02.17.10 Cherokee Sentinel

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CHEROKEE

As more severe winter weather con-ditions are expected to blow in, Cherokee

County students will likely have to attend School on Saturday. Dr. Lane reported on the inclement weather make up days. “!e weather has been a bear this year, and I do appreciate the hard work the transportation department has put into getting out there and making sure the buses continue to roll, and the maintenance guys keeping the heat on so the students and sta" have warm buildings. !e people that go out on snow patrol: Bryan Kil-patrick, SROs Libby !igpen and Randy Phillips; that’s a tough process and we take it very seriously,” he said.

At the beginning of each school year there are days designated as “make-up days” in the case of inclement weather. !is year, four days that would have otherwise been student holidays, are now go-ing to be make-up days - the last of which was April 2nd. !is means that any future days missed will have to be made up on the next Saturday - weather permitting. Dr. Lane also went on to say: “Anytime you go over five days, you have sta" in overtime. It’s been a long time since we had to do

Snow Sends Students

to Saturday School

SentinelCHEROKEE

EDUCATION

Winter weather leaves Cherokee County School’s with no more

make up days

If this year’s Moonshine Cruiz-In was a road, it would be longer, smoother, and filled with much more tra#c.

“We’re going to give 110 percent to make this bigger and better,” the show’s promoter, Rakes Parrish, told commu-nity business owners at the February 11

planning meeting for the second annual show.

Parrish and the Towns County Tour-ism Board aim to solve the problems that plagued last year’s event, namely a poor sound system, parking troubles and too few food vendors.

Only two vendors were open to pro-vide food for thousands of attendees.

“We were really understa"ed last year,” Parrish said. “It was kind of a

guessing game...we didn’t book nearly enough [food vendors] but we will this year.”

Although this year’s Cruz-In is scheduled for August 12-14, plans are already well underway to solve last year’s problems and attract even more people to the event.

“!ere are a lot of people who have not seen the neat history that this town has to o"er,” Parrish said. “I know we had a lot of kinks to work out [last year] but I think we’ve got a better game plan this year.”$

!e 2010 show will be a three-day event, Parrish said, noting that he would like to see the Cruiz-In extend to a week in the future.

“Unfortunately, the more days we add the more it costs to do,” he said. “!is event costs us a lot of money to put on.”

Parrish asked local businesses to chip in and support the Cruiz-In by purchas-ing one of several sponsorship packages that range from $100-$500. He said the money gathered from businesses will be used entirely for promotion.

Business owners who contribute will

receive ads in a keepsake pocket guide to the event, Parrish said. Depending on the amount paid, some businesses will be announced by an emcee at the event and receive other perquisites.

Parrish also discussed giving attend-ees welcome bags that would come with coupons and ads for local businesses.

“!is year I want to have a lot of mountain music going on for people; they love that,” he said.

Hilda !omason, chairperson of the Towns County Tourism Association, suggested having a concert on the Sat-urday night of the event featuring bands Swingin’ Medallions, !e Drifters and Clarence Carter.

Parrish said he’s also considering add-ing a Friday night parade to this year’s festivities.

!ose involved would line-up at the fairgrounds at 6 p.m. and travel to the Hiawassee town square over a period of two hours.

“!e people will love it,” he said. “It’s a great opportunity for stores to be open late.”

Moonshine Cruiz-In aims for bigger better 2010 eventCOMMUNITY

MURPHY CAN’TTECHNOLOGY

PLUG INHigh-Speed Internet

insu!ciency leaves county residents feeling frustrated.

More e"ort needed to bring WNC up to speed.

Janet Messex visits Murphy to get away from the rest of the world; her Cherokee County home has no cellular service and no Internet access. But now that the Flori-da resident is eyeing a permanent move to the mountains, the ideal getaway is begin-ning to look like full-time isolation.

“Internet access will be a necessity to keep in touch with family and friends I leave behind,” she said.

Even though Messex lives just a half mile from Highway 64, Internet companies told her there aren’t enough people interested in high-speed access to provide it.

“People who are used to having connec-tivity all the time miss it,” she said. “When my son comes he doesn’t stay very long, he gets bored. His cell phone doesn’t work and he can’t get on the Internet.”

The web used to be simple. Browsing basic pages of information over a phone line seemed like all anyone ever needed.

Yet just a decade later, the net has shift-ed to an interactive game-playing, movie-watching, video-conferencing necessity. While many urban networks have kept up with consumer demand for high-speed ac-cess, the mountains of North Carolina have lagged behind, leaving many residential

customers dis-connected from the increasingly c o m p l e x a p p l i c a -tions of-fered on the web today.

L A N D OF THE LOST (VALUE)

Potential mountain home buyers are beginning to notice the divide.

Internet availability is changing land val-ue in the mountains, Joy Stein, the owner of Vista Realty in Murphy, said.

Stein said web access has become the biggest concern among recent customers.

“They don’t want to go anywhere that there’s not Internet,” she said.

Even Messex said she’s starting to eye real estate listings that advertise strong In-ternet connections.

Many retired folks work online, using services like eBay to make a living, Stein said.

“In this changing high-tech world today, absolutely, property away from fiber-optic lines is less valuable,” she said.

What Stein re-

ally wants is a map show-

ing which local properties get any high-

speed access, but it’s not easy to figure out.For Stein, Internet connectivity is also a

personal problem. Local Internet Service Providers told her that the only way a fiber-optic cable would connect her neighbor-hood was if each of her neighbors signed up for service as well.

High-speed Internet in Western Chero-kee County is pretty much non-existent, she said.

“Just across the line in Georgia, Wind-stream is all over the place, even in remote areas,” she said. “Here we can’t even get high-speed Internet on the main high-way... It’s a very untapped market.”

UNABLE TO WORK

Five months ago Information Technolo-gy Specialist Patrick Richardt had multiple ISPs competing to offer him faster speeds at better prices.

Then he moved to Hayesville.Richardt said he was shocked to learn of

the region’s Internet insufficiency when he arrived at his rental house from Atlanta.

The house had a DSL connection when he was considering it, but the landlord cut the service when Richardt moved in.

Because only a few switches are avail-able for the whole neighborhood, the next person waiting in line was able to snatch up the only spot available, leaving Richardt dry. And, like Stein, local ISPs refuse to con-nect the fiber-optic line from the nearby highway to his street.

“It’s like trying to find a parking space in a full parking lot; you just can’t get online,” he said. “My only option at this point is ei-ther a 56K modem, which absolutely will not work, or satellite, which is entirely too expensive...”

Ironically, Richardt works for a high-tech network infrastructure company called K-Star Inc., but when he moved to the moun-tains he quickly discovered that working from home was impossible.

“I can help hundreds and thousands of clients while sitting at my computer... but

By: Harrison Keely

Sentinel Writer

See INTERNET Page 8A

By: Bryan Hughes

Editor

See SCHOOL Page 2A

By: Harrison Keely

Sentinel Writer

Higgins Appointed as County Health Director

It was recently announced that Jim Higgins of Raleigh, NC will become the new Health Director for Cherokee County.

Jim holds a Masters Degree in Health Administration and has worked in some form of the health care field since 1981 ranging any-where from community hospitals, hospice, home health care, and now County Health Director.

Jim certainly brings with him the weight of experience, and has a good working knowledge of the many di"erent facets of the health care system. He remarked that the various hospital and health care sta"s in Cherokee County are very dedicated and that he will try to do his best to serve the community.

!e County Health Director assumes many di"erent roles which includes making Community Health Assesments, as well as oversee-ing health education, family planning, immunizations, pediatrics, and much more.

Jim also noted that since we are dealing with a rough economy one of his main goals will be to make sure that budget monies go to the right areas of health care and that local residents are matched with the proper resources so that they can save more money in the end.

Jim will no doubt be welcomed with open arms to our community and become an asset to our local health care system.

He will assume the title of Cherokee County Health Director start-ing March 1st of this year.

NEWS

By: Bryan Hughes

Editor

See CRUIZ Page 2A

Pump price expected to

rise

Page 2A

Check the NC gas

price update

Cannoli now available in downtown Murphy

Page 2A

Where to start when greening your home

Check out The Green Column

Page 3A

NEWS The Cherokee Sentinel 2AFebruary 17, 2010

BRIEFSDefense Agency Successfully Tests Boeing 747 Laser On

In-Flight Missile

Archaeologists Uncover Byzantine-era Jerusalem Street

!e U.S. Missile Defense Agency announced Friday it successfully tested a new anti-ballistic missile defense system that uses laser beam fired from a Boeing 747 plane to destroy an in-flight missile.

!e agency’s Airborne Laser Testbed (ALTB) destroyed a mock ballistic missile over the Pacific Ocean on !ursday. !e missile was launched at 8:44 p.m. from an at-sea mobile launch platform and within two minutes, the ALTB detected and destroyed it. !e extreme heat of the laser beam caused the missile to fail.

!e modified Boeing 747-400F took o" from Edwards Air Force Base and focused its high-energy laser at the boosting missile o" the coast of California.

Northrop Grumman designed and built the ALTB that features a control system developed by Lockheed Martin while Boeing provided the aircraft, the battle management system and overall systems integra-tion and testing.

Digging up a busy city crossroad isn’t usually something that elicits tears of joy. But when new sewer and telecommunication lines were needed, Is-raeli archaeologists in Jerusalem got a chance of a lifetime and they couldn’t hold back their emotions.

“My hair, you know, stood on end,” said excavation director Dr. Ofer Sion of the Israel Antiquities Authority. “Another good friend of ours, also an archeologist, jumped when she saw it. Wow amazing! Amazing! It was all very exciting for us.”

For the past three weeks Israeli archaeologists have been making life hell for the residents and shopkeepers at the main entrance to the popular souk or market just inside the Old City’s Ja"a Gate. Under nearly five meters of debris they discovered well- preserved flagstones of the city’s main street from 1,500 years ago.

Archaeologists were not surprised with what they discovered. !ey had an idea this street existed since it appeared in the famous Madaba map, a sixth century mosaic that depicts Jerusalem during the Byzantine era.

