-800-964-6638.

Award Mobile Homes has the lowest prices anywhere! Save thousands! Spa-cious NEW Double-wide 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath with appliances, storm windows, plush carpet, House type front door, 8

Furniture and FREE Delivery and set-up. Payments on this new home could be less than $299.00 a month. Of course this home comes with all the warranties. One of many Specials. Award Mobile Homes, 1 mile North of Highway 53 on Highway 515, Jasper, Ga. 1-800-964-6638. Open Mon.- Sat. 10-6 p.m. and Sun. 1 – 5 p.m. We also take trade-ins.

Award Mobile Homes has the low-est prices anywhere on New and Used Homes. Used 16 x 80 Single-wide Year

Double-wide 28 x 56 , 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath

Award Mobile Homes, North Georgi’s

Highway 53 on Highway 515, Jasper, Ga. 1-800-964-6638. Financing available.

stop THE CAR HONEY! $319,000 short sale Make offer- in town- lake view,

oversize 2 car garage, complete apart-ment downstairs. Many, many extras. Al-most new. Excellent condition. Must sell. Beautifully furnished by designer. Owner must sell furniture and furnishings at

-tor; 706-781-7028

Lots within a gated community. Reduced. Highest elevation in Towns County. Call 706-896-2353.

Must sell!

lots, long range, year round mountain views. Well established neighborhood; $36,500 each; 706-781-5274.

1999 RV Winnebago Rialta 22F Coach has only 71050 miles, full size bed, great condition, winter sale $4700 contact: te-77lad@msn.com/ 336-464-2457.

Unrestricted Creekfront 1.4 acres own both sides of creek off Firescreek Rd

-er on site, elect. available, 3 bdrm septic permit on file. Beautiful Mtn. views with convenient location near town and Fire-screek Park. Must Sell $45K Come build your dream home or vacation property. Email at scootshell2@aol.com or call for more info, survey available. 352-229-6764.

3 Cabins, must see- reduced! In gated communities.Starting at $199,000, Call 706-896-2353.

2BDRM/2BA mobile, CHA, complete-ly furnished on pond, 55+ community. Year round Mtn. views, decks, carport, many extras. $49,500. 706-896-8363 or 706-897-0311.

Nothing else like it in Towns County. 2 unrestricted lots for sale or

drive-ways already done by owner. All you have to do is place your RV, park model, or home on lot. 706-207-4159.

1 BR, 1 1/2 BA

custom kitchen. $550./ mo. + secu-rity deposit. 706-745-2297 or 770-712-2107

3 Bedroom, 2 Bath partially fur-

$850.00 per month. 2 Bedroom, 2 Bath $450.00 per month. 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath furnished $350.00 per month. Refer-ences and Security deposit required. 828-507-1617.

We have cabins and Homes for Rent! Weekly to long-term, and we;re looking for more ! Call 828-837-5551.

FOR RENT - 2 BR/2.5 BA, Mountain

-

$700.00 month. 706-897-1734NEW NAME, NEW DEALS! NOW

Renting 1 Bedroom, 1 Bath, 2 Bed-room, 1 1/2 Bath from $475 to $595, includes all appliances, free water and trash disposal. NO steps and Pet friendly. Ridgeline Apartments, 3346 Highway 64 East, Hayesville, NC. 828-389-1545 #

2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Cabin for rent

in Hanging Dog area. Unfurnished, washer/dryer, fireplace. $550 per month. Call 1-828-360-4630

We have cabins and Homes for Rent! Weekly to long-term, and we;re looking for more ! Call 828-837-5551.

Young Harris rentals available Mountain Realty 706-379-3115

3br/2ba 2 car attached garage close to Young Harris College. Beau-

plus utilities; 706-897-3730.5br/3ba Upscale home 2 car ga-

rage 1.71 acres near Young Harris Col-lege. $1200 per month/deposit plus utilities or for sale $399,000. Call 706-896-6208.

