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When you see news in the making, contact our newsroom at (828) 586-2221.
Harrah's Cherokee to host MDA Telethon 09/01/2010  Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel is hosting this year's Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Telethon over Labor Day Weekend, which will be broadcast on WLOS Channel 13, Asheville. The 45th Annual Labor Day Telethon begins at 9pm Sunday, Sept. 5, and continues for 21 hours through 6pm Monday.
For years, the telethon has come from the Asheville Mall, but this year, the annual event will be live in the new 3,000-plus seat Harrah's Cherokee Resort Event Center.
On the Event Center stage, volunteers from across WNC -- including many Harrah's Cherokee employees -- will answer phones, take donation pledges and raise money for the MDA. Last year, $60.5 million was raised nationwide.
In addition to working the telethon phone bank, volunteers will help with various behind-the-scenes activities
“The new Event Center allows us to provide a more diverse offering to our guests as we begin the transformation into a major resort destination,” said Harrah’s Cherokee Senior Vice President and General Manager Darold Londo. “In addition to a variety of performers scheduled to appear in the future, hosting such worthwhile events as the MDA Telethon allows us to be a strong community partner across the region.”
Guests who visit the Cherokee area over Labor Day Weekend are welcome to drop by the Event Center and watch telethon activities on stage and view the new Event Center. Everyone 21 and older is welcome!
To support the MDA’s work and promote the telethon to customers, Londo said Harrah’s Cherokee has created a special Labor Day Cash Giveaway promotion for Monday, Sept. 6. Prize money awarded to customers who win the Labor Day Cash Giveaway promotion drawings will be matched by the casino and donated to MDA.
Harrah’s Cherokee Casino & Hotel is an enterprise of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation, located 50 miles west of Asheville at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
For more information about Harrah’s Cherokee, please call (828) 497-7777 or visit www.harrahscherokee.com.
Three charged in string of break ins, burglaries 08/31/2010 Three Jackson County teenagers are in custody today charged with a series of residential and commercial burglaries in Sylva and Dillsboro.
Those charged are 17 year old Joseph Chad Franks of Sylva, 16 year old Zachary Martin Bombay of Sylva and 17 year old Devin Caleb McLean of Dillsboro.
All three were arrested by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office and are believed to be responsible for a rash of property crimes at Bradley’s General Store, the Moose Lodge, Shirley’s Boutique, Haircut’s by Jill, Engineered Refrigeration Systems, the Jackson County School of Alternatives, Computer Nerds, The Well House, and several residential burglaries from varying areas of the county.
Franks, Bombay and McLean face a long list of felony charges including nine counts of breaking and entering, one count of safecracking, eleven felony counts of larceny of a firearm, injury to property and seven counts of felony larceny.
Additionally Franks was charged with possession of marijuana and resisting arrest. He is held on a $78,000 bond.
Bombay’s bond is set at $82,000 and McLean’s is set at $80,000.
These crimes were investigated by Detective Ronnie Mathis as sufficient evidence was uncovered to lead arrest of the suspects.
As always, anyone having information about property crimes is urged to contact the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office Crimestoppers at (828) 631-1125.
Jackson Co unemployment improves 08/31/2010 Less than 8 percent of Jackson County was unemployed during July, that’s according to figures released by the Employment Security Commission.
A total of 86 counties across the state saw some sort of decrease in their jobless rate during July.
In Jackson County, the jobless rate fell from 8.6 to 7.9 percent.
The report says 1,676 Jackson Co residents were considered unemployed in July, out of the county’s total labor force of 21,287.
Statewide, over 5,500 jobs were added during the month of July.
Sylva man killed in Montana car crash 08/31/2010 A 62 year old Sylva man is reportedly killed Friday night in a single vehicle accident in Montana.
According to the Montana Highway Patrol, the man Michael D. Cooper was traveling east on Montana 285 when he lost control in a gradual turn in the road.
The car then veered off the road and into a barbwire fence before rolling about five times.
Cooper was said to have been ejected from the car and died on scene.
Brooks to resign from school board 08/30/2010 The Jackson County School Board will have to fill a recently vacated seat as Mark Brooks announced he’s resigned as a board member.
In a letter to the Board of Ed, Brooks stated has mixed feelings about resigning but is moving to Swain County, which disqualifies him from serving on the Jackson Co School Board.
The board will appoint someone to fill Brooks’ unexpired term until the next election which will take place in 2012.
In a written statement, Brooks said, “ I have enjoyed working with the school system. I wish you and the Public Schools of Jackson County much future success.”
Brooks’ resignation will be effective on October 31st of 2010.
WCU retains "Best Colleges" ranking 08/30/2010 Western Carolina University maintained its top 10 ranking on the list of leading public regional universities in the South in the 2011 U.S. News & World Report "Best Colleges" guidebook released earlier this month.
For the second year in a row, the guide ranks Western Carolina at the No. 10 spot among the South's public regional universities.
In addition, the U.S. News & World Report ranks Western Carolina third among Southern universities whose graduates had the least amount of debt load in 2009.
The category in which WCU appears includes higher education institutions that offer a wide range of bachelor's and master's degrees, and that tend to attract most of their students from surrounding states.
The annual rankings are based on a variety of indicators, including assessment by administrators at peer institutions, graduation rate, retention of students, faculty resources, student selectivity, financial resources and alumni giving.
Mustangs home opener tonight 08/27/2010 The Smoky Mountain Mustang football team is getting ready for the home opener tonight at Carr Hooper stadium.
The Mustangs will be looking to take their first win of the year after a tough loss on the road to Cherokee last week 22-15 and tonight they’ll lock up with the Smoky Mountain Conference favorite Swain County.