Standing on the cracked, flat street stones, Sion said it was the first proof of the existence of this single central street and it lended credence to the ac-curacy of the map, located in a church floor in Jordan, as the most relevant one today for showing how Jerusalem looked 1,500 years ago. In that map, the only western gate to the walled city showed a road heading into the city center.

According to Sion, Byzantine Jerusalem was comprised of about 40,000 residents and was filled with churches and structures built on the ruins of buildings from the earlier Roman and Jewish periods.

“Hundreds of thousands of people in the Byzantine period were walking on this street which we found,” Sion said.

Sentinel Newsgroup 828.837.6397

NC Gas Price UpdateAverage retail gasoline prices in

North Carolina have fallen 4.0 cents per gallon in the past week, averag-ing $2.60/g today. !is compares with the national average that has fallen 2.9 cents per gallon in the last week to $2.62/g, according to gasoline price website NorthCarolinaGasPrices.com.

Including the change in gas prices in

North Carolina during the past week, prices today are 69.3 cents per gallon higher than the same day one year ago and are 13.6 cents per gallon lower than a month ago. !e national aver-age has decreased 11.9 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 67.6 cents per gallon higher than this day a year ago.

“Gasoline prices will begin to slowly rise across much of the country as colder than average weather results in rising oil demand as temperatures plummet in key areas that warm their homes using heating oil”, says Gas-Buddy.com Senior Petroleum Analyst, Patrick DeHaan. “However, gasoline prices in the Midwest will buck the

trend as stockpiles swell in the Great Lakes area.” He goes on to mention that stockpiles grew last week to the highest levels since March 2008 in that area, resulting in lower prices as supply greatly outpaces demand.

Petroleum prices will begin to slowly rise

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

While businesses and individuals struggled to cope with ever-rising health insurance costs, health insurance companies lined their pockets with profits of $12.2 billion in 2009 - an increase of 56 percent from 2008.

!ose staggering statistics were revealed in a report by a coalition of liberal advocacy groups and labor unions, Health Care for America Now.

“!e five largest U.S. health insurance companies sailed through the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression to set new industry profit records in 2009, a feat accomplished by leaving behind 2.7 million Americans who had been in private health plans. For customers who kept their benefits, the insurers raised rates and cost-sharing, and cut the share of premiums spent on medical care. Executives and shareholders of the five biggest for-profit health insurers, UnitedHealthGroup Inc., WellPoint Inc., Aetna Inc., Huma-na Inc., and Cigna Corp., enjoyed combined profit of $12.2 billion in 2009, up 56 percent from the previous year. It was the best year ever for Big Insur-ance,” Health Care for America Now wrote in a statement on its Website.

Part of the shocking profits were made by dropping the sickest policy hold-ers, Health Care for America Now noted.

In addition, although many people view health care as a necessity, health insurance companies price it like it’s a luxury.

Health Care for America on its Website quoted Andrew Kurz, former chief financial o#cer of Wisconsin Blue Cross-Blue Shield as saying, “Insur-ance company profit margins put the industry in the top 10% of all industries, up there with cigarette manufacturers. Insurers price their products like a dis-cretionary luxury, not something essential for health and well-being.

Health Insurance Companies Increased

Profits By 56% In 2009

Customs Confiscates 30 Pounds Of Cannabis From Christ

U.S. authorities arrested a woman attempting to smuggle 30 pounds of marijuana across the border from Mexico to Texas in framed pictures of Jesus Christ, according to reports.

!e 22-year-old woman from Juarez, Mexico tried crossing the border at El Paso, Texas. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents searched her vehicle and found drug-laced pictures of Christ. According to the agents smuggling drugs and paraphernalia in religious articles is relatively common.

!e woman was arrested. Her identity has not been revealed as of yet, and charges against the woman have not been reported yet.

Because more than 900 cars were featured in last year’s show, Parrish said a sign-up sheet would have to be made for the parade.

“We can’t even do a fraction of a thousand cars in a parade,” he said. “It would last forever.”

!omason stressed the importance of local restaurants and shops to stay open late.

“Car people, on the majority, have plenty of money,” Parrish said. “!ey do have money and they will spend money.... they want to shop, especially the women.”

Parrish said a lot of accommodations would be needed for the event.

“We had people staying in Atlanta and driving up for the show last year,” he said.

!e number of cars involved in the Cruiz-In could double if people could find a place to stay, Parrish said.

“We did a mailout the other day and registrations and calls are coming in like

crazy,” he said.Katie Polstra, the general manager of

Ramada at Lake Chatuge, emphasized that even though it was only February, 70 percent of the hotel’s rooms were al-ready booked for four nights during the Cruiz-In.

Chad Hooper, general manager of the Ridges Resort, said he was excited about the plans for this year’s event.

“We were tickled to death to be able to host the first annual kick-o" party for the car show last year,” he said. “We just had a good time.”

Hooper said he was amazed by the amount of vehicles at last year’s kick-o", everything from rat rods to $150,000 cars.

!e Ridges will be hosting this year’s kick-o" as well, which is slated to begin at 5:30 p.m. on Aug. 12.

“It’s open to the public; there’s no ad-mission to it,” Hooper said. “!is is an event for everyone, this ain’t just for the car-owners.”

A local band, Steven Phillips and the Midnight Express, will be performing and a moonshine still from Dahlonega, Georgia will be on display, he said.

!ere will also be an 11-meter-long tour boat making multiple trips on

Chatuge Lake.“We all had a tough year in 2009;

things like this make you shine and make you grin,” Hooper said. “We try to draw business to this community...so we can all survive, and that’s what it’s about.”

Towns County Commissioner Bill Kendall, who created the show’s name, said that the county spent $5,000 on security for last year’s event but that it was well worth it.

Parrish said that automotive vendors would be set up on the perimeter of the ball field, circling the show cars. Craft vendors would be placed outside the field.

Emphasizing a strategy to support the local economy, Parrish said he would make local vendors a priority and end the show early each night to allow visitors to spend money at area businesses and restaurants.

Aiming to solve last year’s parking problem, Parrish said trailers could be parked for free behind city hall for this year’s event.

“We’ve got cars coming to see cars,” he said, adding that a free shuttle ser-vice would provide extra parking across the highway for the show and the kick-

o".In addition, the director of the local

HAM radio operators club volunteered to coordinate parking with his team.

Parrish said a website that was set up to collect feedback from last year’s event was overflowing with accolades.

“Everything we got was positive,” he said. “It was the best thing they’d ever been to; the best show they’d ever been to... and for a first year, that is great.”

If car enthusiasts thought last year’s show was spectacular, Parrish said 2010 would be even better.

“Last year was a drop in the bucket compared to what we’re looking at this year,” he said.

In other news, !omason mentioned two more large-scale events being add-ed to the calendar for 2011:

Hiawassee during the second weekend in June and put on a parade. For the last 23 years the shriners have met in Helen, Georgia.

the Christian Motorcycle Association will meet in Hiawassee the weekend after Father’s Day for the Eastern Na-tional Rally.

Cruiz:

Real Italian Taste comes to Downtown Mayor Bill Hughes, Murphy

Town Councilman David Hilton, and Chamber representatives cel-ebrate with owners Marco D’Abate, Carla D’Abate and Marco D’Abate, in the opening of their new restau-rant, Antica Roma Ca"e, located at 19 Tennessee Street, Murphy.$ !e Ca"e serves authentic Italian sandwiches, handmade pastries, ge-lati, traditional Italian co"ees, wines and beer.$ !ey are open Monday through !ursday from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm, and on Friday and Saturday from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm. For additional information call 837-5300.

Ribbon is cut at Antica Roma Ca!e

!e mountains of western North Carolina and north Georgia attract many talented artisans. A new busi-ness, Writers' Hub of the Mountains, seeks to assist area writers by o"ering courses and custom services that will avail them to hone their skills and be-come published.

!e courses are designed to thor-oughly cover the many important as-

pects of crafting a well-written story that captivates its readers. Each course, to be held in rotating locations, will consist of two hour classes lasting from four to six weeks. Some of the planned courses are: “!e Elements of a Story - An Overview”, “Developing Char-acters that Matter”, “Convincing Dia-logue”, “Using E"ective Description to Move the Story Forward”, and “It's Not Over - Revising and Rewriting”.

One day seminars covering the ins and outs of self-publishing will be of-

fered to round out the course instruc-tion and to provide information on this growing trend.

Since writing is only half the work of becoming published, Writers' Hub will also o"er custom services such as proofreading, editing, cover design, preparation of manuscripts for pub-lishing, and website and blog design.

Ronda Birtha, local photographer and writer (www.rondabirtha.com), will be the course instructor and will also provide the majority of the servic-

es listed. Ronda, a James Carr Scholar, earned a degree in English Literature from Rutgers University. With 18 years of experience in all aspects of photography, writing, instructing and printing, Ronda is looking forward to sharing her expertise.

For more information, or to advise Writers' Hub of the Mountains of your areas of interest, please email [email protected].

New Business Offers Services to Existing and Aspiring WritersBy: Ellen SchofieldContributing Writer

Shelves were custom made by Ed Reid of!REID’S CUSTOM WOODWORKING in Brasstown for the!Hurlburt-Johnson Friendship House, Inc.! Ed!Reid worked with Amy and Gil Nicolson and Deni Grave, Executive Director of the Friend-ship!House to design the needed shelves.

that, but we are only in mid-Febru-ary with quite a bit to go. It is tough try-ing to predict, but this is a way parents can plan on, and on these (Saturdays), it will not be a full day. !e only other choice we have is to look at extending the school year.”

!e current legislation states that school should not start after August 25th nor extend past June 10th. “!ere

are calendar proposals out there that indicate that we might be able to ex-tend the calendar, and I feel that if we have two days missed in a week due to weather, and we make up one of those on Saturday, then it is prudent to look at extending the year where we have work days built in, not to interfere with Graduation which will be set,” Dr. Lane said.

!e board will review all options be-fore making the final decision. Howev-er, because of the unusually brutal win-ter we are experiencing in this region, many other school districts have voted to extend the school year.

