!e first time most people in Fannin County had heard of a local lodging association occurred when C.J. Stam, owner of Southern Com-fort Cabin Rentals, spoke about it during a county commission meet-ing earlier this month.

!e Blue Ridge Lodging Associ-ation holds its first meeting April 29 at the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce. All lodging companies are invited to attend the meeting.

"We're going to open up mem-bership to all lodging companies that qualify," said Stam, the nascent association's president. "We will present a budget at the membership meeting, and we should have our ac-tual membership cost on that day. It will be a"ordable."

Presently, Tabetha Whitaker, of Mountaintop Cabin Rentals, is the treasurer, and Nathan Fitts, of the Blue Ridge Lodge by Comfort Inn & Suites, is the secretary.

Stam said the board is temporary. "What we will do next is have a for-mal meeting, and then, the election process will start with our board,"

he said.Stam explained that, initially,

representatives from eight lodging companies were invited, but because of scheduling conflicts, only three attended. "But we have got several cabin rental companies and the bed-and-breakfast that have already ex-pressed tremendous interest in do-ing it," he added.

!e new organization has already applied for nonprofit status.

"!e purpose is really to give the lodging association a platform to funnel our concerns, our ideas, to get together and work together on additional tourism e"orts to bring new people to the area and share ideas on how we can improve our own operations," Stam explained.

"It will have a peer monitoring system, so if there is a complaint, it can go through the local process rather than the larger, more obscure organizations, such as the Vacation Rental Management Association," he said.

!e Web site, which launches the same day as the first meeting, includes the group's mission state-ment, code of ethics, operation stan-dards, goals, community participa-

tion, and member list.!e genesis of the e"ort occurred

when Stam noticed that when sev-eral people in the lodging industry got together during Chamber of Commerce meetings, they'd share ideas.

He said the lodging association does not plan to replace the Cham-ber of Commerce for lodging busi-nesses that join. "She (Chamber President Jan Hackett) represents all businesses. !is gives us an op-portunity to not put her where she has to carry all of our burdens."

!e new lodging association is us-ing a chamber-sponsored Sales and Use Tax Seminar at the Community and Southern Bank's Community Room to promote the meeting.

"We're piggybacking o" of one of Jan's events--a lodging tax event. She'll also send out an email re-minding people of the tax event. She's going to include an invitation to stay and learn more," he said.

Stam said he hopes that the lodg-ing association will be able to recip-rocate the chamber's e"orts. "We think we'll be able to do a lot to at-tract additional tourism and events," he said.

Not many congressional candidates are nominated for an Oscar. But Tom Graves from Ranger, Georgia was not only nominated--he actually won the Oscar.

It happened Saturday evening, April 24 at the home of Phil and Sally Forest in Ellijay. !e Forests hosted a reception for Graves and invited friends and neighbors to meet this man who wanted to be their next con-gressman.

One of those friends was Colonel Oscar Poole from Ellijay.

It’s unclear if Colonel Poole is really a "colonel" or if he received the title "Colonel" from the Governor of Ken-tucky. Many claim that "as Colonel Sanders was to fried chicken, Oscar is the Colonel of Bar-B-Q!"

It is clear, however, that Colonel Poole’s Bar-B-Q has been served from Ellijay and points north all the way to Washington. For more than 10 years the Colonel’s Bar-B-Q has gone to both the House and Senate and he has dined with more presidents than most--in Ellijay and in Washington.

!e Oscar part was the Colonel’s idea. Always a conservative and a long-time supporter of Graves, Colo-nel Poole wanted to do something special to get his man in the U.S. House. So he carved an "Oscar" in his image. Needless to say, Graves was overwhelmed when presented with the 8" high wood replica of "Oscar."

On the serious side, Graves did not disappoint friends and supporters who had gathered to ask questions and get to know this candidate who says im-proving the economy is his #1 Job.

Graves stuck to his message of lim-ited government, lower taxes and less spending as the way to get the coun-try back on track and provided a bold, conservative voice that conservatives are eager to embrace.

"I was the author of the Jobs Bill which will reduce taxes and regula-tion on businesses here in the state of Georgia," Graves said. "When we take that to the federal level, it’s about getting government and taxation out of the way."

Graves said he supports replacing the current tax system with the Fair Tax. "We need a simpler, fairer, vol-untary system that empowers the tax-payer instead of the government."

!e former state representative said if elected to the U.S. Congress, he will work towards, "eliminating the capital gains tax, reducing the corpo-rate income tax, repealing the unused portions of the stimulus bill and vote down the cap and trade."

Graves has been endorsed by Club for Growth, Freedom Works, Red State, the Atlanta Tea Party and was the first candidate to be certified 100 percent pro-life by the Georgia Right to Life PAC.

Graves represented the 12th House District from 2003 until March 23, 2010. He announced last May that he would seek the 9th District Congres-sional seat that was vacated by Con-gressman Nathan Deal, who is run-ning for Governor.

After responding to guests ques-tions about health care, the economy, transportation and the water problem, Graves laid out his plan for North Georgia.

"I will make improving the econo-my my Number One job," he said. "In these tough economic times, Wash-ington can’t be adding burdens on our families, small businesses and taxpay-ers. As your congressman, I will fight for you and insist on lower taxes, less job-killing regulations and to elimi-nate wasteful spending."

!e special election is May 11 and Graves reminded guests to "go to the polls and make me your representa-tive. I will represent you well and you will not be disappointed in my votes for you."

ARTS

SentinelFANNIN

Tom Graves gets an Oscar

VOLUME 4, ISSUE 15 | THURSDAY, APRIL 29, 2010 | WWW.GEORGIASENTINEL.COM

Sentin leFannin

P.O. Box 799

Blue Ridge, GA 30513

Wednesday

Contributed PhotoFrom left, Donnie Pettry, Tim Nichols and backhoe operator Ken Pettry of Tim Nichols Pipeline, Inc. are placing pipe for the county water system April 22. The company began work almost immediately after legislation to create the Fannin County Water Authority was signed into law by Governor Sonny Perdue.

Planning commission urges owner notification

Blue Ridge Lodging Association formed

By: Elaine Owen

Sentinel Writer

Too many books, too li!le space in Fannin Library

Elaine Owen/ Sentinel photoTom and Julie Graves talk with hosts Sally and Phil Forest of Ellijay.

Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday Monday Tuesday

77/48 82/58 81/61 79/61 79/56 75/54 74/55

!e Fannin County Planning Commission recommended add-ing land owner notification to sev-eral sections of the county's Land Development Ordinance during its April 20 meeting. !e section involved duties and powers of the Land Development O#cer.

As Chairman Lane Bishop has explained numerous times, the com-mission is only making recommen-dations, which will not be adopted unless the Fannin County Board of Commissioners approves them.

!e section considered is Chap-ter V, S5.103, which gives the county Land Development O#cer the power "to enter, at reasonable times, upon any property, public or private..."

Bishop first brought the para-graph to the members' attention.

"Before they go to anybody's property, they have to have some sort of permission," Vice-Chairman John Foster said. He suggested the commission ask county Attorney Lynn Doss about the paragraph's legality.

Commission members agreed to add to the paragraph "with appoint-ment and permission by the owner" so the clause would read "to enter, at reasonable times, with appointment and permission by the owner, upon any property, public or private..."

Members also added the same verbiage to Article V, Section 1, regarding inspections. !e new sec-tion gives the Land Development O#cer or authorized designee the authority to "(s)ubject to constitu-tional limitations, with appointment and permission by the owner, enter or inspect any building, land, struc-ture or premises in the county..."

It was also added to Section 1d under Article V. With the recom-mended changes, it reads: "!e issu-ing authority, Fannin County, or its designated o#cers and representa-tive, including...or such other des-ignee of the county shall have the power to conduct such investigations as it may reasonably deem necessary to carry out its duties as prescribed in this article, and for this purpose to enter at a reasonable time, with appointment and permission by the owner, upon any property, public or private, for the purpose of investiga-tion and inspecting the sites of land disturbing activities."

Commission members also con-sidered notification of adjoining land owners when a variance is re-quested. !e section in question is in Chapter VI, Article I, that pres-ently reads: "When a developer feels that special circumstances or condi-tions are peculiar to his property, he may request that he begin a variance from certin standards in the Land Development Ordinance."

Commission members agreed that the term developer should be expanded to read "developer or owner" in that paragraph and a fol-lowing paragraph regarding how to apply for a variance.

"It (notice of variance) should be publicized so neighbors can know about it," Bishop said.