Be sure to catch all the action live on WRGC tonight, beginning with the FATZ Café pre-game show at 7:00 p.m. followed by the kickoff from Carr Hooper at 7:30 p.m.
Farm to School workshop set for September 08/25/2010 Local elementary school teachers and practicing school dieticians, as well as preservice elementary teachers and dieticians, will have an opportunity to learn about the components of the Farm to School Project during a workshop set for Saturday, Sept. 11.
The workshop will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Shelton family farm in Whittier. Participants will learn how to integrate school gardens, farm field trips, classroom cooking and locally grown food into the school curriculum and cafeteria.
Partners in implementing the Farm to School Project in Jackson County are Western Carolina University, the Appalachian Sustainable Agriculture Project and the Jackson County Public School System. The national Farm to School Network works to promote regional community-based food systems and to connect children to their agricultural heritage.
Transportation to the workshop will be provided, if needed, and the event will conclude with a locally grown lunch. The cost is $10, but it is waived for WCU students.
For more information about the workshop, contact Molly Nicholie, Growing Minds Program coordinator for the ASAP, at 828-236-1282 or e-mail molly@asapconnections.org<mailto:molly@asapconnections.org
Portion of U.S. 74 dedicated to former attorney 08/25/2010 Earlier today the NC Department dedicated a stretch of Highway 74 from Exit 81 to Exit 85 in Jackson County as the Marcellus Buchanan III Highway.
A dedication ceremony took place at the Jackson County Justice Center in Sylva this morning. Family, friends, legislators and local officials were on hand to honor Marcellus “Buck” Buchanan III, a former attorney for the town of Sylva and solicitor for the 30th Prosecutorial District.
NCDOT Chief Operating Officer Jim Trogdon gave keynote remarks at the dedication.
Jackson Co remains under moderate drought 08/23/2010 Jackson County joins a majority of mountain counties that are still considered to be in a moderate drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, which released an update on Thursday Jackson County is currently classified as in a moderate drought.
Moderate drought is the lowest level drought status but many farmers here in the area have been hurt by a very dry spring and summer.
Some farmers have even experienced crop losses due to the dry heat.
The outlook for rain this week is slim with more dry conditions expected through Thursday.
Canary Coalition to pitch utility rate restructuring proposal 08/20/2010 The Canary Coalition announced they will unveil their initiative designed to dramatically reduce electrical energy consumption in North Carolina through utility rate restructuring.
They’ll do so at the Southeast Energy and Environment Expo, on Saturday, August 21.
In a press release Avram Friedman, Executive Director of the regional grassroots organization explains that the "Innovative Utility Rate Restructuring addresses the core issue preventing meaningful progress on energy efficiency, conservation and the rapid transformation to renewables.”
This proposal recognizes the effect of economic choices on our use of energy and on the inefficient way energy is produced and delivered in our state and in our nation today. By re-working the utility rate structure to substantially reward efforts at conservation and efficiency as it discourages waste, Friedman says.
The restructuring could also create incentives for investment in small and moderately sized renewable energy and co-generation systems.
The group intends its North Carolina-based proposal to serve as a model that can be used in other states or nationally as a comprehensive way to address environmental imperatives including the climate change crisis.
Canary Coalition activities have been instrumental in several successful keystone environmental initiatives in the past decade in North Carolina.
Police Blotter 08/19/2010 A Sylva man is charged with indecent exposure.
According to the arrest reports filed with the Jackson Co Sheriff’s Office James Bradley was charged with the crime on August 10th.
Other arrests include robbery charges for a Cherokee man. David Brown was charged with robbery on August 13th.
Robert Williams of Charlotte was booked on seven counts of forgery by the Jackson Co Sheriff’s Office.
His bond is set at $14,000.
Truck topples over on Cowee Mountain 08/18/2010  A tractor-trailer headed to Black Mountain from Louisiana topples over while passing over Cowee Mountain.
Crews from the Savannah Fire Department in Jackson County were dispatched to the scene of the overturned truck around 2:30 p.m. Tuesday near the runaway truck ramp.
Savannah Chief Darrell Woodard, “The driver lost control and wrecked. He was not injured. He was hauling about 38,000 lbs. of coffee in his trailer.”
Some of the cargo did spill out through the trailer’s top during the accident.
State Troopers say the truck hit its side after the driver entered a curve too fast. Fortunately no injuries were reported in the incident.
Cullowhee man charged in GA hit and run 08/18/2010 A hit-and-run driver turns himself into the Sheriff’s Office a day after the crash.
Rabun County, GA Sheriff’s Patrol Captain Jeff Harris says the accident occurred the night of August 14th.
He explained that, “Deputies with the Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of 76 East and Forest Service Road 290 in reference to a motor vehicle crash. When they got to the crash they found that the driver of the vehicle had left the scene. They completed the report and on the following day a Mr. Richard Conely of North Carolina came to the Sheriff’s Office and wanted to get his vehicle out of the impound. He advised that he was the driver of the vehicle involved with the crash.”
24 year-old Conely of Cullowhee admitted to deputies that he left the scene because he got scared.
Deputies arrested him and charged him with hit and run, too fast for conditions, and possession of an open alcoholic container. New artwork on display at Green Energy Park 08/18/2010 Jackson County Green Energy Park says a contemporary sculpture known as "Box of Souls" will be on display at the park.
The art is a work by Bob Doster of Lancaster, SC who won the 2010 Sculpture Competition. Doster’s piece was selected by an independent jury panel and is a constructed steel box, cut away to reveal the empty space in the shape of numerous geometric and representational figures such as the sun and stars, humans and animals.
Doster is an internationally acclaimed sculptor with works displayed around the world and you can see it at the Jackson County Green Energy Park through July of 2011 during regular business hours.
For more information visit www.jcgep.org
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