School:

Shelves donated to homeless shelter Do you have an opinion?We want to hear it!

Send letters on anything to [email protected]

VIEWS 3AThe Cherokee SentinelFebruary 17, 2010

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SentinelCHEROKEE

Sarah Palin, bless her heart, is such a perfect spokesperson for the tea party crowd. I watched portions of her speech in Nashville before the tea party elite and could only shake my head. She has such a way of saying noth-ing so well it grabs your attention and leads you to believe she is on to some-thing big. However, after the euphoria dies down, you sit there reflecting on her speech and think, “uh?” It slowly dawns on you that she speaks in broad strokes, stringing together a series of popular sound bites that convey little more than pa-triotic fervor.

As someone trained in critical thinking, I winch when I hear Sarah talk about drill, baby, drill, and realize that she has failed to drill down into her “posi-tions.” Do not think that criti-cal thinking is about criticizing everything. Indeed, it is about taking an argument apart, looking at its components, and making up your mind whether the argument has valid-ity, whether the argument has merit, or whether the argument is robust or weak. It is examining an argument to make sure you are not suckered by the snake oil salesperson. However, Sarah fails to provide any details. !erefore, you cannot assess the impact or the consequences should her broad state-ments be converted into policy. For a thinking person, this is heresy. She mines the shallows and collects the easy pickings, leaving behind complex-ity and detail.

Sarah taps into anger. She taps into emotion. She taps into the mood of her audience. However, she does not tap into reason. She is the best snake oil salesperson I have ever seen work-

ing a crowd. She is like a mirror, reflect-ing the mood, and misinformation, of her audience. You really have little idea about her true, behind-the-scenes be-liefs. She is so good at reflecting your beliefs you believe they are her beliefs. She reflects, and feeds, the worst emo-tional excesses of tea party members.

When she says, “We want our Con-stitution back,” I wonder what part of the Constitution is lost. I am unaware that I have lost any of my rights grant-ed in that document. At the tea party convention in Nashville, it was said

that we do not need any document but the “four pages of the Constitution.” I guess they forgot the Bill of Rights, the abolition of slavery, giving women the right to vote, gun ownership, and a host of other issues not addressed in the Constitution. Sarah reflects the tea party crowd because they speak before they think. !ey forget that the states had to ratify any changes to the Con-stitution.

!ere is little doubt I would like sitting down and having a beer with Sarah. I think we could have a great conversation. However, I do not think the conversation would have much substance. Interview after interview reveals that she does not know basic facts about the issues important to our country. Anybody who thinks looking at Russia from Alaska constitutes for-

eign policy experience has just included anyone who has ever travelled to a for-eign land.

What Sarah has going for her is a folksy, down-home friendliness. It is with a smile that she criticizes every-thing without o"ering solutions. In-deed, her criticisms reflect her lack of understanding of the issues. You can-not help but like her as a vivacious per-son but the shallowness and negativity of her arguments does little to lift the political discourse. Or, include facts.

To listen to Sarah is like listening to a string of marginally related ideas. Her talks go something like this: “We need to be ener-gy independent and give our hard working people a tax cut and make sure there is a gun in every home and put our country first and get our Con-stitution back and reclaim the freedoms we have lost, and … did I say give our people a tax cut?” I will make a deal with you. I will show you Obama’s

birth certificate if you show me Sarah’s high school diploma.

Sarah quit the governorship of Alaska after two years because she recognized that more money could be made running around the country talking sound bites. Compared to run-ning a state – which requires detailed, complex thinking - addressing angry crowds who demand little more than platitudes is easy pickings.

People who refuse to do their home-work are destined to follow snake oil salespersons like Sarah. Intellectu-ally, the easiest route to travel is to rail against positions for which one lacks understanding and detail. However, to be a true patriot, one needs to be informed about the issues facing this country and appreciate the complexity of society, and thus solutions.

A perfect tea party spokespersonBy: Jim Fitzgerald

Columnist

“Intellectually, the easiest route to travel is to rail against positions for

which one lacks understanding and detail. “

The Green Column

Are you thinking of building or re-modeling? !e best time to start work-ing on lower energy costs is before the plans are made.

!e greatest savings for the least cost starts with how the building sits on the site. By putting the most glass where the warm winter sun shines, the least where the hot summer sun shines, and designing the roof to keep summer sun o" the house, heating and cooling costs can often be cut in half. Add pro-tection from cold winter winds, allow cool summer breezes, and you have a building that not only costs much less to heat and cool, but it is much more comfortable.

Is there more that can be done? Yes.

A little more money spent on good quality spray foam insulation, windows, and doors, and some homes hardly need heat or air conditioning at all. Air tight, well insulated buildings are much easier and less costly to keep comfort-able.

Following these principles first usu-ally brings the greatest increases in ef-ficiency for the least cost. It might also leave enough budget to a"ord some other green features. Everyone asks about solar and wind.

In most areas of our mountains, the best of these options is a solar water heater with an electric tank water heat-er for backup. Attaching this system to radiant floor heating system can also be very e#cient. !e system is simple, very e#cient, and might help you qual-ify for some tax credits. And everyone loves radiant floor heat!

Geothermal heat pumps are also very e#cient ways to heat and cool your home or building. !ey usu-ally add several thousand to the cost of a typical home. By using the ground temperature, they can extract heat all winter long. !ey are a great option where it is not possible to design the glass for solar. By adding spray foam

insulation, the geothermal system can be smaller, and cost a little less.

If you are buying new appliances, why not choose energy e#cient mod-els? Have you considered an induction stove, a smaller convection/ microwave oven instead of the standard oven? You might enjoy a basement root cellar too. You can also have a switch to shut o" the outlets to your electronics. Many of these electronics use electricity even when they are not running. In some homes this can consume more than $20 per month. All of these are conve-nient ways to save energy.

Another field being studied is ener-gy e#cient lighting. At this time fluo-rescent lighting is the best deal for most buildings. But this might soon be sur-passed by LED lighting. Meanwhile the engineers have gone back to the laboratories and are developing some super e#cient incandescent bulbs.

Our next column will consider our Greening of Andrews Valley Program. Your question might be the perfect topic for a future column. Email me. Richard C. MacCrea is the director of !e Greening of Andrews Valley, a program of Andrews Valley Initiative. He works in the field of energy e"cient, green building.

By: Richard C. MacCreaAndrews Valley Initiative

[email protected]

#003 - Step one for making your home “Green”

From the desk of Heath ShulerIn a signing ceremony in Bryson

City, North Carolina today, the $52 million settlement agreement that Representative Heath Shuler (D-Waynesville) worked to secure was fi-nalized. Since being sworn into o#ce three years ago, Congressman Shuler has been committed to fulfilling the promise made by the federal govern-ment to Swain County sixty-seven years ago. !e agreement Shuler bro-kered between Swain County and the U.S. Department of Interior ensures a proper and fair settlement that will guarantee that Swain County has the resources it needs to thrive and grow for decades to come.

“I am on cloud nine,” said Congress-man Shuler. “I grew up hiking and playing in the Great Smoky Moun-tains National Park, and along the Road to Nowhere. For years, I heard neighbors bicker about the status of the road. !is agreement finally ends decades of conflict, allowing county leaders and o#cials to put aside past grievances and work together for the good of the people of Swain County. !e influx of much-needed funds will put this county back on the road to growth and prosperity.”

“It is not often one can end a 67-year-old controversy with a stroke of a pen, but that is exactly what we are doing,” U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said. “!e federal govern-ment is providing a fair settlement to the people of Swain County while en-suring the protection of Great Smoky Mountain National Park.”

“I want to commend Congressman

Shuler for his leadership on getting resolution to this long-standing is-sue,” said Governor Bev Perdue. “!is historic settlement will allow Swain County to move forward and to use the resources to invest in the economic needs of its citizens and the area.”

“!is is one for the history books. !e wildest region of the park will stay wild, and future generations will be able to experience its isolation and gran-deur,” said Don Barger, National Parks Conservation Association Senior Re-gional Director. “We all owe a debt of gratitude to Congressman Shuler and to the people of Swain County.”

“!e Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States provides that when the federal govern-ment takes something that is yours, they are supposed to pay you. With the hard work of Congressman Shuler and sta", the federal government is finally beginning to comply with the Consti-tution. Instead of just a piece of paper, the 1943 agreement, Swain County will receive $52 million in compensa-tion,” said Leonard Winchester, Chair of Citizens for the Economic Future of Swain County. “!is settlement is the biggest thing in the history of Swain County and I look forward to working with the community to make sure that proceeds from this investment are put to good use.”

Luke D. Hyde, Member of the Board of Friends of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Board of the National Parks Conser-vation Association said, “As a native of Swain County, I am delighted with the

settlement of an issue that has divided our community for years. I suspect that people who want a road built on the North Shore of Fontana Lake will say the federal government has let them down again. But that is just not true. In 1943, the government agreed to build a road only if all the money could be found. It wasn’t available then, and it is not available now. Today, it would cost nearly $730 million to build 30 miles of road on the beautiful, forested slopes of Fontana Lake. And that’s not count-ing the cost of mitigating environmen-tal damage caused by construction in that area of the Great Smoky Moun-tains National Park. Instead, Congress-man Shuler, the Secretary of the Inte-rior and their colleagues have crafted a strong, workable alternative to meet the government’s obligations to Swain County.”

Today, the $52 million settlement agreement was signed by Swain County o#cials and a representative from the Tennessee Valley Authority. !e other necessary signatures, those of North Carolina Governor Bev Pur-due and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, were acquired in advance of the ceremony. !e signing of this agreement by all four parties puts into motion the transfer of $8.8 million to the County. $4 million has already been transferred to Swain County and is earning interest. !e President’s bud-get for fiscal year 2011outlines the first of ten annual disbursements to Swain County that will pay the remainder of the settlement.