3 BR 1 1/2 BA mobile home – not in a trailer park. $300 a month. (828) 837-6222. #

2 Br- 2 Bath Lakeview on Highway 175 $500 a month . 828-524-0514 or 828-507-1617

3,000 square foot Commercial Building for rent in downtown Mur-phy. $800 per month. Call 828-837-6222 #

2 Bedroom 1 Bath house for rent in the town of Andrews. Call 828-837-6222 #

Newer Lake Nottely Waterfront -

ed lakefront home.Unfurnished, par-tially furnished, or furnished. $1,000

Nottely, Unfurnished basement for storage,Call 706-258-7134 or 561-289-7493

Two bedroom, one bath Mobile Home for Rent in Hiawassee, Ga. $125 per week or $400 per month plus $200 deposit. No pets. Call 706-835-6561

100-Autos

200-Employment

The following positions are available

Subscribe to the

Sentinel

Local Subscriptions

only

$25per year(828)

389-8338

500 - For Sale

Martin’s ConstructionBulldozing

389-6024

300-Services

1000 - Rentals

800-Animals

600-Wanted

Hughes Pool & StoneCarries a f

Call (828) 837-6222

900 - Real Estate

You can submit classifieds online at www.wncsentinel.net

Complete Piano Tuning $100

Moving away in a few weeks, Call before it’s

too late!(832) 239 2644

Reminder: Deadline for classifieds is Monday at 3:00. All classifieds received after this time will

be printed the following Thursday.

550 - Antiques

COMMUNITY 8AThe  Cherokee  SentinelFebruary 24, 2010

FREE Senior Financial Workshop

Workshop  is  FREE  and  open  to  the  public.No  registration  is  required.

Thursday,  March  4thTwo  Sessions  Available:10:00  am  -­  11:30  am  or1:00  pm  -­  2:30  pm

Workshop  Location:The  Truett  Baptist  Association  of  Churches

2235  NC  HWY  141Marble,  NC  28905

For  More  Information  Call  OnTrack  at  828-­255-­5166  or  1-­800-­737-­5485.

A  community  seminar  presented  by  OnTrack  Financial  Education  &  Counseling  and

The  Better  Business  Bureau  of  WNC.

Answering  Your  Questions  About:Smart  Financial  Decisions  for  Seniors

Reverse  MortgagesConsumer  Fraud  &  Scam  Prevention

lina and Union and Towns counties in Georgia.

Cormack constructed a board of di-rectors for the local center. !e board is comprised of Jennifer Ray (president), Kelly Graves (vice president), Ruth Gibson (treasurer) and Janice Clement (secretary), among others.

It took more than a year for the board to find a strong location for the center, finally settling on a vacant house built in 1941 on Church Street in Hayesville.

!e structure is being leased to the women’s center for $450 per month, Cormack said. !e center plans to save enough to eventually buy the building for $110,000.

When the board decided on the house more than a year ago, it was in desperate need of repair. Since that time floors have been replaced, walls painted, and rooms prepared. Despite all the e"ort, the home still has a large unfinished basement that could be re-modeled in the future for more room.

!e location was not only central for the surrounding counties, but also convenient for Cormack, who lives close by.

“!is worked out well for me be-cause there’ll be times when I’ll have to come over here in the middle of the night,” she said. “I could even walk here if a situation arrises.”

Cormack said that accepting a woman at the shelter requires screen-ing, a thorough background check to see if there are any outstanding war-rants and drug testing (which isn’t in-expensive).

“I don’t want to have to drive 35-40 miles down the road [if a woman comes to my door] in the middle of the night,” she said.

FUNDRAISING“What’s stopping us is the finances,”

Cormack said. “You have to be up and running for at least a year for the gov-ernment to give you some assistance. We’re praying that we don’t have to have assistance from the government, that the local communities will be able to show their support and to help us.”

Cormack said that she’s relying on Christians in the area to step up and

contribute funding that the govern-ment may not.

“When you say you’re faith-based you’re crossing the line,” she said. “Lots of times when you’re going for grants they don’t like to see “faith-based.”

One-third of the center’s $150,000 budget needs to be in place before the doors begin to open, Cormack said. She aims to have the house open and running by April.

While some shelters rely heavily on volunteers, Cormack said her aim to have an experienced sta" available at any time of day.

“We found out from experience down in Florida that to open with a volunteer sta" is setting yourself up for failure,” she said. “Volunteers get burnt out.”

Cormack and her daughter have so far cleaned and decorated 15 empty juice cartons to use as spare change boxes at local businesses to help raise extra funds.