He reminded members that the present commissioners will men-tion during meetings that they've

Anne Seay, president of the Friends of the Fannin County Li-brary (FOL) Board of Directors, asked Librarian Teresa Haymore to name an amount to donate so she could buy books and other material.

"I'm...in the precarious predica-ment that any new book I purchase for the library, I have to get rid of one. Folks, we're out of space," Hay-more responded.

!e 6,400-square-foot library is full of approximately 25,000 books. Haymore said her sta" 's tasks of weeding out old books and process-ing new ones is made more di#cult by lack of space.

She said that the shelves can go no higher, because the library would not be compliant with the Ameri-cans with Disabilities Act. She said stored material can't be moved any-where else, because there is nowhere else for it to be stored. In addition, the material must be in a climate-

controlled building to prevent dete-rioration.

Haymore voiced her concern that the library may soon have to choose between classics and new books.

"!at's an awkward and terrible situation to be in," said Seay after hearing Haymore's explanation.

Fannin's library is larger than the space being used in Gilmer County, as well as Union County's new facil-ity.

Placing pipelines for county water

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

Lisa Gagnon/ Sentinel photoFriends of the Library President Anne Seay and Treasurer Yvonne Patterson discussed how the organization's certi!cate of deposit should be handled. See Land, page 2ASee Library, page 4A

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Life Care Center walks for Relay For Life

Saturday, April 10, 2010 eleven persons walked the four plus miles from Life Care in Ducktown , TN to the Conoco in McCaysville, Ga. to raise money and awareness for the Relay for Life cause. !e walk raised over $200 so far. Make your plans to attend Relay for Life in McCaysville/ Copperhill, Friday, May 14,

2010. Walkers from Left: In front - Gracie Ling, Back

Row: Tina King, Shirley Williams, Mally Williams, Macey Williams, Cathy Whitener, Jennifer Louder-milk, Sulinda Deal, Juanita Keene, and Kayla Verner.

checked with neighbors, and the neighbors had no objection. How-ever, Bishop voiced his concern that this is not law, so a di"erent board may not bother to determine whether neighbors have objections.

Member Gina Adams then men-tioned that neighbors aren't noti-fied if structures such as cell towers are constructed.

Foster added that the commis-sion should put in a separate sec-tion about cell towers.

Bishop then suggested the fol-lowing verbiage: "!e developer or landowner shall notify adjacent or adjoining land owners by certified letter."

Foster said he was concerned that a neighbor who was "opposed to progress" might prevent approval of a variance.

All commission members agreed to table any addition until the next meeting.

Member Chris Chastain noted that several sections under Article V, Legal Penalties, noted that the owner's appropriate representative or responsible party or controller be contacted and suggested that the term 24-hour contact be used instead.

Commission members agreed to make consistent sections in Article V, Section 3, to add notice to the owner or 24-hour contact.

Adams, a former teacher, rolled her eyes in exasperation after read-ing several non sentences and "le-galese." One she mentioned read: "...the Land Development O#cer shall cause a written notice to be directed to the owner..." Upon her advice, members agreed to change it to "...the Land Development Of-ficer shall provide written notice to the owner..."

!e Fannin County Planning Commission meets the first and third !ursdays of each month at 6 p.m. at the Fannin County Senior Center.

Land:

Two line-dancing groups, !e Mountain Liners from Blairsville, and Get In Step from Blue Ridge, joined forces and performed at the Blue Ridge Spring Fling last week. !ey provided the audience with a variety of dances, including cha-cha, waltz, rumba, charleston, jazz, and even the challenging Irish step dancing "Lord of the Dance" to name some of the fifteen dances they performed.

For a full hour, the line dancers entertained the audience, and had a rollicking good time themselves!!e Blairsville line dancers meet twice weekly. !e first hour is for beginners, followed by a second hour

of intermediate instruction and practice. !e teacher is Jeannette Hudak, aided by husband Jim, and they are dedicated to helping novices learn.

Dancin' up a storm!

Fannin Tea Patriots!ere's a saying “if you want things

in your life to change, then you must change things in your life”. My dad told me years ago there was not a dimes di"erence in the two major po-litical parties and that you could never win a political argument. Although it took some time for me to mature, I now know he was right. Both parties dislike for each other is all an act. !ey all get up in the morning, look them-selves in the mirror and see a “future president of the United States”.

Some people feel and love the Democrats party idea of protection, tolerance and acceptance of all races, religions and social classes but they supplement their original good inten-tions with a thirst for political power. So the Democratic party's tolerance and love for people has transmogri-fied into a grotesque power-play to win groups. To win certain races, re-ligions and social classes or voting segments of our population, which has led to extraordinary damaging consequences. For example, Demo-crats push for extensive entitlements for those voting segments, in essence buying their votes. !ese entitlements are now sinking America into mind boggling debt. !ose entitlements are bankrupting our children's futures.

Some people feel and love the Republican's party idea of limited

government and fiscal responsibility. But they also have a thirst for politi-cal power. !ey also pander to groups or voting segments of our population. For example, Republicans, when in power, push for elaborate spending sprees that please voting segments, in essence buying their votes. !ose spending sprees now contribute to America's insurmountable debt and are now bankrupting our children's futures.

It all comes down to the fact that they are addicted to power, influence and control. Our Government is now the largest employer in the United States. Why would somebody spend millions of their own money to get elected to a job paying only thou-sands? It seems politicians are walk-ing over dollars picking up dimes. Once elected they spend 40% or more of their time raising funds to get re-elected and 20% or more of their time talking to lobbyists.

Ideally, they go in thinking they can change the world, but soon the Washington establishment leads them astray with money, power, rec-ognition and control. !ey start out caring about voters then switch to themselves. Current politicians don't even read the bills they vote on. !eir aides pile them up with pork. !e lobbyist have already bought them o" with money, dinners, trips, etc.. Remember, all Politicians act in their own best interest. !ey know that should they ever get voted out, some

lobbyist's company will give them a high priced job. Plus, their retirements are absurd.

!ey never tell the truth about any-thing. !ey have their written “talk-ing points” put out by their party and they just read them after every bill or speech. !e party is controlled by big “global” entities. Foreigners can invest in elections and big money buys elec-tions. Remember there are only 545 elected o#cials versus 300 million of us We have the power to change things.

Each person in America now owes about $120,000 on the national Debt now, and 42% of the people vote for one party or the other, but we can change that. We need campaign re-form and to outlaw all lobbyist. !e Tea party and tax reform groups can slowly make a di"erence. People need to recognize we have the power and quit being led around like sheep. !e first step is just don't vote for current politicians. We need new indepen-dent thinkers that will answer tough questions. And now when you don't agree with them on something fax, email, phone – clog up their systems and maybe they'll get the message. In the mean-time, there are no magic pills. However, we can change some of this if we stick together. I'm striv-ing to make a change and that's why I joined the Tea Party Patriots. Maybe you should consider joining too.

Respectfully,John E. Foster

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A panel of local medical profession-als participated in a forum to discuss the e!ects of 2010 health-care legisla-tion locally and nationally.

"e April 21 meeting featured Fannin Regional Hospital Chief Ex-ecutive O#cer Scott Smith, Dr. Jack Roof, Georgia Mountains Health Chief Executive O#cer Steven Mira-cle and North Georgia Physical "er-apy Associates' Mike Darnell, PT.

Held in the Community & South-ern Bank community room, it was sponsored by the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce.

"It's hard to have this conversation and not talk about health reform. In relation to health reform, I want to keep my comments as objective as possible," Smith said.

He reminded the audience that the construction bust in 2006-2007 not only a!ected local contractors and businesses, it a!ected medical ser-vices. Many residents were left with-out health insurance and with lower incomes. "is caused them to delay or avoid appropriate health-care, which sometimes caused negative health outcomes.

In short, patient behavior a!ected their health. It also a!ected the in-come of health-care providers.

Fannin Regional Hospital foresaw this trend and paid o! all outstanding bonds in 2009. "We had a very suc-cessful prior year, 2009, and we're on track for a successful 2010. From a health standpoint, Fannin Regional is very strong," he said.

He remarked that a recent study showed Fannin to be third among 200 providers in quality of health-care.

"We score in the top 10 percent in the nation for consistently meeting best practices," Smith said, adding that with the passage of legislation in March 2010, health care in the U.S. will change.

He explained that, in the short term, the health-care industry will benefit from the addition of an estimated 32 million uninsured citizens. In addi-tion, his estimates show that self-pay patients actually only pay about one cent per dollar of care, so reimburse-ment will increase.