Settlement Agreement Signed - Shuler Leadership Ends 67-year Stalemate

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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

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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 17, 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

!e Christian Martial Arts Cen-ter proudly announces the promo-tion of Kathy Cardwell to Second Degree Black Belt in Chung Do Kwon Taekwondo. Ms. Cardwell is CEO/Director of Christian Martial Arts Ministries, a Tournament Judge for AAU Taekwondo competitions, and holds certification through the World Taekwondo Federation.

!e test was conducted in two lengthy sessions which demanded physical and mental endurance. Re-

quirements included performance of eleven forms, numerous 1-step techniques, self-defense, take-downs, breaking of 3 boards simultaneously, sparring multiple opponents, and quoting of Bible Scriptures.

!e Christian Martial Arts Cen-ter invites the public to attend the Black Belt testing of Joshua Sta"ord on February 20, 2010. For details, call the Center at 828-835-4800.

Contributed PhotoBarbara Lanwermeyer and Maureen Ripper, board members of the O!ce of Economic Opportunity, give "yers to Heath Wills, proprietor of one of Murphy’s newest restaurants 21Tenn, for the upcoming Soup for Sharing Event.

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Ed Wood of Wood Farm, An-drews, N.C.,# recently won second place in the A No Till/Strip Till Non-Irrigated division of the 2009 National Corn Growers’ Associa-tion’s (NCGA) Corn Yield Contest in North Carolina. Wood won with Pioneer® brand hybrid P1615HR, which yielded 256 bushels per acre.

######Wood earned one of the 346 state titles won by growers plant-ing Pioneer hybrids. !e NCGA awarded 525 state titles in this year’s contest. Growers planting Pioneer hybrids dominated the contest and won 66% percent of all state awards presented.# In addition, growers planting Pioneer products took 17 of the 24 national yield categories.

######!e NCGA Corn Yield Con-test is an annual competition among corn producers with the goal of pro-ducing the highest yields. In the con-test, growers compete within a broad range of corn production classes, including non-irrigated, no-till/strip-till non-irrigated, no-till/strip-till irri-gated, ridge-till non-irrigated, ridge-till irrigated and irrigated classes.

######“Each year, we continue to see growers planting Pioneer corn hy-brids succeed in the NCGA Corn Yield contest, and we’re thrilled that these growers choose Pioneer prod-ucts for these winning yields,” says Pioneer President Paul E. Schickler. “We’re especially impressed with the high yields our customers have with Pioneer corn products this year in a very challenging growing season.

######“We excited about the diversity of hybrids represented in this year’s contest by growers planting Pioneer products,” he says. “It shows that Pio-neer is advancing hybrids locally to deliver the right product on the right acre to help growers’ succeed across diverse environments.”

Wood places in

Corn Yield

Contest

!e Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce is o"ering a two-session seminar entitled “Apology in the Workplace: Improving Re-lationships with Customers and Coworkers.”# Almost everyone will at some point need to apologize to a coworker or an employee or to a customer.# Learn when apologies are helpful and how to have them be received in a positive way.

!e first session will address why we apologize and the components of an apology.# It will cover topics such as sincere regret (what makes an apology seem sincere?), accepting responsibility (do excuses cancel out the apology?) and o"ering restitu-tion (making up for a loss).#

!e second session will go fur-ther in depth with the components of apology that builds long-term relationships, whether a company/store/o$ce should have a policy on how to deal with dissatisfied cus-tomers, and practical examples of apology at work.

Phylis Blackmon, Executive Director of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce said, “We are fortunate to have David Fuller present this seminar.# He is a trained

Critical Incident Stress responder as well as an ordained United Meth-odist Minister and retired Army Chaplain. #He has supervised large multiple-sta"s in both civilian and military settings.”# Fuller and his wife have been property owners in Cherokee County since 1976 and have lived full-time in Marble for several years.#

Blackmon pointed out that the Chamber is eager to provide as many tools as possible for local busi-nesses.# !is seminar will be helpful from both an HR perspective and a customer relations perspective.#

!e seminars will be held in the meeting room at the Murphy Pub-lic Library on Monday, February 22, and Monday, March 1, from 5:00 until 6:30.# !e seminars are free for members of the Cherokee County Chamber, and cost $15.00 for non-members.# Please call 837-2242 for additional information and to regis-ter.# Pre-registration is required.

##Phylis J. BlackmonExecutive DirectorCherokee County Chamber of

Commerce828-837-2242

Chamber seminar to highlight apologies in

the workplace

Local Martial Arts Director promoted to

second degree blackbelt

NEWS

Soup for Sharing, an event to benefit the O$ce of Economic Opportunity/Catholic Social Services, will feature a variety of soups donated by restaurants located in Cherokee, Clay, Graham and Swain Counties.# Patrons may dine-in or take-out on Monday Feb-ruary 22, between 11:30 and 1:30PM

at the Ballroom, 51 Hiwassee Street in Murphy, across from Downtown Pizza.# Tickets are $5 and are available, or can be reserved at the OEO o$ce by calling 835-3535.

#OEO/CSS o"ers programs to sup-port and encourage families as they strive toward self su$ciency, to assist in

sustaining economic growth in west-ern North Carolina, to o"er financial literacy workshops to individuals and families and counseling assistance.# !e o$ce is located at 27 Hatchett St. in Murphy.#

For more information, call Joan Kennedy at 837-8519.

Soup for Sharing

Celebrating Black History MonthMiss Sherry Garland’s !ird Grade

Class at Murphy Elementary received a lesson about Black History Month from Mrs. Brenda Blount and Mrs. Zula Cox.# !e ladies talked about the

history of the Civil Rights movement and its leaders.# !ey told about how spirituals helped led slaves to freedom on the Underground Railroad and sang several of the songs to the students.#

!ey also recounted their experiences growing up during segregation.# Stu-dents were moved by the guest speakers and it gave them a picture of the past.

Contributed PhotoFront Row from Left to Right:# Caitlynn Irwin, Riley Schwalm, Tyler Worley, Taylor Cook Second Row from Left to Right:# Jamie Kitchens, Dakota West, Olivia Davis, Destiny Welch, Shanelle Vercrouse, Samantha O’dell, Justin Beaver, Emma Hampton, Logan Palmer, Joshua Morrison, Chucky O’Donovan Third Row from Left to Right:# Brenda Blount, Zula Cox, Breanna Queen, Lexi Harrell, Kellie Ledford

LOCAL 5AThe Cherokee SentinelFebruary 17, 2010

Tributes

8A

Editors Note: Due to the unusually high amount of obituaries this week we have had to reduce the size of the typeface. If you find that the tributes are too di!cult to read you may also see them on www.wncsentinel.net

Gertrude Alma Payne Taylor, age 85, of Murphy, NC passed away Saturday, February 13, 2010 in Union!General Hospital in Blairs-ville, GA.

!!!! She was a native of Cherokee County, NC and the daughter of the late David L. and Em-ily Jane Cantrell Payne.!Gertrude was a home-maker and a member of the Bear Paw Baptist Church.!She loved going to church, quilting and cooking for her family.

!!!! In addition to her parents she was pre-ceded in death by her husband, Creed Taylor.

!!!! She is survived by three sons, Eddie Taylor and!Marvin Taylor both!of Murphy, NC!and Truman Taylor of Morristown, TN; five daugh-ters, Mary Shields, Diane Curtis, Nyoka Maney and Glenda Bryson all of Murphy, NC and Gladys Hancock of Andrews, NC; one brother, Clarence Payne; one sister, Hattie B. Dean;!17 grandchildren,!20 great grandchildren and four great great grandchildren.

!!!! Funeral !Services will be held at 7:00 PM, Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Murphy, NC. "e Rev. Calvin Murphy, Rev. Jerry Kilpatrick and Rev. Steve Ware will o#ciate.! Graveside Service and!burial will be held at 11:00 AM, Wednesday, February 17, 2010!in the Bear Paw Baptist Church Cemetery in Murphy, NC. Pallbearers will be Merle Millsaps, Ricky Tay-lor, Tommy Taylor, David Taylor, Glen Maney and Elijah Shields. Honorary Pallbearers will be son-in-laws.

!!!! "e family will receive friends from 5:00 PM!to 7:00 PM, Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Townson Rose Funeral Home in Murphy, NC.

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

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

Gertrude Alma PayneTaylor

Clyde C. Stiles, 80, of Murphy died "ursday, February 11, 2010. He was a native and lifetime resident of Cherokee County. He was a veteran of the Korean War serving in the United States Navy serving as a gunner on the USS Bairoko along side his late brother, Clifton. In his early life, Clyde worked for West Construction and later retired after 21 years from TVA as a public safety o#cer and machinist. He was a charter member of the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. Clyde was an extreme Hiwasssee Dam Eagle basketball fan. He was also a loving husband and caring father.

He was the son of the late M.O. and Lula Raper Stiles.

Surviving are his wife of 53 years, Hazel Sneed Stiles; two daughters, Cindy Foster and husband, Larry and Becky Johnson and hus-band, James all of Murphy; a son, Steve Stiles and wife, Brenda of Murphy; four sisters, Joyce Murphy of Murphy, Vesta Hamby of Acworth, GA, Linda Mae Powell of Cleveland, TN, and Peggy Rary of McDonough, GA; four broth-ers, "omas Stiles, Herbert H. Stiles, and Mike Stiles all of Murphy, and Clois “Chub” Stiles of Kennesaw, GA; eight grandchildren, Stacy Edmondson, Scotty Roberson, Kelly Franklin, Dexter Stiles, Cody Foster, Jordan Johnson, Colton Foster, and Jake Johnson; and nine great grandchildren.

Funeral services were held at 3:00 PM Sun-day (Feb. 14) in the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church with Rev. Fred Reid, Jr. o#ciating. Interment was in the church cemetery. Pallbearers were Olen Murphy, Bones and Ray Hamby, Timmy Boring, Eddie Joe Stiles, and Chuck Stiles. Honorary pallbearers were Euclid Voyles, Ralph Berrong, Steve Raper, and T.J. Plott.

"e family received friends from 5-8 Satur-day evening in the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests me-morials be made in memory of Clyde C. Stiles to the Mt. Carmel Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, c/o Crystal Stiles, 927 Hiwassee Dam Access Rd., Murphy, NC 28906.

Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of all arrangements.

An online guest register is available at “Obit-uaries” at www.iviefuneralhome.com

Clyde C. Stiles

Johnnie Mae Lovingood, 76, of Kennesaw, GA went home to be with the Lord on Friday, February 5, 2010. She was a native of the Wolf Creek Community and a member of Grace Community Church in Kennesaw, GA.

She was married to Ralph Lee Lovingood of Murphy for 50 years and had one daugh-ter, Nancy Lovingood Lindsey and son in law, Richard Lindsey of Gainesville, GA.

Johnnie and Ralph were married in Basel, Switzerland and enjoyed traveling extensively with the Air Force. She was a stay at home mother and a tireless volunteer for teaching Sunday School to special needs children for over 15 years. Furthermore, she and her hus-band served as foster parents and volunteered together at MUST Ministries in Marietta, GA for over 5 years. She loved serving God, flowers, gardening, cooking and entertaining.

She was preceded in death by her father John Cole; mother, Frances Cole; brother Gerald Cole, and sister Barbara Howell. Survivors in-clude: her loving husband and best friend, Ralph Lovingood of Kennesaw; daughter and son in law, Nancy and Richard Lindsey of Gainesville, GA; and two sisters and brother in laws, Gwen and Sonny Gillespie of Cumming, GA and Pa-tricia and Edward Foster of Marietta, GA.

Funeral services were held on February 8, 2010 in the chapel of Cochran Funeral Home in Murphy with the Rev. Dean Hall o#ciating the service. Pallbearers were her nephews; John Foster, Kenny Howell, Terry Bozeman, Ron Ice, Andy Zager and Steve Galatioto.

Johnnie was laid to rest in the Wolf Creek Cemetery adjoining her parents’ grave. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in her name to the Wellstar Community Hospice, Homecare Program. "e address is: Wellstar Foundation 2000 South Park Place, Atlanta, GA 30339.

Johnnie Mae Lovingood

Harry G. Lovingood, 77, of Murphy died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 in a Murphy medi-cal center. He was a native and lifetime resident of Cherokee County. He was a veteran of the Korean War, serving in the United States Army. Harry worked as an assistant manager for the A&P Grocery Store for over 20 years and later managed the Super D in Murphy and Andrews and was owner and operator of West End Fash-ions in Andrews. He was a past president of the Murphy Chamber of Commerce and was a past Civitan Club member. He was a member of the Murphy First Baptist Church, where he served as a deacon and Sunday School teacher and served on many church committees. Harry was known for cooking the family night meals and in 2004, he was honored as Man of the Year for his faithful service to the church. Harry enjoyed cooking and cooked for many church and com-munity events.

He was the son of the late Harrison and Betty Coker Lovingood and the husband of the late Jane Clark Lovingood. He was also preceded in death by two sisters, Billie Akin and Ruth Ramsey.

Surviving are a daughter, Cynthia Lovin-good and husband, Skip Mulkey of Murphy; a son, Clark Lovingood and wife, Darlene of Robbinsville; two sisters, Edna Rotoreau of Austell, GA and Betty Lou Hawkins and hus-band, Charles of Rockledge, FL; three brothers, Col. Howard Lovingood and wife, Betty Kate and Bob Lovingood and wife, Virginia all of Murphy, and Ronald Lovingood of New York; four grandchildren, Eli and Janica Mulkey and Brandon and Dusty Sellers; five great grand-children; and several nieces and nephews.

Funeral services were held at 7:00 PM Satur-day, Feb. 13 in the Chapel of Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy with the Rev. Rick Edwards, Dr. Ches-ter Jones, and Rev. Greg Swain o#ciating. In-terment was in Sunset Cemetery. Pallbearers were Joe Phillips, Joe Swain, Charles Forrister, James Hughes, George Worley, and Richard Pullium. Honorary pallbearers were past and present members of the Adult Mens Sunday School class.

"e family received friends from 5-6:45 Sat-urday evening at the Ivie Funeral Home, Mur-phy prior to the services.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memo-rials be made in memory of Harry G. Lovin-good to the Gideons International, PO Box 164, Murphy, NC 28906. Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy in charge of all arrangements. An on-line guest register is available at “Obituaries” at www.iviefuneralhome.com

Harry G. Lovingood

Maria A. James, 86, of Murphy died Friday, February 12, 2010 in an Andrews care center. A native of Monterrey, Nuevo Le n in Mexico, Maria had lived in Cherokee County for the past 50 years. She was a homemaker and a member of St. William Catholic Church, where she sang in the choir and assisted in various ac-tivities.

She was the wife of the late Cecil James, who died in 1987. She was also preceded in death by four sisters.

Surviving are a son, Edwin James and wife, Stephanie of Murphy; two sisters, Emma T. De Barragan and Ramona Treviño, both of Mexico; and two grandchildren, Leslie Echerd and hus-band, Drew and Blake James, all of Raleigh, NC.

Funeral Mass was held at 2:00 PM Monday (Feb. 15) in the St. William Catholic Church with Rev. George Kloster o#ciating. Interment was in the Greenlawn Memorial Gardens. Pall-bearers were Drew Echerd, Rick Kmet, Ken Watson, Paul Napolitano, Michael Kau$man, and Father George Kloster.

"e family received friends from 6-8 Sunday evening at the Ivie Funeral Home, Murphy.

"e family requests memorials be made in memory of Maria A. James to the St. William Catholic Church Flower Ministry, PO Box 546, Murphy, NC 28906.



Maria A. James

Frank J.B. Hale, 82, of Murphy died Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2010 at his residence. He was born in Somers Point, NJ, but grew up in Logan, WV. He played football at Logan High School and at the University of Louisville. He was a veteran of WWII, serving in the United States Marine Corp as a rifle coach and sniper. At the end of WWII, he served in China. He attended the University of Louisville and was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. He was a former insurance executive of his own company, Deferred Benefits, in East Orange, NJ and New York City. He retired to Florida and became a yacht broker for large sail boats in Fort Lauderdale. Frank moved to Murphy in 1975 and was president of Murphy Farm Bureau and Arts Council.

He was the son of the late Frank Estes and Mildred Shertenlieb Hale.

Surviving are his wife of 56 years, Diana Donnenwirth Hale; two daughters, Wendy H. Erlich and husband, Robert of Houston, TX and Betsy H. Ramsey and husband, Tim of Atlanta, GA; a son, Frank W. “Hank” Hale and wife, Mariah of Farmingdale, NJ; and six grand-children, Ben and Beth Ramsey, Jack Erlich, and Hannah, Nate, and Sophia Hale.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM Wednesday, Feb. 17 in the Chapel of Ivie Fu-neral Home, Murphy. Inurnment will be in Old Martins Creek Cemetery with military grave-side rites conducted by the Murphy American Legion Post 96, Murphy DAV Chapter 73, Murphy VFW Post 10222, Hayesville Ameri-can Legion Post 532, and Hayesville VFW Post 6812 (Allison-Bristol).

"e family will receive friends following the service.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memo-rials be made in memory of Frank J.B. Hale to the American Heart Association, PO Box 5216, Glen Allen, VA 23058-5216.



Frank J.B. Hale

"omas N. Flowers, age 68, of Murphy, NC passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in Dalton, GA.

!!!! He was a native of Cherokee County, NC and the son of the late Floyd Zeb Flowers!and Tresa Forrester Flowers Pickelsimer.! "omas was retired after working!35 years from Coronet / BeauLieu of America!Carpet Manufacturing in Dalton, GA.!He was a US Army and Coast Guard veteran.!"omas!graduated from Hia-wassee Dam High School and attended Ranger Baptist Church.!

! ! ! ! He is survived by! three brothers,! Bill Flowers!and his wife, Wilma of Dalton, GA, Earnest!Pickelsimer and his wife, Patty of Cum-ming, GA and! Quinton Pickelsimer and his wife, Pam of Cleveland, TN; one sister, Gloria Walden and her husband, Gordon!of Mineral Blu$, GA; several nieces and nephews; Barbara Flowers of Dalton, GA and Michael Flowers of Cleveland, TN.

!!!! Funeral Services were held at 11:00 AM, Saturday, February 13, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Murphy, NC.!Rev. L.B. Adams and Rev. Harry Nix!of-ficiated. Burial was in the Ranger United Meth-odist Church Cemetery in Murphy, NC with military graveside rites conducted by the V.F.W. Post #10222, Joe Miller Elkin American Le-gion Post #96 and D.A.V. Chapter #73, Hayes-ville American Legion!Post 532 and Hayesville VFW Post 6812 (Allison-Bristol).! Pallbearers were Luke Williamson, Hubert Beavers, Alvin Flowers, Charles Fox, Richard Hawkins and Tony Wright.

! ! ! ! "e family received friends from 6:00 PM!to 8:00 PM, Friday, February 12, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home Visitation Room at Murphy, NC.

!!!! You may send tributes to the Flowers!fam-ily at www.mem.com or view other! obits at www.townson-rose.com!!

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

!omas N. Flowers

Mr.Harry Leroy Dennis age 88 of 120 Fine Drive Murphy passed away on "ursday Feb.11,2010 at Stonehenge Drive Blairsville following an extended illness.Mr.Dennis was born on Dec.8,1921 in Niagara Falls,NY.,the son of the late William Rimert and the late Al-ice Dennis Rimert.He was a veteran of the US Navy of WWII.He was preceded in death by his wife,Dorothy Louise Conoway Dennis in 2006.He retired in 1986 from NY.State Power where he worked there and Niagara Mohawk for over forty years.Mr.Dennis was of the Prot-estant faith.

Surviving Mr.Dennis are two daughters and one son in law,Barbara and Roland Verrico of Murphy,Linda Dennis of Pittsburg , PA.,three grandchildren,Kelli and Mario Oliverio,Brook Wilson and Michael Verrico,three great grandchildren, Domenic,Victoria and Rocco Oliverio,many other relatives and friends also survive.