Local businesses have also been do-nating furniture, Cormack said, not-ing that in the last month Tri-County O#ce Supply contributed 35 chairs, room dividers and a conference table. A series of bunk beds were also donat-ed. Cormack has also asked businesses if unused items can be sold at yard sales to raise money as well.

!e shelter can’t begin yard sales until the winter has passed, but is plan-ning a fundraiser at Brother’s Restau-rant in Young Harris on Feb. 25.

From 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. 15 percent of all dinner sales will be donated to the shelter.

“It takes the word of mouth around here for things to start moving,” Cor-mack said, noting that she has already booked speaking engagements with local churches to share her mission.

Bake sales, ra$es, even chances to win Nascar tickets and a contest for a trip to Las Vegas are in the works, all in the name of supporting the shelter.

HOMELESS“I believe there is a call for what

we’re trying to do here,” Cormack said, noting that it’s not been easy.

It’s tough to unite all of the drug coalitions and homeless e"orts in the area, she said, adding that while the women’s center won’t be connected to REACH shelters, they would work together if need be.

“We would network with them but

we do not cross the line,” she said. “We do not bring in a population of domes-tic violence with homeless. If for some reason…they need a bed and we have one available we would definitely let that person stay here until they a bed available.”

Cormack said the shelter will accept a mother’s children until they are 18 as long as they’re enrolled in school.

“A lot of families that are experienc-ing homelessness don’t want to be in mixed population shelters so they tend to stay in a car or together,” Cormack said. “A lot of people don’t like to ex-pose that they’re homeless because then they’re afraid of losing their kids. Our shelter looks at the family unit, trying to bring the mom in with the child.”

!e foster child population in the mountains is huge, Cormack said, because women involved in substance abuse have repeatedly had their kids taken away. She said the shelter’s job is to help monitor women with mentors, provide like skills studies and invite preachers to hold Bible studies. While residents won’t be forced to attend ser-vices, they are asked to at least meditate daily.

“It’s not a free ride,” Cormack said. “We give [women] two weeks once they move in to actually stabilize, un-derstand that they’re safe, and then they’re expected to go out and look for jobs because we ask them to pay a small portion weekly so that they can contribute to the household.”

!e board is considering a fee of $25-40 per week to help pay for food and other items. Cormack said that she recognizes the di#culty of finding a job in the current economy, but that it has to be done.

“I don’t want a lot of women just sitting down all day long,” she said. “!ey have to show me that there’s an initiative… A purpose to get up every morning.”

Cormack said she expects the shel-ter’s eight beds to fill quickly, consider-ing the center serves six counties.

“[New Life] is about a new begin-ning for women,” she said. “Some women find homelessness to be a lifelong battle and lots of times it’s not their problem. Disease is. !ey can be su"ering alcohol problems, substance abuse… We believe that with God all things are possible.”

Homeless:

Attorney General Roy Cooper will speak to sheri"s from western North Carolina on Wednesday, February 17 around 12:00 noon in Bryson City.

He will talk to local sheri"s about Operation Medicine Drop, an e"ort to cut down on prescription drug abuse.% Cooper’s State Bureau of Investigation is partnering with local law enforce-ment agencies, Safe Kids North Caro-lina, and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to sponsor prescrip-tion drug take-back programs across the state during the week of March 14-20.%% Prescription drugs are the sec-ond most abused drug among young people ages 12-17, and two-thirds of

teenagers who use prescription drugs without proper authorization get the drugs from their home or a friend’s home.%

!e Attorney General will also dis-cuss taking DNA samples from arrest-ees to help law enforcement solve cases quicker and prevent future crimes.% Cooper worked previously with law-makers to expand North Carolina’s DNA database to include samples from all convicted felons, growing the state’s database from around 18,000 samples in 2000 to more than 180,000 today.

%In addition, Cooper will talk to the sheri"s about new trends in the fight

against meth, including a new elec-tronic system to track purchases of key meth ingredients that will help law en-forcement identify and stop criminals who make meth.%

!e western sheri"s’ meeting will take place at River Rock Grill, located at 4041 Highway 19 West in Bryson City.%

SBI director Robin Pendergraft will join the Attorney General at the meet-ing. Sheri"s from Avery, Buncombe, Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Jackson, Macon, Mc-Dowell, Swain, Transylvania and Yancey counties are expected to attend.

