Roadless Rule bad for county
The Roadless Rule is bad for Cherokee County. The forests of Cherokee County hold a treasure trove of virgin timber. The roads left after the harvest would be access for fire control.
You never know, after deregulation maybe even real estate business innovations.
MountainTrue chooses to continue making progress complicated. Linda Tatsapaugh thinks things should remain as they were back in 2001.
Tim Johnson, Ellenboro
Thankful for 49th festival
The staff and Board of Directors of John C. Campbell Folk School extend our deepest gratitude to everyone who made the 49th annual Fall Festival such a joyful success.
What a wonderful way to begin our 100th anniversary year. With the help of nearly 300 volunteers, 250 talented performers and more than 30 skilled artisan demonstrators, our campus came alive in the best way – full of music, laughter and community spirit. We also invited members of our founding families, former directors and board members to reconnect with those who have impacted our history timeline in profound ways.
We were honored to welcome more than 13,000 guests to Brasstown on Oct. 4-5, made possible through the generous support of our many sponsors:
Harrah’s Cherokee Casinos; Cherokee County Tourism Development Authority; Our State Magazine; Visual Outdoor Advertising; MOOG Inc.; Erlanger Western Carolina Hospital; United Community Bank; Blue Ridge Mountain Electric Membership Corp.; Young Harris College; Blue Ridge Public Radio; Glen Choga Lodge; Penland School of Craft; Gerard’s Automotive Shop; Nantahala Bank & Trust; Lance Law Firm; Progress Printing Plus; Hoppy Trout Brewing Co.; 828 Design; The Furniture Society; and the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce.
A special thank you goes to Emergency Management coordinator Sam Davis and team, including Clay County Fire & Rescue, Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office and other dedicated public safety partners, as well as Tri-County Early College, for ensuring everyone’s safety and smooth travels throughout the weekend. We also extend gratitude to the publishers of this newspaper and its advertisers for featuring the folk school in a recent special section commemorating our centennial.
We hope you’ll visit us again soon – come explore our new Walking Tour, step inside the newly restored Log Cabin Museum, attend a dance or concert or stop by Olive’s Porch in downtown Murphy for a class or community event. Don’t forget, locals, veterans and teachers receive special discounts on classes.
From all of us at the folk school, thank you for 100 years of community, creativity and shared celebration. We look forward to seeing the folk school continue to flourish into the next century.
Visit folkschool.org/100 to stay connected throughout our centennial year.
Bethany Chaney, Brasstown
The writer is executive director of John C. Campbell Folk School.
Alcohol bad for everyone
It appears Publisher David Brown is double-minded or just doesn’t get it. His Oct. 22 Scout tells of tragic, all too common deaths from drug overdoses, with North Carolina ranking fifth in the 15-24 age group.
Sadly, Brown has firsthand experience with the sorrow and devastation drugs cause following the death of his son.
Yet, his Oct. 15 Scout column states, more “beer, wine and liquor” businesses would make “nice additions to downtown” Murphy (20 plus already exist).
Welcoming such addictive dangers to our beautiful area where plenty currently thrive is foolish. Drugs are out of control here in Cherokee County. Law enforcement fights a constant battle trying to protect us.
According to American Addiction Centers, alcohol is the fifth-leading cause of preventable death in the United States. This alone should be a sobering thought.
Information About Alcohol on nih.gov states, the earlier an individual begins drinking, the greater his or her risk of developing alcohol-related problems in the future. Advertisements and media images often present alcohol as a means to success and an enjoyable life.
The short-term behavioral effects of alcohol follow the typical dose-response relationship characteristic of a drug; the greater the dose, the greater the effect.
Alcohol is unlike other drugs in that it interacts with multiple systems in the brain, sometimes stimulating and at other times inhibiting neurotransmission.
Increased blood alcohol concentrations lead to changes in personality as well as loss of control over physical functions.
Increased amounts of alcohol consumed by a person experiencing tolerance can severely damage the body’s psysiological systems despite their apparent normalcy.
I am extremely disappointed with Brown’s irresponsible alcohol promotion. The vehicle used to propagate his views should be for the general public’s well-being, not for their harm or potential demise.
Tamala Phillips, Murphy
Note to readers
The offending line in Brown’s column on Oct. 15 reads: “Electronics, groceries, home furnishings and beer, wine and liquor are three of the most underrepresented retail areas, according to the Impact of Main Street report.” Brown was sharing what was in the report, not offering any kind of endorsement.