Services w ere held on Saturday Feb.13,2010 at 5:00 pm from the Mountain View Chapel with Minister Terry Stuart o#ciated. Interment followed in the Bushnell National Cemetery in Bushnell,FL.,where he will rest next to his wife Dorothy."e family met with friends at the fu-neral home on Saturday from 4-5pm.

Mountain View Funeral Home of Blairs-ville in charge of the arrangements.You may sign the family guest book and send condolences on line at www.mountainviewfuneralhome.com

Harry Leroy Dennis

Edward T. Chastain, age 74, of Murphy, NC passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2010 at his residence.

!!!! He was a native of Cherokee County, NC and the son of the late Marty Monroe and Ethel Miller Chastain.!Edward was a retired!utility in-spector for General Motors in Warren, Michi-gan.!He was a member of Old Fashioned Bap-tist Church. Edward! enjoyed hunting, fishing and being outdoors.

!!!! In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his infant son, Michael Edward Chastain and one brother, Clinton Chastain; sister-in-law,!Anna Mae Chastain; brother- in-law, Ellis Williams.

!!!! He is survived by his wife, Bulah Chas-tain;! special nephew, John Buchanan of Ma-comb, Michigan; one brother, Dillan Chas-tain and his wife, Mag! of Blairsville, GA; three sisters, Irene Buchanan of Murphy, NC, Charlotte Webb and her husband George! of Naples,!Florida and Judy Williams!of Concord, NC and several nieces and nephews.

!!!! Funeral Services were held at 2:00 PM, Saturday, February 13, 2010 at the!Townson-Rose Funeral Home Chapel! in Murphy, NC. Rev. Hoyt Brown and Rev. Lee Tanner!o#ci-ated. Judy Chastain provided the music. Burial was in the New Martins Creek Baptist Church Cemetery in Murphy, NC. Pallbearers were Scott Long, Scott Long, Jr., Danny Woody, Ben Adams, Jamie Woody and Steven McLain. Honorary Pallbearers were Jr. Tanner, Floyd Hughes and Everett Cook.

"e family received friends from 6:00 PM!to 8:00 PM, Friday, February 12, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home!in Murphy, NC.

You may send!tributes!to the Chastain fam-ily at www.mem.com or! view other obits at www.townson-rose.com!

Townson-Rose Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Edward T. Chastain

Lesard (Dude)!Radford, age 87, of Murphy, NC passed away Friday, February 12, 2010 at the Murphy Medical Center.

! ! ! ! He was a native of Cherokee County, NC and the son of the late Fred Washington and Mattie Elsie West Radford. Dude was a US Army Veteran. He was a retired logger, loved his grandchildren, reading, practical jokes, fishing and hunting.!Dude was very proud to have been a Deputy Sheri$ for Cherokee County.

!!!! In addition to his parents he was preceded in death by his wife, Rada Burgess Radford who passed away October 23, 2000; one daughter, Linda Radford; son-in-law, Paul Mitchell Mo-steller and great grandson, Zackery Lucy.

!!!! He is survived by his loving companion, Bobbie Wells;! son, Larry Radford of Mur-phy, NC; four daughters, Virginia Mosteller of Hickory, NC, Joie Stiles and her husband, Harry of Murphy, NC, Pat Lambert and her husband, Jim of Murphy, NC and Gail Quis-tor$ of Memphis, TN; one brother, Kenneth Radford of Murphy, NC;!one sister, Betty Hesse of Memphis, TN;!12 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.

!!!! Funeral Services were held at 7:00 PM, Monday, February 15, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home Chapel in Murphy, NC. Dr. Chester Jones and Rev. Jimmy Morrow! o#ciated.! Interment! was held at 11:00 AM, Tuesday, February 16, 2010!in the Unaka Bap-tist Church Cemetery with military graveside rites conducted by the VFW Post, #10222, Joe Miller Elkin American Legion Post #96 and D.A.V. Chapter #73, Hayesville American Le-gion Post 532 and Hayesville VFW Post 6812 (Allison-Bristol). Pallbearers were Jerry Chance, Roger Beaver, Jeremiah Barnard, Dewayne Garland, Brent Vancarbusk, Herman Mash-burn, Michael Stiles and Justin Chance.

!!!! "e family received friends from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Monday, February 15, 2010 at the Townson-Rose Funeral Home!in Murphy, NC.

!!!! In lieu of flowers memorials may be made in memory of Lesard (Dude) Radford! to the Unaka Baptist Church Cemetery Fund, 12605 Beaver Dam Road, Murphy, NC 28906.

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

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

Lasard (Dude) Radford

Emma Lou Mashburn Palmer, age 81, of Murphy, NC passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in the Murphy Medical Center Nurs-ing 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 preced-ed in death by her husband, Carl (Bear) Edward Palmer;!brother, Glen Mashburn and four sis-ters, Sue Carroll, Willa Mae Lochaby, Lee Ellen Bungarner and Alice Patterson,

!!!! She is survived by her son, Robert (Cub) Palmer of Murphy, NC;! two brothers; Lon Mashburn of New Middletown OH and!Law-rence Mashburn of Knoxville, TN;!!one!grand-daughter, Carrie Palmer; one step-grandson, Gabriel Palmer, five great-grandchildren, Lau-ryn Elizabeth Hawk, Emiley Leigh Hawk, Isa-iah Newman, Kaleb Roberts and Emma Palmer and a host of nieces and nephews.

!!!! A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 P.M., Tuesday, February 16, 2010 at the Town-son-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 Fu-neral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Emma Lou Mashburn Palmer

Douglas Howard Alderton, age 47, of Mur-phy, NC passed away Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at his home.

!He was born on Wednesday, January 9, 1963 in Montgomery County, MD, to Charles and Rossette Carroll Alderton.

Survivors include: mother Rossette Carroll Alderton of Murphy; Brother, Wayne Carroll of Ducktown, TN, nieces,! Laura Alderton, Teresa Alderton, Kerry Alderton, uncle, James (Martha) Carroll

Funeral services were held Friday, Febru-ary 12, 2010 at 2:00 PM from the Elk Road Church of Christ. Pallbearers will be Michael Carroll, Robert Rogers, Derick Gaddis, Justin Gaddis and McKinsey Gentla. Burial followed in the church cemetery.

Arrangements entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home Murphy, NC www.cochranfuneral-homes.com .

Douglas Howard Alderton

Gail Payne, 55, of Hayesville died Saturday, February 13, 2010. She was a native of Catawba County, but had lived in Cherokee County most of her life before moving to Clay County a year ago. She had worked for Valley View Care Center and administrator for Covenant Family Care. Gail was of the Christian faith.

She was the daughter of Alice McClure Hogsed of Andrews and the late Walter George Hogsed.

Surviving are a daughter, Amanda Payne of Murphy; two sons, Chris Sharp and wife, Cin-dy of Hayesville and Timmy Sharp and wife, Melissa of Brasstown; three sisters, Judy Mc-Clean and Peggy Adams both of Andrews, and Carolyn Oliver of Sweetwater, TN; two broth-ers, Earl Max Hogsed of Gastonia and Randy Hogsed of Andrews; and six grandchildren and a great grandson.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 AM Tuesday (Feb. 16) in the Valleytown Cemetery with Rev. Je$ Deavers o#ciating. Pallbearers will be Steven Land, John Wells, Mike Moss, Grady "ompson, Glen Matheson, and Caleb Sharp.

"e family will receive friends from 6-8 Monday evening at the Ivie Funeral Home, Andrews.

Ivie Funeral Home, Andrews in charge of all arrangements.


Gail Payne Notice for Early Public Reviewof a Proposal to Support an Activity in the

100-Year FloodplainTO: ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUALS

SUJECT: NOTICE OF PROPOSED INTENT TO TAKE ACTION IN A FLOODPLAIN.

This is to give notice that Cherokee County is proposing to conduct activities in a !oodplain to facilitate construction of the Regal Road/Pleasant Valley Road Water and Sewer Improvements (hereinafter referred to as the proposed activity). The proposed activity is a Water and Sewer Infrastructure Project located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. The purpose of the proposed activity is to provide water and sewer system to a community that has multiple cases of failing septic systems as well as de"cient private water systems. The proposed activity is intended to cover approximately one acre, 2/10 acre of which is occupied by !oodplain.

Cherokee County is requesting to release funds for a Community Development Block Grant – Recovery (CDBG-R) grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Devel-opment to undertake the proposed activity and is thereby obligated to follow Executive Order (EO) 11988 for Floodplain Management and HUD Regulations found at 24 CFR § 55.20 prior to conducting any activities a#ecting !oodplains. This Notice of Proposed Intent to Take Action is being provided in ful"llment of the aforementioned EO and regu-lations.

This notice with a request for comment is being submitted to the NC Division of Emergency Management, the Local Floodplain Administrator and Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Additional information on the proposed activity is available to the public between the hours of 8:30 – 4:30 Monday through Friday at the following location:

Cherokee County75 Peachtree StreetMurphy, NC 28906(828) 837-5527

Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments for consideration by Cherokee County at the above address by March 5, 2010. All comments will be consid-ered prior to funding the proposed activity.

Annie Amos Head, age 83, of Murphy, NC passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2010 in Murphy.

! She was born on Sunday, September 19, 1926 in Cherokee County to Frank and Bessie Millsaps Amos. She was a member of Harmony Baptist Church and had worked in retail sales in Murphy.! She was preceded in death by, broth-ers, Claude, Amos, Lee Amos and Clyde Amos, husband, Clell William Head in 2008.

Survivors include: nieces and nephews.!Funeral services were held Saturday, Feb.

13 at 2:00 PM from the Cochran Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Paul Hughes o#ciat-ing. Music was provided by Billy Millsaps and Brenda Hughes. Serving as pallbearers, Jer-emiah Barnard, Paul Farmer, John Palmer, Roy Palmer, Luther Palmer, Jr. and Stephen Vicknair!! Burial followed in Peachtree Memorial Baptist Church Cemetery.

