ASHEVILLE
2 All-WNC in volleyball
Murphy seniors Cailey Dockery and Torin Rogers have been named to the first All-Western North Carolina volleyball team by the Asheville Citizen-Times.
A Notre Dame signee, Dockery was the Lady Bulldogs defensive backbone at libero, recording a team-high 443 digs while also having 24 aces. Rogers, who was also the Big Smoky Mountain Conference Player of the Year, was a force at middle hitter. She had a team-high 412 kills and 86 blocks, as well as 195 digs and 27 aces.
Senior setter Amber Martin and junior outside hitter Olivia Payne were honorable mentions. Murphy, which finished 23-3 last year and advanced to the 1A Western Regional final for the first time since 2011, had an undefeated regular season in conference play for the second straight year.
HAYESVILLE
Golf Classic set May 11
The Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce’s Golf Classic will take place Wednesday, May 11, at Mountain Harbor Golf Club off U.S. 64 East.
The competition will be a four-person scramble, with first place getting $600, second place $450 and third place $300. Registration will start at 8:30 a.m., and the tournament will begin at 10 a.m. with a shotgun start.
All participants will get a complimentary “swag bag,” and lunch will be provided by Chick-fil-A of Blairsville, Ga. To register or sponsor the event, visit www.cherokeecountychamber.com.
RALEIGH
Prepare for bat roosting
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission biologists are asking people who see bats on their property to try to relocate them before pup rearing season starts May 1.
Bat poop, called guano, is the most common obvious indication that bats may be living inside or outside your home. A licensed Wildlife Control Agent can evict them; you can find a list online at ncwildlife.org.
Bats hibernate or migrate south for the winter, which is why you may only start to see them now. Their appetite increases during pup-rearing season, which is May 1 through July 31 in North Carolina.
If you’re unable to remove bats from your home before rearing season, it’s best to let them roost until the end of July, but you can still ask a Wildlife Control Agent to seal off entryways in the living space to help minimize the chance of human interaction. If a bat does enter your living space and human exposure occurs or might have occurred, contact your county health department immediately.
RALEIGH
Avoid all bear dens
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is reminding people that if they find a bear den, leave it alone.
Black bears are very adept at finding places to shelter from late December through April, when the weather is cold and their cubs are born. Dens can be found in rock cavities, brush piles, tree cavities, excavations under fallen trees, ground nest, under decks and even in crawlspaces.
The Wildlife Resources Commission says if you see a bear den, don’t panic. Instead, leave the area quietly and do not disturb it for the rest of the season.
If it is on your property, leave the area and call the N.C. Wildlife Helpline at 866-318-2401, or contact your local district wildlife biologist for further guidance and information.
In almost all-cases, humans can co-exist with bears until they leave their den in the spring, when bears become more active.
From staff reports.