Attorney General to speak at WNC Sheriffs meeting

ing Consortium Vice Chair, Mark Burrows. %“!is project will assist our smaller, more rural a"ordable housing non-profits better meet their com-munity’s needs by providing strong technical assistance focused around

organization development, project management and capacity building for workforce housing.”

%Land-of-Sky is one of 17 regional councils in North Carolina.% It serves Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania counties with a mission to:% “work with local governments, the Region’s leadership, state and federal agencies, service providers, and volun-teers to foster desirable social, econom-ic, cultural and ecological conditions in

Buncombe, Henderson, Madison and Transylvania Counties.”

%USDA Rural Development over-sees and directs more than 40 housing, business, infrastructure and facilities programs intended to advance the economic stability of rural communi-ties.%% Rural Development has a current commitment of more than $127 bil-lion in loan guarantees and loans.%%

USDA:

has been closed, his profits have plummeted by as much as 120% each day.

In a troubled economy this just simply adds insult to injury. While the rockslide isn’t completely to blame for our current economic situation, it should not be overlooked as one of the major contributing factors. Highway 64 brings in hundreds of travelers from Cleveland and Chattanooga every day.

When that flow of tra#c all together disappears, there is no doubt that it will have adverse e"ects on our local com-merce.

In light of this, last Saturday, North Carolina State Representatives along with representatives from Cherokee County met together to assess the situation and start working toward a solution. Among those representa-tives were Senator John Snow, Deputy secretary for the Department of Com-merce Dale Carrol, Murphy Mayor Bill Hughes and County Commis-sioners David Sumpter and Johnathan Dickey.

After finding out first hand that

many Cherokee County businesses have been struggling, plans were put in e"ect to have the I-40 relief funds re-quest amended to include Highway 64 as well. !is amendment would allow for money to be allocated toward the relief of the Highway 64 rockslide and get tra#c flowing between Tennessee and North Carolina once again. More details concerning how this money will be used are to be released at a later date.

Meanwhile, crews are working dili-gently to remove the remaining road blockage, and as of now the road is ex-pected to be cleared and operational by March 31st.

Rockslide:

A home located at !e Ridges golf course community in Hayesville was lost Saturday to a fire that had likely been smoldering more than 20 hours in the basement. !e investigation into a cause is continuing.

Clay County Fire & Rescue report-ed that a neighbor observed smoke coming from the home on 48 Foxfire Drive and called 911 at around 2:40 p.m.

Homeowners Charlie & Debby Kohler had gone out of town Friday afternoon and had not returned by the time the fire began.

Clay Central Fire Chief Brandon Bailey said he called for assistance from area departments since many Hayesville firefighters were attending a fire school out of the county.

“Shooting Creek, Warne, Brasstown and Towns County, GA departments responded,” Bailey said. “!at gave us

adequate water supply, engines and firefighters on scene.”

A team of four firefighters with two handheld attack lines tackled the downstairs of the home, directed by Shooting Creek Fire Chief Joe Daven-port. An upstairs team of four Towns County firefighters with two attack lines was directed by Clay Central As-sistant Fire Chief Andy Lundquist.

An initial size up found no flames or heavy smoke and doors and windows did not have abnormal temperatures. An interior search for the source of the fire was performed by a team of firefighters led by Assistant Fire Chief Adam Henry.

When the team found no source for the fire on the first search, the decision was made to reenter the house.

Henry found a small fire in a down-stairs wall and quickly attacked the spot. Within seconds a blast occurred,

sending a fireball rocketing through the home, propelling a firefighter onto the lawn surrounded by fire.

!e blast shot out of the home’s doorways and within minutes the entire 4,000 square feet home was en-gulfed in flames.

!e fire department then deter-mined the structure was unsafe to reenter and the home was declared a total loss. One firefighter was treated and released from Murphy Medical Center.

Bailey reviewed photos and cri-tiqued the fire with members of the department Monday afternoon. Studying the unusual behavior of the fire and the resulting events could assist professional associations nationwide in providing safety training, those familiar with the local incident said.

Home at Ridges Golf Course lost to flames