However, some aspects of health-care legislation concern Smith. For example, discount programs similar to Medicare do not reimburse health services at their cost. "is may drive physicians and medical students away from the field, cause hospitals and other providers to close, and, eventu-ally, reduce access to health-care, he stated.

"e health-care legislation uti-lizes "pay-for-performance," which rewards health-care providers for meeting quality and e#ciency perfor-mance measures and punishes them for medical errors or increased costs. In addition, legislation depends on fu-ture savings to fund current and ongo-ing mandates, Smith said.

Dr. Jack Roof, a physician for 33 years and one of the owners of the RiverStone Medical Campus, detailed the progress of the medical facility. He said the facility has a number of pri-

mary care providers (PCPs) and spe-cialists. Specialties include cardiology, nephrology, urology, gastroenterol-ogy, pulmonary, gynecology, vascular surgery and more. He added that the exercise program at "e Rehabilita-tion Center is becoming very popular. Soon to come are a dermatologist and orthopedist, as well as a hospice.

Roof said that although River-Stone's relationship with Fannin Regional was somewhat adversarial in the beginning, the hospital is now very cooperative.

Georgia Mountains Health pro-vides primary medical and dental health services in Fannin, Gilmer and Murray counties.

Miracle acknowledged that some-thing had to be done about health care. Of Georgia Mountains Health's approximately 30,000 patients, 50 percent had insurance, and 45 percent did not, he noted. Over the last year, the nonprofit provided approximately $6 million in unpaid care.

"I'm very excited and proud as a health-care provider (about the legis-lation). As a citizen and a taxpayer, I'm scared to death," Miracle said.

He reminded the audience that health care has an economic devel-opment component. In addition to providing care so patients can work and take care of their families, Geor-gia Mountains Health contributed approximately $2.5 million for sala-ries and items purchased in Fannin County and impacts 70 employees, he said.

Miracle cited several concerns about the legislation, including pay-for-performance, potential savings due to technology, lack of primary care physicians, and the impact of 32 million uninsured people getting in-surance.

"e problem with pay-for-perfor-mance, Miracle said is that "histori-cally, in health care, we haven't been able to track outcomes." He said there is some uncertainty about whether pay-for-performance will lower health-care costs and increase quality.

Similarly, it's unclear whether elec-tronic medical records (EMR) will reduce costs and improve service, he said. He guessed that 70 or 80 percent

of health -care providers are already using EMR.

Another issue is the lack of primary care physicians, which is most evi-dent in rural areas. "Rural areas have a greater need for primary care doc-tors," he said.

Miracle also stated that the law's mandate for insurance does not apply to all businesses and doesn't start until 2014. Businesses with 50 employees or less don't have to provide insurance, he said. And those with 51 to 100 em-ployees will receive subsidies.

He added that although the health-care laws are flawed, it will help most Americans. "He who has help has hope. He who has hope has every-thing," he said.

As a physical therapist, Darnell had a di!erent viewpoint on some issues.

"One of our problems is in recruit-ment and retention (of therapists). "e demand is certainly more than supply," he said.

"e new health-care legislation, by adding 32 million people to the ranks of the insured, may result in less access to PT services, he noted.

"e solution may be for physical therapists to become direct access points for patients, since many have doctorates. "is would mean that patients could access their services without referral from a primary care physician, he explained.

Presently, for every dollar billed, only 65 percent is actually received. "e remaining 35 percent is free. For physical therapists, as with physicians, results of legislation may be an even greater decrease in reimbursement.

"We'll be providing more care. We'll be getting less," Darnell said.

One audience member asked whether county health-care providers would focus on the growing popula-tion of retirees and senior citizens in Fannin County.

Smith answered that entrepreneurs are answering the demand with assist-ed living and other facilities for older residents.

Darnell noted that seniors today want to remain active. He foresees the number of joint replacements increas-ing, as well as a greater demand for wellness-related care, such as gyms.

His facility, he said, meets that need by providing a month of free wellness after discharge.

Miracle stated that the fastest grow-ing category of Georgia Mountains Health patients are 55 and over.

Nationally, ages 80 and over is the fastest growing category.

"Seventy to 80 percent of health-care expenses over a lifetime are spent on end-of-life care. "ere are not enough adequate places for people to go," he said.

In addition, Medicare's approach is becoming more preventive, and he foresees medical schools graduating more geriatricians.

Joe Webb asked whether the hos-pital has enough capacity and Riv-erStone has enough doctors to meet demand.

Smith answered that Fannin Re-gional is a licensed 50-bed facility, and it is usually at 50 to 60 percent of capacity. However, the emergency de-partment is at capacity. He noted that this is a nationwide trend. During the past two years, emergency department use has increased 10 percent.

Roof listed many of the doctors at RiverStone and their specialties, including Dr. Ray Tidman and Dr. Shannon Morgan, PCPs; Nurse Practitioner Camille Ledford; Pedia-trician Dr. Kelly Koay; Dentist Mark Dlugokinski, DDS; and others. He also mentioned the walk-in clinic, which has now become Immediate MedCare.

Another audience member asked about health-care provider shortages.

""ere are shortages across just about every provider type," Smith answered. He said there are incen-tives to recruit rural physicians, but not enough providers are graduating. Smith said legislation includes for-mation of a group to study the issue, but one reason is that there are only so many residency spots for PCPs. He, like Darnell, said that he foresees more direct-care access by other types of health-care providers.

Miracle said that one reason for the shortage is the cost of medical educa-tion, from $150,000 to $200,000 for many. Since specialists earn a lot more money than PCPs, many students choose a specialty.

"In my opinion, the incentives need to be changed a little bit to put glory into being a primary care provider," he remarked.

Roof said that many physicians are getting low-cost loans to practice as primary care providers in rural set-tings for a specific amount of time. However, the increased income they make as specialists in a city is so much larger that recent graduates frequently prefer to pay back the loans at much higher interest rates.

"Like it or not, we're always looking for other revenue streams," he said. Roof added that in the future, if pri-mary care providers find their income cut less than specialists, it may increase their number.

In other matters, the Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring a Sales and Use Tax Seminar from 10 a.m. to noon April 29 at its o#ces.

"e next board meeting is at noon May 12.

FANNIN SENTINEL Page 3A

NEWS

Mayor shows support

By: Lisa GagnonSentinel Writer

Lisa Gagnon, Sentinel PhotoDr. Jack Roof, on left, and Fannin Regional Hospital Scott Smith, along with Mike Darnell and Steven Miracle, not shown, were members of a health-care panel sponsored by the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce.

Mayor endorses Bill Stephens

Stephens says water a D.C. priority

Mayor Donna Whitener shows support for the Fannin County High School Band Boosters by buying meals to go at Friday’s fundraiser in City Park.

Chamber hosts healthcare panel

Blue Ridge Mayor Donna Whitener and Morganton Mayor Barbara Stephens might not have the same number of people , the same square miles, nor the same challenges in running their respective cities, but they have one thing in common. "at is their choice for their district’s next congressional representative.

Meeting at Blue Ridge City Hall last Wednesday, Whitener said, "I like the idea of having a Fannin County native representing us in Washington. Bill Stephens grew up here and will fight for what we believe in."

Mayor Stephens added, "He has the experience and the knowledge to represent North Georgia. He did a good job in the state senate and he will represent us the same way in Washington. I am proud of what he stands for and that he has always stood up for Fannin County."

Bill Stephens is one of eight candidates running for the Ninth District congressional seat. A special election has been set for May 11 to elect a representative to fill the seat until the November general election. Early voting continues this week at the Election O#ce on the third floor of the court house.

Former Senate Majority Leader Bill Stephens, Re-publican candidate in the 9th District Congressional race, released the following statement regarding the importance of his plan to fight for Georgia's use of Lake Sidney Lanier as soon as he gets to Washington:

""e winner of the 9th District Special Election has to be ready to lead from the moment he is sworn into o#ce. Our next Congressman will not have the benefit of a Republican majority that I hope materi-alizes in November. Given the hostile po-litical environment, I have identified two key ways I can deliver for the 9th District immediately.

"First, as a founding member of the 1071 Coalition, I spent years advocating the need for Lake Lanier to be at full pool. Georgia's three year drought painfully reminded us all of the fragility of our water supply.

North Georgians in particular paid the price of watch-ing our numerous lakes dry to nearly puddles. Now that we have been blessed with "adequate" rainfall in the last several months, it is urgent that we keep as much water as possible in Lake Lanier. I will make the implementation of a congressional solution my first legislative priority."