Arrangements entrusted to Cochran Funeral Home Murphy, NC. www.cochranfuneral-homes.com

Annie Amos Head

View an online

archive of tributes at wncsentinel.net

Hospital Foundation

opens scholarship award cycle

Murphy Medical Center Founda-tion has announced the beginning of its Healthcare Education Scholarship award cycle for the current school year.!

! Graduating high school seniors from Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties who will pursue healthcare-related college degrees are eligible to apply.! Interested students should con-tact the Guidance Counselor at his or her high school for an application and due dates.

! In 2009, Murphy Medical Cen-ter Foundation awarded $33,250 in scholarships to 19 students across three counties. To make a tax-de-ductible donation to Murphy Medi-cal Center Foundation’s Healthcare Education Scholarship Fund, contact Kathi Osborne, Foundation Director, at 828-835-7506.

Graduating seniors pursuing healthcare college degrees may

benefit

AD828.837.NEWS (6397)VERTISE

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 [email protected].""

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.

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 [email protected]

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 [email protected].

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 [email protected] 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 17, 2010

Notice of A Proposed Actionto Impact 100-Year Floodplains

TO: ALL INTERESTED AGENCIES, GROUPS, AND INDIVIDUALSSUBJECT: NOTICE OF PROPOSED ACTION TO IMPACT FLOODPLAIN.This is to give notice that Cherokee County has chosen to conduct activities that will impact a !oodplain to facilitate construction

of the Regal Road and Pleasant Valley Road Water and Sewer Improvements (hereafter referred to as the proposed activity). The pro-posed activity is a Water and Sewer Infrastructure Project located in Cherokee County, North Carolina. The purpose of the proposed activity is to provide water and sewer system to a community that has multiple cases of failing septic systems as well as de"cient private water systems. The proposed activity is intended to cover approximately one (1) acre, 2/10 acre of which is occupied by !oodplain. The proposed impact will a#ect less than 2/10 acre of !oodplain via installation of a 12 inch sewer line and associated manholes along portions near the Valley River.

Cherokee County is requesting to release funds for a Community Development Block Grant – Recovery (CDBG-R) grant from the US Department of Housing and Urban Development to undertake the proposed activity and is thereby obligated to follow Executive Order (EO) 11988 for Floodplain Management and HUD Regulations found at 24 CFR § 55.20 prior to conducting any activities that will impact !oodplains. This Notice Of Proposed Action To Impact Floodplain is being provided in ful"llment of the aforementioned EO and Regulations.

The proposed sewer system improvement activity was chosen for the following reasons: (Rejected Alternative 1) If Cherokee Coun-ty takes no action to address inadequate private wastewater treatment and water systems in the Regal and Pleasant Valley areas, area residences and businesses will continue to operate their respective existing private wastewater treatment systems and the occurrence of failing septic systems will undoubtedly continue to increase. Additionally, the practice of straight piping black and gray water will likely continue to persist in the area. Inadequate treatment may lead to adverse ecological impacts to the Valley River and unnamed tributaries within the proposed project area. Also, private potable water wells and springs in the area may become contaminated. While the immediate, direct cost to Cherokee County is negligible, the long term cost associated with remediation of contaminated sites as well as public health costs may prove signi"cant. Therefore, taking no action is not a desirable alternative in that it does not proactively protect public health and sanitation. (Rejected Alternative 2) This alternative consists of construction of a wastewater col-lection system to serve the residents and businesses in the proposed project area and the construction of a new wastewater treatment facility for the treatment and disposal of the wastewater. This alternative would eliminate the need to connect to the existing Town of Murphy’s existing sewer collection system. The new sewer collection system and wastewater treatment plant would be owned and operated by Cherokee County and would be adequately sized for the twenty-year planning period. Due to the topography of the area, this alternative would also require the construction of one (1) wastewater pump station to serve residents and businesses along Pleasant Valley Road. This area appears to be unable to be served by a gravity collection system to the new wastewater treatment plant site on the Valley River. The primary disadvantage of this alternative is that it will require greater capital, operation and maintenance costs, and therefore the twenty-year present value of these improvements is greater than those included in the Proposed Action. Also, the process of acquiring the necessary land to construct the new wastewater treatment facility on will likely be costly and lengthy. In addition, this alternative would require the County to employ personnel to operate, maintain, and ensure compliance with an obtained National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit to discharge wastewater to the Valley River. It should be noted that consolidating the treatment of wastewater at the Town of Murphy WWTP is more environmentally desirable than creating an additional point source discharge along the Valley River.

To minimize adverse e#ects the following mitigation measures will also be implemented: The proposed project utility alignment will minimize the length of !oodplains crossed to the extent that is economically and hydraulically feasible. All manholes that must be located within the !oodplain will be "tted with bolted-down water-tight lids to eliminate the possibility of water in!owing or sew-age ex"ltrating from the sewer collection system during a !ood event. The proposed project utility alignment will avoid disturbing riparian vegetation. Sedimentation and erosion control measures will be installed and regularly maintained. The project speci"cations will state that all construction in !oodplain areas will be restored to pre-project conditions. Native vegetative cover will be restored to the extent practicable and no "ll will be allowed. Also, the Owner will enact a binding resolution to prohibit service to structures proposed to be built in 100-year !oodplains. The resolution will be in place prior to USDA Rural Development’s approval of "nal plans and speci"cations.

This notice with a request for comment is being submitted to the NC Division of Emergency Management, the Local Floodplain Administrator and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Additional information on the proposed activity is available to the public between the hours of 8:30 – 4:30 Monday through Friday at the following location:

Cherokee County75 Peachtree StreetMurphy, NC 28906(828) 837-5527 Any individual, group, or agency may submit written comments for consideration by Cherokee County at the above address by

February 25, 2010. All comments will be considered prior to funding the proposed activity.

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

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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 #

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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.

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

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

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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 [email protected]

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

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Price: $7,000 per acre. That’s less than half of what it has been priced for. Call 828.835.7880.

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

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2 Bedroom, 2 Bath Cabin for rent in Hanging Dog area. Unfurnished, washer/dryer, fireplace. $550 per month. Call 1-828-360-4630

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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

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COMMUNITY 8AThe Cherokee SentinelFebruary 17, 2010

now I can’t do that,” he said. “!e In-ternet’s bascially become a way of life for some people... [I’m] getting no help from the few Internet Service Provid-ers around the area.”

Richardt said that Verizon has re-fused to upgrade its mountain network to allow more bandwidth because the company has monopolized the local industry.

“!ere have been requests to update the line but Verizon doesn’t have to do it because there’s no other competi-tion,” he said.

Richardt said he’s considering mov-ing again because of the whole ordeal, even though he doesn’t want to.

“I’ve struggled a whole lot with the Internet since I got here and I’ve prety much given up on it,” he said. “I can’t stay like this for a long period of time.”

FRUSTRATION MOUNT-ING

“It’s becoming a volatile issue and emotional issue for folks now,” Erik Brinke, director of economic develop-ment for local ISP Blue Ridge Moun-tain EMC, said.

BRMEMC gets calls every day from locals pleading for faster Internet to no avail, Brian Anderson, the corpo-ration’s broadband director, said.

“Folks are increasingly dependent on broadband,” Brinke said. “We really need the public’s patience.”

Brinke said locals will inevitably get more and more frustrated as they try to use the Internet for increasingly inten-sive intentions.

“!ere’s no inalienable right to have broadband access,” Brinke said, adding, “It’s increasingly becoming not necc-esarily a right, but a necessity.”

Anderson said that he recognizes some pockets of customers are under-served. He said one such pocket, Fires Creek, currently has an Internet en-hancement project underway.

Gauging customer demand is crucial, Anderson said, adding that BRMEMC includes general response

forms with electric bills and keeps track of where phone complaints are coming from. He said the company tries to get customers to pre-sign commitments if there’s enough interest.

Nevertheless, Anderson said that no matter how many people call to com-plain, there are some locations where engineers just say the job isn’t feasible yet. Brasstown and Tusquittee are two of those places.

Some customers have been con-fused by a service area map on DNet’s web site that shows Cherokee, Clay and Graham counties completely highlighted in “Fastlane” DSL cover-age.

Judy Chapman, a manager at the Franklin-based ISP, said the map isn’t meant to mislead customers but rather to show that the service is available to some residents in those counties. She said the only way to be sure who is covered is for DNet to test a customer’s phone line.

“We would love to provide more in these three counties but we’re limited,” Chapman said. “DSL is not available everywhere and it’s surprising to us the people who qualify and the people who don’t... it’s not necesarily if you live in town or not.”

Brinke said customers aren’t the only ones longing for improved Internet speeds.

“A lot of our employees don’t have service and are desperate to get it too,” he said.

CAN YOU CONNECT ME NOW?

Both Anderson and Chapman re-marked that Verizon has consistently been slow to respond to infrastructure issues.

“We feel like we brought broadband to WNC,” Anderson said. “We lined-up DSL even when Verizon refused to set it up on its own network.”

Chapman said she also knows the frustrations of operating on Verizon’s phone lines to provide DSL to local

customers.DNet relies on Verizon to update

switches in DSL boxes to add more customers but the phone company has made no improvements whatsoever on the local infrastructure for about a year, Chapman said.

Why is the phone company sud-denly so lax?"

Last May Verizon agreed to sell its landline phone services in 14 states (including North Carolina) to a com-pany called Frontier Communications Corp. in a deal valued at $8.6 billion. !e move will triple the the size of Frontier. But the deal has yet to be sealed.

“During this transition phase there seems to be no improvments on the lines,” Chapman said. “It makes it di#cult to find someone who knows what’s going on.”

She said that many customers at-tempting to change Internet speeds during the last few months had un-expectedly been cut o$ from service completely by the phone company.

“If people want a speed change we’re advising them not to do it right now,” she said. “If people cancel phone ser-vice but not DSL, the whole line might

end up getting cancelled. As soon as it’s cancelled the service may be snatched up by the next available customer. If it gets cancelled the person who had the service yesterday may not be able to get it. It’s very di#cult for us when we’re still trying to provide excellent service.”

Chapman said she believed the Frontier deal could be a three-year process, stranding eager Internet cus-tomers in limbo.

