A couple of Western N.C. bytes from the Asheville Citizen-Times ...
Cherokee culture has grand celebration in June
"Tens of thousands of visitors are expected in Cherokee next month for what is being billed as the largest tourism weekend on the Qualla Boundary since the opening of the casino.
"Three days of events during the first weekend in June offer a look at the past of the Cherokee people through photography, theater, literature, dancing and art.
"The first re-enactment of the Trail of Tears is planned and the second rewrite of the outdoor drama 'Unto These Hills … a Retelling' will debut.
"The second annual Southeastern Tribes Cultural Arts Celebration will bring five tribes to Cherokee. And, for the first time, members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians will walk the streets in traditional clothes offering visitors cultural information and answering questions.
"The weekend, organizers say, is an example of the growing importance of cultural tourism on the boundary. Cherokee, for the last 10 years, has become well-known for its video gambling operation, Harrah’s Cherokee Casino. The business is one of the largest private employers in Western North Carolina and brings in an estimated $280 million a year. ..."
Slope bill may go steeper
"A lawmaker trying to require local governments to regulate mountainside development has signaled willingness to compromise with builders.
"Rep. Ray Rapp intends to revise his bill on steep-slope construction to raise the threshold at which local rules would be required, he said Wednesday in a meeting with other Western North Carolina lawmakers — some of them allies who questioned yielding ground.
"The suggested change follows several meetings between Rapp and developers, the Madison County lawmaker said. 'I’m trying to get as many people to the table as possible who knee-jerk oppose this,' he said.
"Rapp says the bill is needed to avoid landslides. He now wants to require regulation for all slopes of 40 percent and greater, along with those deemed by geologists to be at risk for slides. ..."
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