"Second, I helped lead State Senate Republicans to their first majority in over 130 years, based on core conservative principles. I can do the same by bringing these issues to the forefront in Washington and help give the American people a clear choice between conservative Republicans or liberal Dem-ocrats. Even if we fall just short of the ma-jority, we can improve the numbers to the point of having a real chance at repealing overreaching Obamacare, stopping waste-ful spending, and cutting taxes to help cre-ate jobs."

"I have a true conservative record and proven results in leadership. If elected to Congress, the people of the 9th District can trust that I will bring common sense solutions and adult supervision to Washington."

Special Election presentsopportunity to make a di!erence

before November elections

Union County Librarian Susie Brendle said renovations will add 7,000 square feet to the present building's 6,300 square feet.

"When it is completed, it will be the largest library in the Mountain Regional Library System," com-mented MRLS Director Donna Howell.

Gilmer County Librarian Brandi Resendez said the Ellijay library is presently using 20,000 square feet, and there is an additional 8,000 square feet available in the base-ment.

In other business, Treasurer Yvonne Patterson reported that the FOL certificate of deposit (CD) for about $12,000 would mature April 25. She also said the FOL has ap-proximately $5,000 in the group's checking account. She asked the group whether they wanted to let the CD mature or roll it over.

!e board voted unanimously to let it mature.

Parliamentarian Joe Webb con-

tinued the campaign to have fund-ing for a free-standing library on the special purpose local option sales tax (SPLOST) ballot. He told the board, as he had told the commissioners and the library Board of Directors previously, that the cost is only two books and $10 per person per year to fund a free-standing library.

"If we miss this time, it's six years in the future," he said, as he distrib-uted a paper that listed the six most common objections to a new library, along with rebuttals.

Earnest Arp, the FOL's liaison to the library trustees, informed the FOL about the library Board of Trustees' resolution to hold a forum explaining the library's role and im-portance, how a new library could be funded by the SPLOST, and as part of the library system's strategic planning. He added that the trustees planned to send a formal, written re-quest to the Board of Commission-ers to be included on the agenda for the May 12 commission meeting.

Arp urged library supporters to attend and speak out at the May 12 meeting.

Webb added that, no matter what

the outcome of the SPLOST cam-paign, it is important for the FOL to act according to its mission.

"I think it's literally a matter of the Friends of the Library mission," he said. He suggested the FOL's money be used to fund materials and a separate entrance to the library. Webb reiterated that the state had cut the library's materials budget 76 percent.

"I still don't think SPLOST is dead yet," maintained Haymore.

Membership Secretary Heidi Rule asked about times for the book sale, which will be held May 28 through 30 in the Blue Ridge United Meth-odist Church lot. It was determined that the sale would be open for FOL members from 9 to 10 a.m. Friday, and public hours would be 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Satur-day and 12:15 to 5 p.m. Sunday.

!e Friends of the Fannin County Public Library is an all-volunteer, nonprofit group. !ey meet on the first Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at the Blue Ridge United Meth-odist Church. A membership form is available at http://www.mountainre-gionallibrary.org/folfc.html.

Page 4A FANNIN SENTINEL

TRIBUTES

State balances checkbook

Chester CantrellChester Lee Cantrell, age 84, of Blue

Ridge, Georgia passed away Tuesday, April 20, 2010 in the Murray Medical Center in Chatsworth, GA. Mr. Cant-rell was born in Fannin County, GA on February 6, 1926 to the late Charlie Cantrell and Ila Earley Cantrell. He was preceded in death by his wife, Ruby Lee Allen Cantrell.

He is survived by two sons, Michael Lee Cantrell and Arnold John Cantrell, both of Blue Ridge; two daughters, Pa-mela Diane Cantrell of Jasper, GA and Kathy Belinda Cruse of Blue Ridge; sister, Gertie Clington of Dayton, TN; 5 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and 2 great great grandchildren. Funer-al services were conducted Friday, April 23, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. from the Akins of Blue Ridge Chapel with Rev. Roger Burgess o"ciating. Interment followed in Damascus Church Cemetery. Con-dolences may be sent to the family at www.akinsfuneralhome.com. Akins Funeral Home of Blue Ridge was in charge of arrangements.

!e ‘Doctor of Manure,’ Bert Lent, o#ered suggestions on composting and mulching April 22 as part of Feed Fannin's free seminars. Lent claimed to have received the moniker from a friend, because he treats the subject of compost seriously.

"!ere's a cult for composting...It is an art. It's also a science," he said.

Lent asked audience members how they made compost. Most answered that they put leaves and clippings in a pile and turned it occasionally. A few said they added kitchen scraps, such as banana and apple peels. One said she added worms to her pile.

He said that all those methods would make compost, but they were not opti-mal ways of doing so. "!e problem is more the convenience...and making it relatively quickly so gardeners can use it," he said.

Lent said that adding compost maker is one way of speeding up the compost process. Anything with a high nitrogen content, such as blood meal and bone meal, will work as a compost maker. He advised that a mask should be worn when working with dust.

He said that there are two types of composting, one active and aerobic and one passive and anaerobic. Most of the audience members are using passive composting. Debris will usu-ally degrade into compost with little e#ort, but it may take an entire season, he added.

Active composting involves more e#ort, but it produces compost in a shorter period of time, as quickly as two to three weeks.

Lent said it's important to have a ra-tio of one part carbon to three parts ni-trogen in the compost pile or bin. Car-bon includes most brown matter--dead leaves, sticks, wood chips, and fireplace ash. Nitrogen is usually green, such as grass clippings and green leaves.

Proper composting occurs when a pile generates heat. He said 120 to 130 degrees is excellent, although he's ex-perienced up to 170 degrees. Lack of moisture or nitrogen are reasons a pile may not generate su"cient heat. If so, Lent advised taking the pile apart and adding the missing ingredients.

!e minimum size for a compost pile or bin should be three cubic feet, according to Lent.

He recommended adding worms as another way to decrease composting

Ethel Mamie Whitmore of Cal-houn, Georgia passed away !urs-day, April 15, 2010 at her home. Mrs. Whitmore was born in Fry, GA on November 28, 1922 to the late Ben Cantrell and Mamie Ballew Cant-rell. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald Calvin Whitmore; and one son, Roger Lynn Whitmore.

She is survived by sons and daugh-ters-in-law, Ray (Peanut) and Bar-bara Whitmore of Cleveland, TN, Jimmy Whitmore of Calhoun, GA, and Richard and Tammy Whitmore of Calhoun, GA; daughters and sons-in-law, Geraldine (Sissy) and Gene Mitchell of Calhoun, GA and Bren-da and Jerry Lord of Morganton, GA; 10 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

Funeral services were conducted Sunday, April 18, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. from the Akins of Blue Ridge Cha-pel with Rev. James Whitmore o"-ciating. Music was by Rodney Hilley. Pallbearers were Billy Cantrell, Matt Lord, Jerry Lord, Gene Mitchell, Bil-ly Whitmore, and James Whitmore. Interment followed in Mobile Cem-etery. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.akinsfuneralhome.com. Akins Funeral Home of Blue Ridge was in charge of arrangements.

William Joseph "Bill" Lewis, age 70, of McCaysville, Georgia, passed away Monday, April 19, 2010, at his home. Mr. Lewis was retired from the American Can Company in For-rest Park, GA where he worked as a millwright for over 30 years. He was of the Baptist faith and enjoyed deer hunting, gardening and working in his shop. He was a native of Ducktown, Tennessee, born to the late William Edward and Maggie Lee Addington Lewis.Mr. Lewis served his country in the United States Army. He was also preceded in death by a son, Paul Lewis; and two sisters, Anita Davis and Judy Lewis.

He is survived by his wife or 44 years, Barbara Jane (Galloway) Lewis of the home; one daughter and son-in-law, Sherry and Hank Gilley of West Point, VA; one grandson, Adam William Gilley; one sister, Sue Rus-sell of Ducktown, TN; one brother, Jerry Lewis of Turtletown, TN; and

William Lewis many other relatives and friends.Funeral services were conducted

!ursday, April 22, 2010 at 2:00 p.m. from the Akins of Blue Ridge Cha-pel with Rev. Al Patterson o"ciating. Music was by Vicki Bice and Me-linda Briant. Interment followed in Zion Hill Cemetery. Pallbearers were Doug Ausburn, Jerry Lewis, Hank Gilley, Adam Gilley, Jim Galloway, and Dakota Harris. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.ak-insfuneralhome.com. Akins Funeral Home of Blue Ridge was in charge of the arrangements.