“We have no control,” she said. “Ve-

rizon’s not going to fix any of the prob-lems because they consider it a Frontier issue.”

Chapman said that despite the trou-bles from corporate Verizon, DNet has maintained a strong relationship with the telecom giant’s local employees.

“!ey feel part of our pain too,” she said.

Verizon spokesperson Christy Reap gave a more optimistic timeline for the negotiation, however, stating that the company was on track to close the deal in the second quarter of 2010.THE PRICE OF PROGRESS

So what would it take to get that high-speed fiber-optic line a mile down the road to reach your home?

A low estimate would be about $60,000, Chapman said, indicating that the cost would only shoot higher with terrain issues.

“It’s hardly feasible for a residential customer to try to connect to [fiber-optic],” she said.

Anderson said that while the ca-ble itself would run approximately $20,000 per mile, the cost is double for underground cables, and trucks, equip-ment and employee salaries easily send the price much higher.

“Material is not really the biggest expense, it’s the labor,” said David Hubbs, CEO of BalsamWest Fiber-NET, a company that builds telecom-munications infrastructure in Western North Carolina.

Hubbs said the cost to lay a new cable can fluctuate wildly.

“If you put it underground along a road it can be relatively easy,” he said. “If you get into an area where there’s a lot of rock it can be very expensive. In the WNC mountains we have discov-ered a lot of rock.”

To avoid weather outages and pole attachment fees, 99 percent of the cable BalsamWest lays is underground, Hubbs said.

At those prices, it would take ap-proximately $5 million to connect 81 miles of high-speed Internet to every home in Tusquittee for just 11 custom-ers per mile... if everyone committed to buying service.

To Blue Ridge Mountain EMC, that kind of a price isn’t feasible to stay in business.

Customer density is often an indica-tor of Internet speed. Brinke called the issue “a tricky balancing act,” stating that population density in rural WNC (at about 12 residents per mile) is just a fraction of the 150-2,000 potential customers for every mile of fiber in a city.

“If we had more subdivisions, it would be a lot more cost e$ective,” he said. “Since we don’t have that luxury we struggle sometimes to build lines we really, really want to do.”

Chapman said installing a wireless tower would be an even better solu-tion for future developments, stating that it’s more feasible to beam Internet into homes than to bury cables in the ground.

Like Verizon before it, DNet’s fast-est growing market has become wire-less service, which Chapman said is much more reliable than DSL.

“We’re still relying on Verizon to get lines fixed and that could takes months,” she said. In comparison, Chapman said wireless dilemmas can be repaired almost immediately and that the ISP has yet to push the limits

on wireless speed.!e service is only available in

Franklin for now, however, though Chapman said DNet would try to ex-pand it to Cherokee and Clay counties if a high-speed line could be run across the mountains.

“!e main hold-up is the construc-tion cost,” she said. A fiber-optic line stretching the 34 miles between down-town Franklin and downtown Hayes-ville could easily run upwards of $3 million and face complicated terrain challenges."

In the meantime, Hubbs said Bal-samWest has buried approximately 340 miles of fiber in WNC. He said BalsamWest is trying to work with other organizations to determine a model that is workable for residential fiber in rural communities.

Hubbs said other services (such as TV and phone) would have to be of-fered in addition to Internet to make the cost of the lines, permits, easements and heavy-duty engineering worth-while.

“!ere is hope,” he said. “It’s an on-going process.”GOVERNMENT INTERVEN-TION

Brinke believes the solution may be in history itself.

!e BRMEMC employee com-pared the rural North Carolina high-speed Internet problem to the chal-lenge of providing electric power to disconnected residents before Con-gress introduced the Rural Electrifica-tion Act of 1936.

When the government realized how important electricity was it stepped in to create rural electric cooperatives be-cause the population densities wouldn’t justify the cost of building power lines,” he said.

“If you’re a for-profit company you’re not going to make any money [reaching rural customers],” Brinke said. “Even if you’re nonprofit, it’s still di#cult.”

Cue the government.In December Vice President Joe

Biden announced a $33 million fed-eral stimulus grant to build a 260-mile fiber-optic line that aims to connect Atlanta with North Carolina.

Brinke said the new high-speed network will bring more data at better prices and that BRMEMC has been given two years to finish the project.

“We’ve been really fortunate in our service territory to garner the kind of attention from government agen-cies that we have,” Brinke said. “Clay County had a downtown fiber net-work before most people even knew what fiber was.”

While he praised federal e$orts to bring Internet to Western North Carolina, Brinke said the government still needs to become more involved in providing rural access.

“Ultimately it depends on citizens who will contact their elected o#cials and fight for it,” he said. “!ere have been some great things done. We have a lot of great things to come.”

A NEW FRONTIERNevertheless, providing faster speed

to current DSL customers is not the most important issue, Chapman ex-plained.

“For a lot of people in the mountains high-speed Internet is still not avail-able at all,” she said.

And while Chapman believes it’s too early for DNet to predict what kind of improvements, if any, Frontier might make, it turns out that the two companies share a similar mission.

“It doesn’t matter how fast the In-ternet is on your system; if you can’t get it out to people, it doesn’t matter,” said Frontier’s"Steve Crosby."“We have to get it out to people first.”

Crosby,"vice president of regulatory, legislative and public relations, said Frontier was utilizing the transition period to work with Verizon teams. Everyone from engineers to customer care managers are currently trying to understand the needs in each individu-al state, he said.

Improvements to Western North Carolina’s network will begin as soon as the transaction with Verizon closes, he said, noting that the benefits of an improved infrastructure would be felt within a few years.

While Frontier plans to install a few fiber-optic lines, Crosby said the primary concern is beefing up avail-able switches and building more DSL lines on the existing infrastructure as quickly as possible.

Despite the heavy cost of improve-ments, Crosby said the company’s suc-cessful track record speaks for itself.

“!is is the kind of company that sits well with N.C.,” he said. “!is transac-tion is something that we sought out from Verizon. Our focus has been ru-ral; small town, small city.”

In the rural areas where Frontier’s service is currently available, 92 percent of residents have access to high-speed Internet. In contrast, Crosby said Ve-rizon’s properties (including WNC) currently average about 63 percent DSL penetration.

“!ere are ways to get further and further out in the network,” he said. “Clearly there are people who say it can’t be done and we’ve proven them wrong with our current system.”

Customers who currently use Ve-rizon for Internet services will be switched to Frontier, Crosby said, not-ing that Frontier would be much faster than Verizon to make improvements.

“I think we’re a pretty darn respon-sive company,” he said. Crosby added that Frontier had already communi-cated with"ISPs in all of the states its acquiring, but Chapman said no one from Frontier had visited DNet to keep the company informed.

In an article on SpeedMatters.org, Dr. Kenneth Peres said he was con-cerned about the Verizon-Frontier deal:

“Verizon is abandoning rural America and leaving a broad swath of destruction in its wake,” he said. “Veri-zon sold its telephone lines in Hawaii. !e result: consumers received terrible service quality and Hawaiian Telecom went bankrupt. Verizon sold its lines in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont to tiny FairPoint. !e result: terrible service quality and FairPoint is nearly bankrupt. Verizon spun o$ Idearc - its Yellow Pages operation. !e result: bankruptcy.”

On Aug. 11, 2009, the Wall Street Journal wrote,"“In all, these companies have lost upward of $13 billion in value and counting.” !e story continued “...[Verizon’s CEO] extracted prices that literally sucked the life out of the buy-ers.”

!e sale of 4.8 million access lines to Frontier comes packaged with more than $3 billion of debt left over from Verizon.

“In e$ect, we are all subsidizing Ver-izon’s abandonment of rural America,” Peres wrote. “Frontier, just like Fair-Point and Hawaiian Telecom, is prom-ising everything to everyone. It prom-ises to increase investment, improve service quality, significantly expand broadband availability and increase jobs – and to do this while taking on more than $3 billion in new debt while cutting operations by 21 percent!

Editor’s Note: Although this article is lengthy, we felt it was important to take an in-depth look at the core issues of the local high-speed internet problem in our area. !e sentiments expressed by the quot-ed residents are shared by hundreds of people in the county. While the prob-lem may seem menial to some, if un-adressed it could very well mean the future of our town. As was mentioned in the article - the Internet has become a very integral part of everyday life and many folks may completely depend on it for their livelihood.

!e reality is, that the Internet is the future of our communications. If we as a community want to continue to progress and take our rightful place in society - we must have the neces-sary infrastructure in place to provide quality High-Speed Internet. Period. It has become commonplace for many would-be residents and business pro-prieters to take their business else-where because of better Internet avail-ability.

Although the general consensus is that the cost of improving our current Internet infrastructure is too costly, I believe there is great strength in num-bers and if we, as a community, can continue to be proactiv on the subject, a solution will be put into e"ect. !e saying goes - “!e squeaky door gets fixed first.” !e idea being - if we keep using our voices someone is eventu-ally going listen. So in light of this, the Sentinel will be keeping this subject alive on our website and in print, and I encourage all who feel strongly about the subject to weigh in by posting comments and sending us your letters. Our website address is www.wncsen-tinel.net. You may also send your let-ters directly to me by email - [email protected].

!ank you, -Bryan Hughes

Internet:

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Local high-speed leaves much to be desired

Glossary of TermsIf you are unfamiliar with any of the terms in this article - the following may be of some help.

Bandwidth: The transmission speed of data over the Internet. The higher the better.

ISP: Internet Service Provider, a company that connects users to the web.Switches: The available slots on a local neighborhood box for DSL subscribers.Low-speed Internet:56K Modem or!Dial-Up: The most sluggish form of Internet service. The slow-

est DSL connection is about ten times as fast.High-speed Internet:DSL: Direct Service Line. Internet speeds range from about 1-7 megabytes per

second, although most people get around 2 mb/s. Speed upgrades could take a week to e!ect.

Fiber-optic: Comparatively limitless speed. Some local customers order speeds of 15mb/s to 100 mb/s from BRMEMC. Fiber can also provide TV and phone ser-vice. Speed changes take minutes.

02.17.10 Cherokee Sentinel

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