Ethel MamieWhitmore

‘Doctor of Manure’ praises compost

By: Lisa GagnonSentinel Writer

time. He recommended red wrigglers and African worms. Most worms, he remarked, are not native to North America, and worms can even dam-age forests by decomposing undecayed leaves.

Lent cautioned against adding pet dropping, human waste, and meat products because of pathogens. He said that other materials, such as corn cobs and stalks, must be ground before add-ing to the compost pile because they do not decompose readily. Plant debris from roadsides may be contamined by pesticides. Bleached newspaper may contain dioxin. Meat and grease may attract animals.

A compost bin has some advan-tages over a pile, including keeping animals or children from scattering it. Lent suggested using hardware cloth and slats to make a bin, then covering it with black plastic or tin once it has su"cient moisture.

Lent reminded listeners that, despite dedication to composting, it is not the

goal. Compost is just a means to grow a successful garden. "Composting isn't the end game," he said.

With just a few minutes left, Lent turned to mulching. He proposed us-ing the system detailed in the book "No-Work Garden."

!e book advises mulching the en-tire bed, then planting seeds. As the plants grow, the mulch decays, and the soil is enriched.

"Straw and hay will not take any-thing from the plant. !ey will only give to them," he said.

!e final seminar in the series, "Eat-ing Well Inexpensively," takes place April 29. All seminars are free, with no registration required. !ey will be held from 10 to 11 a.m. at Family Connec-tion, 101 Industrial Park Boulevard.

For more information, contact Bill Voyles at (404) 455-3965.

!e mission of Feed Fannin is to help feed hungry citizens of the county and promote self-su"ciency in meet-ing nutritional needs.

Lisa Gagnon/ Sentinel PhotoBert Lent gave tips on mulching and composting as part of Feed Fannin's seminar series at Family Connection.

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Just like families across our state and country, the Georgia legislature has had to drastically limit spend-ing in order to balance its checkbook. !is year, lawmakers have been faced with one of the worst economic cli-mates in the state’s history, of which people’s jobs and livelihood have been the primary casualty. !is has caused an unprecedented challenge to con-structing a state budget that balances the needs of the state with fiscally re-sponsible spending.

!e Senate has successfully passed its version of a balanced budget, near the end of what has been one of the longest legislative sessions in state his-tory. We’ve spent the majority of this

session grappling with how to reduce spending with the least impact on Georgia citizens. But with an almost $1 billion gap in revenue, we’ve had no choice but to cut to the bone. Es-sentially, the decline in revenue levels has put us five and half years back in time, when we had a significantly smaller population and less demand on government services. When you consider that 80 percent of the bud-get that could be reduced is comprised of K-12 education, higher education, corrections and healthcare, our choices were not easy.

Most state agencies have been re-duced 20 percent or more, and the Senate cut $2.6 billion in spending. !e good news is that less spending means a leaner and more e"cient state government.

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By: Sen. Chip PearsonColumnist

Ferns, hellebores, dogwood, black cohosh, jack-in-the-pulpit, pipsis-sewa, soapwort gentian, moun-tain laurel...these may be some of Georgia's native plant species available at Georgia ForestWatch's 2010 Wild & Woolly Native Plant Sale & Book Festival May 1.

!e annual celebration features native plants from Scott Creek Nursery, Jennie Branch Nursery, Jack Johnston Natives, and Mill Gap Farm; and book-signings and literary speeches by nature-related authors, said Wayne Jenkins, ex-ecutive director of Georgia Forest-Watch.

Celtic fiddler Marie Dunkle will perform, and local food and Tiger Mountain Winery wine will be available. Dr. Barbara Duncan, ed-ucation director of the Museum of the Cherokee; poets Mildred Greer and Laurence Holden; Peter Loew-er, author of "!e Wild Gardener;" and wilderness and children's advo-

cate Melissa Walker will participate in the event. Authors Hoke Shirley, Charles Souther, and Fran Moeller Gatins will sign their books.

!e event will also feature a ra"e, which will include a hand-woven basket from Jan Stansell, outdoor gear from Patagonia, and a signed, limited-edition photogra-phy by Peter McIntosh.

!e event is a benefit for Georgia ForestWatch, which advocates the protection and restoration of north and central Georgia's mountains and piedmont landscapes.

Georgia ForestWatch is a watch-dog group for the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forests. It was es-tablished as a result of conservation groups challenging the U.S. Forest Service's comprehensive manage-ment plan for those forests.

Jenkins said the fundraiser has an inconsistent history.

"It's just something that kind of happened. It was initially taar-geted toward members. It started very small, and it's grown over the years," he said.

It was initially held at Tiger Mountain Winery and has moved to private property. During Geor-gia's drought years of 2007 to 2008, the plant sale was not held.

"We didn't feel like we could, in good conscience, sell plants at the height of the drought. Being able to water during the summer is pretty important to the survivabil-ity of plants," Jenkins said.

!e fundraiser is now held at the Sheehan Barn in the Persimmon Community of Rabun County along Persimmon Creek.

"!ey're using their property to bring people together for causes they believe in," Jenkins remarked.

He said he expects 150 to 200 people at the event. Proceeds "fluc-tuate between $8,000 and $14,000," he added.

!e festival is held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Entrance costs $20 for adults. For more informa-tion and directions, call the Forest-Watch o#ce at (706) 635-8733 or e-mail Outreach Director Jill Got-tesman at info@gafw.org.

FANNIN SENTINEL Page 5A

COMMUNITYGeorgia ForestWatch sponsors plant sale

Polk County, Tenn.--Last Fri-day, tra#c on U.S. 64 was flow-ing steadily as those a$ected by the five-month road closure cel-ebrated.

At the On the Road Again Party at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, Polk County Chamber of Commerce President Jan Beck was selling T-shirts that read, "I survived the Ocoee Rock Slide."

"It just seemed like it (the re-opening) brought new life to the county," she said.

!e event, sponsored by the chamber of commerce, included free food, free music, and a free blood pressure check.

Although the highway opened two days early, on Wednesday, April 13, at 11:15 a.m., that didn't inhibit the celebration by those in attendance.

!e highway has undergone more than $2 million in repairs since the November 10, 2009,

rockslide near the Tennessee Val-ley Authority Ocoee 2 Dam.

In addition to removing ap-proximately 13,000 cubic yards of debris from the first rock slide and stabilizing the mountainside with more than 400 bolts, crews removed 7,000 cubic yards of debris from the January 19 slide at mile marker 10.9, added road signs and removed 10,000 cubic yards of debris at the notorious 15-mile-per-hour curve at mile marker 14.5.

Several people spoke about how the detour had added an hour to their commute to Chattanooga.

A woman from Blue Ridge said her sister worked in Cleveland and had to rent an apartment be-cause the commute was too costly in time and money for gas. "We are so glad she is back home now," she said.

Tra#c in the area went from ap-proximately 4,528 annual average daily tra#c estimated by the Ten-nessee Department of Transpor-tation at Station 35 near Greasy Creek in 2008 to close to 0.

On the Road Again Party celebrates U.S. 64 reopening

Contributed PhotoA number of authors and poets will read from and sign their works at Georgia ForestWatch's Wild & Woolly Native Plant Sale & Book Festival May 1.

A balanced budget

!e General Assembly achieved vic-tory for Georgians this week against seemingly impossible budget numbers. Our diligent work, in conjunction with the House of Representatives, resulted in a balanced Fiscal Year 2011 budget that does not raise taxes on the citizens of Georgia. We balanced the budget in a way that will help families and future economic growth in our state.

!is is the toughest economic en-vironment since the Great Depres-sion. Our budget gaps have grown to unprecedented proportions. However, we prevailed and reduced the size of government while maintaining basic services. By fulfilling our constitutional duty and passing a balanced budget, we demonstrated good fiscal management that we wish to see in the federal gov-ernment.

!e Senate budget cut $2.6 billion in state spending. We did this while fulfill-ing our vow to not raise taxes, for any-one. Most state agencies were reduced by more than 20 percent. !is budget, which takes e$ect July 1, 2010, reflects an 18 percent decline from the original FY 2009 budget equaling a $3.7 billion shortfall. !ese numbers are often hard to grapple with when faced with a duty to pass a balance budget.

We did save essential programs that impact the lives of Georgians in sig-nificant ways. We maintained the in-tegrity of the 4-H program, allowing young Georgians to continue learning and growing in an agriculture-focused environment. !e Senate also restored funding to the Georgia Council of the Arts, a state agency that provides access to the arts through the award of highly competitive grants that fund arts pro-gramming. If we had not restored this funding, Georgia would be the only state without a statewide arts agency and we would be depriving Georgia’s citizens of dance, music, the performing arts and more.

Apart from the budget, we passed a major ethics reform package to en-sure Georgia’s elected o#cials are held to the highest ethical standards. !is was a much-needed bill that will bring significant change to the political sys-tem in Georgia. It was crafted with a provision that broadens the scope and authority of the Ethics commission. It includes stricter reporting requirements and increases penalties for those lobby-ists and elected o#cials who break the law. !e bill passed the House and the Senate and now awaits the governor’s signature.

Georgia’s property owners triumphed this week with the overwhelming sup-port and passage of the Property Tax Assessment and Appeals Reform Bill. It is aimed at ensuring all Georgia properties are properly assessed at Fair Market Value and that property owners have guaranteed rights to appeal.

Steve Tarvin was born and raised in Chickamauga, Georgia. He still lives there but his story does not stop there.

Tarvin spoke to the Fannin County Republican Party April 19th and he was eager to tell his story. In his genu-ine mountain style, he told the audi-ence why he wants to represent them in Washington.

Because he’s lived in North Georgia all his life, Tarvin said he knows and believes in the people of Georgia and their hard working, traditional values and their commitment to quality of life.

Tarvin began working at Crystal Springs Print Works, a textile mill in Chickamauga, on January 13th, 1970. He cleaned floors and did other manual labor as he worked his way up through the company. He is now pres-ident and CEO of the 750,000 square foot mill that specializes in bleaching, dying, printing, and finishing of tex-tiles. He is particularly proud of their work on Defender M™ protective ap-parel for the military.

Tarvin said Crystal Springs has em-ployed hundreds of people from north Georgia for over 25 years.

He said, "I know health care. My company has paid over $21 million dollars to provide coverage for em-ployees. I believe that forcing anyone to purchase something they do not decide to purchase on their own is unconstitutional." Tarvin added that he knows what it will take to solve the national healthcare problem, and

he knows that Obamacare is not the answer.

As a small business owner, Tarvin believes the Fair Tax is the solution to many of our tax-related problems and will bring the country back to a strong manufacturing nation. He said that Washington’s excessive spending has led to tax hikes that Georgia’s fami-lies and businesses cannot a$ord. "It is time for Washington to place the wel-fare of taxpayers ahead of the welfare of government," he said.

Tarvin spoke with passion about the economy. "Over 15 million Americans are out of work. !e unemployment rate stands at 10.4 percent, and rising. Georgia families need help today--we

all need help," he said; adding that it is vital that every Georgian who wants a job is able to get a job.

"!e values of Georgia’s citizens are some of the state’s most priceless as-sets. It is these values that will enable this great state to reach our God given potential," he stated.

Tarvin sees Georgia’s citizens struggling. He said manufacturing jobs represent the cornerstone of the economy in the Ninth district and it is critical that we develop incentives to spur economic development in our region. "I will focus on strategies that explore new opportunities for families and businesses in this district," he as-serted.

According to Tarvin, there are a large number of immigrants who have tried, and have been trying for years, to become legal occupants of this coun-try. He said, "!is country was made great by immigration. However, those seeking citizenship should adhere to the laws in place. !ere are areas in this district that have relied on immi-grant workers for their industries."

He believes a legal immigrant to the United States should be able to live here and work as long as they are will-ing to be responsible members of so-ciety, pay taxes, have car insurance, and abide by our rules. He also believes that those that are here illegally should be deported. He continued, "We should change the 14th Amendment to state that those born in the United States and not those visiting and working here, are naturalized citizens." Tarvin said he will never vote to give amnesty to those that are here illegally.

Answering questions from the au-dience, Tarvin said he is committed to traditional values that protect the sanctity of life, the protection of tradi-tional marriage, and the right to keep and bear arms. He believes life begins at conception and that life is protected by the Fifth Amendment. Marriage is sanctified by God between a man and a woman. !e right to bear arms is protected by the Second Amendment that states it "shall not be infringed."

Tarvin said his values come from over 40 years of life as a husband, father, business laborer and business owner.

He married the former Jennifer Lance in the winter of 1970, and 40 years later, they are the proud parents

of two children and four grandchil-dren.

He is currently president of the lo-cal Habitat for Humanity and the High School booster club. During the summer of 2009, he raised money for and oversaw the construction of two new ball fields in his community. Tarvin is a past member of the Board of Directors of Shorter College, and a past Board member of the Ameri-can Cattle Association. He spent one term on Chickamauga City School Board then was asked to serve on the Chickamauga City Council, where he currently serves. Tarvin is a member of Oakwood Baptist Church.

Tarvin said, "My life is defined by family, hard work, providing jobs for the people of north Georgia and protection for the troops in combat. I will protect your values and my values. I will bring the right perspective to Washington with decades of common sense business experience and fam-ily values that make North Georgia a wonderful place to live."

Tarvin reminded the audience that the special election to fill the unexpired term on Rep. Nathan Deal is May 11. "You can make a di$erence. Let your voices be heard."

!e Fannin County Republican Party meets at 7 p.m. the third Mon-day of every month at the Senior Cen-ter in Blue Ridge. For more informa-tion, call Ron Bolin at 706-492-7724.

Tarvin will next be in Blue Ridge May 15th for the "Meet and Greet" picnic for candidates at Horseshoe Bend Park in McCaysville. Everyone is invited to events beginning at 11 a.m.

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

Steve Tarvin : 'I'm a business leader, not a politician'By: Elaine Owen

Sentinel Writer

Elaine Owen/ Sentinel PhotoSteve Tarvin talks to (L to R): Brian Stanford, Junior Farmer, Louise Little, Patti Bennett and Ronnie Godwin.

By: Elaine Owen

and Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writers

By: Sen. Jim Butterworth

Columnist

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Let’s get our

facts straightBy: James F. Davis

Columnist

Low cost

water heating

How should a

representative

represent?By: Paula Canup Columnist

RIGHTGREEN SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE

By: Richard C. MacCrea Columnist

If you have children at home, you probably spend $50 each month to heat your water. How can this be reduced? Lets look at four ways:

Solar water heating can cost $6000 or more installed. !ere are local companies that sell and install solar water heating. A tax credit might help pay for part of the cost. You would be giving work to a local per-son. If the system is well designed and maintained, it might reduce your water heating costs by as much as $45 per month. If you are financing the construction or remodeling of your home, it might be worthwhile to borrow another $6000, since this might increase your payment by only $35, less if you qualify for a tax credit. Would you increase your mortgage payment by $35 if it reduces your electric bill by $45? Remember, that $45 savings will increase every time TVA raises their rates. In twenty years that might be $75 you are saving every month.

Electric heat pump water heaters are a new option. One for your home might cost $1600 plus installation, but it might save you $38 per month on your electric bill when compared to a standard water heater. It will also cool and dehumidify the area around it. And your mortgage pay-ment will only go up about $10. !ey are about the same size of a stan-dard water heater.

Super insulated tank water heaters are another option to consider. !e Tennessee Valley Authority has a program to help you get one of these in your home. Retail price is about $900 plus installation, but you might qualify for a rebate. !ey last much longer than a standard water heater, and cost about $5 more on your mortgage payment. But they might save you almost $10 per month on your electric bill. One model has four inches of foam insulation, keeping the water hot for a very long time. It also features a water tank that cannot corrode and is about the same size as a standard water heater. Combine one of these with a solar water heating system, and you can store that sun heated water for much longer periods of time.

Tankless water heaters save money by heating only the water used. !ey also take up less space than a standard water heater. Depending on the size, they might cost $500- $1000 plus installation and save $10 per month in water heating costs. But if your home is tightly insulated (as it should be) you might not want a gas burning water heater inside your home. !ere are also electric tankless water heaters, but they require a large electrical connection (as much as 220 volt, 100 amp ) which might mean a larger, more expensive electrical service for your home. Tank-less water heaters make sense in homes that are occupied part time and where space is very tight.

Standard 50 gallon electric water heaters might cost $285 plus in-stallation. !ey might cost you $50 per month to run, and $1 of your monthly mortgage payment.

I gathered this information from manufacturers' web sites. You can learn more at energystar.gov. Look at products, then plumbing.

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. rmaccrea1@gmail.com

In a previous ‘LEFT’ column by Jim Fitzgerald, he indicated that he completes “a background check on everything I (he) write about . . .” And he invited “anyone to point out inaccuracies in my (his) articles.” Virtually everything he writes is Liberal Democratic Party talking points with no evidence of accuracy. For example:

He wrote about a black congressman’s claim that he was called the “N” word by a protester after he voted for the Health Care bill. Although there were at least 100 witnesses, multiple video and audio footage of when the Congressman claimed that this happened, there was absolutely no evidence of it being true, but quite the contrary. Mr. Fitzgerald's re-search apparently did not require any proof of the alleged slur, only that these talking points were repeated over and over by the dominant Liberal media.

Concerning the health care bill, Mr. Fitzgerald claimed that my hav-ing accidentally used the word “see” instead of “find” in quoting Nancy Pelosi, i.e., “We have to pass the bill so that you can FIND out (see) what is in it” gives an entirely di"erent meaning” to Pelosi’s idiotic comment. Mr. Fitzgerald gives no evidence of how the meaning is changed. Can anybody?

Mr. Fitzgerald wrote that conservatives have “thrown temper tantrums and engage in actions that border on anarchy” without giving any evi-dence to support his claim. !e only evidence of violence and anarchical behavior I have seen has been pro Democrat and Obama supporters like Acorn and union thugs using Saul Alinsky terrorist intimidation tactics on Tea Party people, for example, beating up a black Tea Party peaceful protestor, beating up and breaking the bones of an female aide to Gover-nor Jindal and her boyfriend because they wore Sarah Palin buttons, etc.

Close to 20% of Americans identify themselves the Tea Party. And despite tens of millions of them having demonstrated, we have yet to see them physically attack anyone like anti-Tea Partiers have done to Tea Partiers.

Mr. Fitzgerald states that Sarah Palin’s “answers to questions about her foreign policy experience have been nonsensical” but gives no factual evidence to support his claim. Mr. Fitzgerald ignored Palin’s explanation that, as Commander in Chief of the National Guard in Alaska (the USA’s northern defense), she had regular National Security briefings, something that Obama and Biden did not have access to when running for presi-dent. If she actually said something nonsensical, where is the evidence? !ere are thousands of hours of recording of what she has said. Surely he can come up with something other than her prefacing her remarks above about her concrete knowledge with the comment he quoted her about Russia being adjacent to Alaska.

Lastly he blames the repeal of the Glass-Steagall Act in 1999 for caus-ing the financial crisis without giving any evidence. !e factual evidential truth is that the legal threats by the Clinton administration to the banks and his reducing the capital and lending requirements of FANNIE MAE and other government guaranteed and/or controlled institutions are the major cause of the financial mess we are in. I have previous written in detail on this and there are a slew of books that document it in even more excruciating detail.

In summary, just about everything I have read in Mr. Fitzpatrick’s col-umns are rehashes of Liberal Democratic talking points with virtually no evidence to support his declarative statements (opinions). Word limita-tions of this restrain me from listing other examples in just the last his last four columns.

I use to throw this question out to my students for debate: Should a representative in Congress vote the way the majority of his con-stituents want him to vote, or vote according to what he believes is best for the country, even if it flies in the face of his constituents’ wishes? Many would argue that we live in a democracy where the majority rules, so a representative should represent the majority. For example, the tea partiers are angry right now because Congress just passed healthcare legislation that the majority of Americans op-posed – “ramming it down our throats.” Others would argue that a representative is put into o#ce to make decisions for us and should decide what he truly believes is in the best interest of the people. If people don’t like his decisions, they can vote him out of o#ce.

!e fact is, we do not live in a democracy. Our founding fathers were very distrustful of democracy, fearing “mob rule.” !ey created a republic, one that was a great deal less democratic than the one we have today. Back then, only white, male, property owners even had the right to vote. Senators were selected by state legislatures, not a direct vote of the people. !e idea was that you would have lead-ers who were more knowledgeable and better-informed than the general populace and therefore more qualified to make important decisions. !e creators of the Constitution also knew that govern-ment could be corrupt and unresponsive to the needs of the people, so they limited its power, giving power to the people themselves. It was a very delicate balancing act, giving some powers to the govern-ment leaders and others to the people in an attempt to avoid the evils of too much power in the hands of either. “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Over time, our form of government has evolved, becoming much more democratic. !is is not necessarily a good thing. When the people learn that they can vote themselves benefits and largess from the treasury, they can quickly bankrupt a nation. We may be headed down that path now. So what should a representative in Congress do in the face of our present-day challenges?

Here is what I hope I would do if I were up there in Washing-ton: I would do what I truly believe is best for the United States of America and our children’s future. I would go up there determined not to think about winning the next election; in fact, I would be just fine with being a one-term congressman. !en I would spend a great deal of time talking to people who are well-respected for their knowledge of foreign policy, health care, and the economy. I would work tirelessly to find real answers to real problems and avoid the arm-twisting party leaders from both sides of the aisle. I would refuse to play their power games.

I would tell my constituents the truth, whether they liked it or not. I would listen to their concerns, and if I felt they had a legiti-mate complaint or a good idea, I would work hard on their behalf to help them. If I thought they were wrong, I would tell them so. I would tell them what I believe are our greatest challenges and what needs to be done about them. I would still be a teacher, only I would have an entire district instead of a classroom.

In short, I would strive to be a statesman, not a politician. !at is what we need – people who will “do the right thing” without concern for their personal success. We need intelligent men and women of character who are willing to work hard, learn, and make tough decisions in the face of extreme criticism. In just a few days, we will all have the opportunity to elect such people to o#ce. It is more than an opportunity – it is a duty we have as citizens of our country, our state, and our county. It only takes a few minutes out of your day to make your voice heard. I urge you to vote for the candidate of your choice on Tuesday, May 4th.

In Memory of Brady Singleton

July 27, 2004 - April 29, 2008

Sadly missed by Mommy, Daddy, Mimi and Papaw

Killed in a hit-and-run drunk driving crash.

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salad dressing with garlic, salt, olive oil, and lemon.

"I didn't know there was another kind of salad dressing," she said.

Other characteristics of Lebanese cooking are using lentils as a substitute for meat, using yogurt as leavening, pita bread, hummus, tabouleh, and meat pies.

Mary said her mother and sister were great at making yogurt, but she was not as adept.

"My mother never ran out of starter (for yogurt) in 40 years," she said.

Her family attends St. Catherine Laboure Catholic Church in Cop-perhill, and many of their activities are church related.

"A lot of Lebanese culture centers around the church. Ladies would have a Lebanese dinner because most of the people in our church were Lebanese. !ey do that even to this day," she said.

For church fundraisers, the women would get together and prepare stu"ed grape leaves, bread, meat pies, tabouleh, and sweets for sale.

"About 11 years ago, in the '90s, we'd sell everything at Arts in the Park. !at's how we paved our parking lot (at the church)," Mary said.

Mary then demonstrated how to make meat pies. She starts out by mix-ing a quarter cup of vegetable oil with a three-quarter cup of lukewarm water. She adds the mixture to 2 1/2 cups of White Lily flour. She then covers the dough and leaves it to raise for an hour.

"I have learned from experience how my dough is. I can tell if it's right just by touching it," she said. "I'm the meat pie maker; Caroline (my sister) is the bak-lava maker. Caroline would say, 'Your dough is so good.' "

Christie then piped up to remind Mary that Morgan had prepared this batch of meat pies while Mary had been in the hospital. !e crowd laughed along with Morgan and Christie.

"Well, he's been watching me make them for 30 years," Mary retorted.

"What that means is anyone can make them," Morgan said.

Mary continued her instruction, noting that the filling could be lamb or beef or a mixture of the two. She advised that the meat needs to have a little fat.

Her recipe calls for mixing two pounds of coarsely ground meat, plus 6 tablespoons of lemon juice, two table-spoons of salt, a tablespoon of black pepper, a finely diced large onion and half a cup of tomato juice.

Variations on the recipe include sub-stituting a half cup of yogurt for the tomato juice or substituting spinach for the meat.

She confessed that she actually had to look up a recipe specifically for the cooking show, because she is so accus-tomed to making meat pies that she forgot measurements.

Mary said she then rolls out balls of dough the size of a flat biscuit. "It needs a rolling pin, but that's not the tradition.

"She told me the other night, 'You can't do it. It'll come out tough,' " Mor-gan interjected.

Mary adds the filling and closes it into a triangle. She then places the pies on a greased baking sheet on the bot-tom rack of the over set at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, plus another 15 min-utes on the top rack of the oven.

Morgan then gave the audience his recipe for lentils, which involves browning chopped onions, then add-ing cooked lentils and rice or potatoes.

"It gives lentils a totally di"erent fla-vor. It's a good substitute for meat. You can take it and fry it for breakfast," he said.

Mary suggested serving cucumber yogurt with lentils or as a dip for meat pies.

As the cooks had prepared their food, they had placed them in serving dishes and placed them on a table for sampling. Morgan encouraged the au-dience to sample the bountiful bu"et of edible treats.

For the first time in its three-year history, the Taste of Blue Ridge sold out of tickets. At 6 p.m. Saturday, April 24, those in line were told that no more tickets were available for the Humane Society of Blue Ridge event.

Because of occasional downpours and a tornado warning for the area, all 32 refreshment providers and musi-cians were moved inside the River-Stone Medical Campus facility.

"We had to move the band, !e Boomers, inside, as well as the live auction and 10 restaurants due to the inclement weather," Robbie Mus-champ, the event's co-chair, said.

Muschamp said Taste of Blue Ridge is the chief fundraising event for the Humane Society. !e Humane Society is raising funds in order to es-tablish a permanent facility to house cats and dogs. She said early estimates show the event raised approximately

$30,000 for the Humane Society.Anne Williamson is the event's

other co-chair and the Humane So-ciety's president.

Vendors participating in the 2010 Taste of Blue Ridge included Amy's Catering, Angelina's Italian Restau-rant, Anthony's Bakery, Blue Ridge Brewery, Buck's Fancy Meats, Char-lie's Restaurant, !e Chocolate Ex-press, Christy Lee's Courtyard Grill, Cindy King Catering, Cohutta Grill, Copperhead Lodge Restaurant, Cranke Creek Vineyards, Cucina's Italian Restaurant, Daddy's Smoking B'Que-Clay Bell, Danielle's Great Eats, El Agave Mexican Restaurant, Enchanted Mountain, Harvest on Main, Il Forno's, La Pizzeria at Cuci-na Rustica, L&L Beanery & Cafe, Mercier's Orchards, Moonshine Hol-low Cafe, Monte Alban, Out of !e Blue, Serenity Garden Cafe, Shane's Rib Shack, Smoky Mountain Co"ee Cabin, !e Village Restaurant, Toc-coa Riverside Restaurant and !ree Sisters Winery & Vineyards.

Cancer has touched everyone in the world. Approximately 1.47 million cases were diagnosed in 2009, and 25 percent of those stricken will die, ac-cording to the American Cancer So-ciety. On average, cancer kills 1,500 people every day.

Some people give up; others fight. A very few vow to help prevent cancer and save others with the disease. Mor-gan and Mary Arp are among those few.

"My wife is a cancer survivor. I've got a sister that is a cancer survivor, and I know a lot of people that have been af-fected by it," Morgan said.

On April 24, the Arps, Autumn !urman and Julie Dyer conducted Cooking for a Cure, sponsored by Community & Southern Bank (CSB) and Town & Country Furniture.

Earlier, Morgan remarked that he wanted the event to be di"erent from most fundraisers.

"We're going to try to give some-thing back, so you don't feel like you're just donating money," he said. He promised recipes, many samples and some entertainment.

"!e cooking show is going to focus on Mediterranean food," said Morgan, who is employed by CSB. !urman and Dyer, also employed by the bank, demonstrated how to make sushi.

!urman, aided by Dyer, demon-strated how to make a traditional Cali-fornia roll and an inside-out California roll with sushi rice, crab meat, avocado and cucumber.

Dyer said she was more of a sushi eater than a maker and left the instruc-tion to !urman.

!urman emphasized that the rice must be Japanese short-grain rice, be-cause it is stickier; and rice preparation may take from 90 to 105 minutes.

!urman and Dyer then used a sharp knife to cut the sushi roll.

Morgan o"ered a few comments about sushi.

"Sushi started in China. It was used to preserve fish," he said. He added that the rice was usually thrown out. When the tradition was adopted in Japan, they considered rice one of the ingredients, and that is the way most people think of sushi.

He introduced his and Mary's daughter, Christie, and asked her to help.

"I keep my parents in line," Christie said to widespread laughter.

Mary began assembling ingredients for her famed meat pies.

"I am happy to be here as a cancer survivor. I am also Lebanese, and that is the cooking we're going to do," Mary said.

She explained that her grandparents had emigrated to Nashville in 1898

and then to Copperhill."!ey heard American streets were

paved with gold. !ey came in through Ellis Island and settled in Nashville," she said.

In 1972, they moved to Copperhill. Mary explained that she doesn't know for sure, but she believes the mountains, which resembled those of his Lebanese homeland, were what attracted her grandfather to Copperhill.

In spite of living in the U.S., Leba-nese traditions dominated her family.

I grew up with all Lebanese cook-ing," she said.

"And I grew up with beans and po-tatoes," Morgan added.

Until she married Morgan, her fam-ily had only married other Lebanese, sometimes in arranged marriages.

"I broke the mold (by marrying Morgan), but I wasn't the only one. I taught him everything he knows about Lebanese food, and now, he's telling me how to do it," she said.

She explained that Mediterranean cooking comes from countries such as Italy, Greece, and Lebanon. It features many spices and is very healthy.

Mary spoke about how adding fresh or dried mint to a salad enhances the flavor, then demonstrated how to make

Page 8A FANNIN SENTINEL

COMMUNITY

Cooking for a Cure bene!ts Relay For Life

Diva Jamboree Tournament Taste of Blue Ridge sold out

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

Elaine Owen, Sentinel PhotosClockwise from top left: Mary Hensley bowls for a strike. Nancy Harris’s perfect form gets the spare! Rhonda "Trooper" Dil-beck. Kathy Brown picks it up! Joan Waters waits for the pins to fall.

By: Lisa Gagnon

Sentinel Writer

Copper Basin Riding Club (CBRC) will hold its second show of the 2010 season in Ducktown.TN !is will be a Blue Ridge Mountins Associa-tion show ,the event will be on Saturday May 1st sign up at 1:00 and show starts at 2:00pm.

!ere will events for riders of all ages from the very young to the most experienced. !ere will be Barrel racing, arena races, youth poles, Western pleasure , Speed racking and many more new events.. !e excitement of the running events has the crowd of spectators on their feet.

!e concession stand will be open with their fabulous BBQ sandwiches and homemade hamburgers and delicious baked goods by the clubs mem-bers. Club T- shirts will be for sale at the registration stand .Visiting the arena come and enjoy some great food and .Good fun for the whole family.

!e CBRC is in Ducktown,Tn. on Cherokee Trail. MonthlyMeetings are held the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00PM at the club

grounds. Questions please contact President Misty Callahan @706-455-7104 or check our website www.copperbasinridingclub.org

Saturday was the beginning of the "Diva Jamboree", the annual Blue Ridge Women's Bowling Associa-tion Tournament. !e tournament has been going on for years but was called the City Tournament until three years ago to pick a new name. !en it became Diva Jamboree. Un-like most tournaments, this one is for ladies only; those who bowl in leagues at Fannin Lanes.

One of the bowlers, Tish Arnold said, "It’s kind of a local mini ver-sion of the state tournaments. It brings ladies from the the di"erent leagues at Fannin Lanes together for fun and camaraderie and to let them compete for prizes.

Fourteen teams of four competed in Saturday’s tournament. Next Sat-urday, will be the singles and doubles events. Whether you’re a bowler or just enjoy watching, the continua-tion of "Diva Jamboree" promises a fun day at Fannin Lanes!

Winners of the two-part tourna-ment will be announced after next Saturday’s events.

Fannin Lanes is located at 4115 E First Street in Blue Ridge o!ers league and open bowiling. Please call 706-632-2064 for more information.

By: Elaine Owen

Sentinel Writer

Lisa Gagnon, Sentinel PhotosTop: Morgan Arp and wife, Mary, demonstrated Lebanese and Mediterranean cooking as part of Community & Southern Bank's Relay For Life Fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. Below: Mary and Christie.

Lisa Gagnon, Sentinel PhotosTop: Artist Nancy Williamson displayed her original artwork on a Humane Society of Blue Ridge T-shirt on sale at the Taste of Blue Ridge. Below: Volunteer Nancy Thomason showed Kelly Hornsby some of the items in the silent auction at Taste of Blue Ridge.

Riding club show