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A huge thank you to all you helped organize benefit
Clay County Hearts for Kids would like to extend a huge thank you to Janice and Doobie White and their crew for hosting a benefit concert on Saturday, June 20 at the Clay County Rec Park featuring the Steve Bryson Band.
Thank you also to Darryl Mathis, Adam McClean with Coca-Cola; Liza Sena, Sheila Gordon, Kim Freeman, Theresa Waldroup, Phil Evans, Earl Bradshaw, Ingles of Hayesville and all the other volunteers and campers at the Clay County Rec Park that made this event a success.
The music was awesome, the food was delicious and the event was run flawlessly. Thanks to the generosity of all that participated, more than $5,200 was raised to go towards Clay County Hearts for Kids.
The Clay County Hearts for Kids organization is a group that supports foster children/youth and at-risk children/youth by funding activities and needs, which include events such as camps, sports/registrations, school trips, yearbooks, school pictures, prom, tutoring, birthday celebrations and various other needs that arise. The Whites and their crew worked tirelessly to promote, organize and orchestrate the event – thank you all.
Todd Goins, Director Clay County Department of Social Services
Group organizer issues apology for large group picture
Thank you Ms. Moses for your thoughtful comments. I had noted in the Thursday, June 11 article that general manager Randy Vaughn and director of golf Curtis Phillips had insured everyone’s safety by following Centers for Disease Control and United States Golf Association regulations during this pandemic and then I totally missed the mark by getting 32 women in a group photo.
As the organizer of our group, I am responsible and it was careless of me. As they say, hindsight is 20/20. Extra measures will be taken to avoid cluster groups. If photos are taken of our weekly and tournament winners, careful consideration will be made to space them appropriately. On the other hand, everyone present was in good health and had the option to not play in the group.
Regulations do state that golf, tennis, biking, hiking and the like are encouraged and we were in the great outdoors, breathing beautiful fresh air and the photo took no more than 5 minutes to accomplish. Our smiling faces were a direct result of friends finally getting together to enjoy a beautiful day and restore our annual summer golf league. We will continue to play golf, minding the state and national regulations where applicable.
Kindly,
Beckie Suverkrup, MHLGA chairwoman
Funding shortage felt by local animal shelter
Valley River Humane Soceity is a 501c-3 no kill shelter located in Marble, N.C. We are the only shelter for Clay, Cherokee and Graham counties. While we do receive some funding from the counties we serve, our primary financial support comes from our thrift store located next to Arby’s in Murphy.
In the past, we were able to hold adoption events for cats and dogs several times a month throughout our area. Due to the current conditions those events have had to stop or be scaled back due to limitations on the number of people allowed into different stores. We have held several outdoor events but due to the heat we have not been able to bring cats to those events. Follow our Facebook page for information on upcoming events. We always post the animals that we are taking the night before an event.
One of our requirements for adopting animals is that they are spayed or neutered. We previously used Humane Alliance in Asheville to spay or neuter our animals but they stopped doing spays/neuters in March and as of this writing are still not back in operation. We have been able to use several local vets but they are more expensive and they are usually booked 2-3 weeks out. This has lowered the number of animals that are available for adoption. If you are a local vet who would be interested in helping with spay/neuter call Kirsty at (828) 837-2304.
We have partnered with shelters in Atlanta, New Jersey and New York in the past to take some of our animals for adoption in their areas. Those transports also came to stop in March. I am happy to say that some of the transports have started accepting our animals again.
One of our upcoming major projects is the construction of a building to house our smaller dogs. We have been blessed to receive a donation from the estate of a local woman. That money will cover a large portion of the cost of this building but it will not cover all of the costs. We are approximately $50,000 short so in the near future you will see fundraising events to meet this shortfall. If you would like to donate to this project, mail your check to VRHS at P.O. Box 658, Marble, N.C. 28906. Make a notation that your donation is for this building project.
We are always looking for volunteers. We have needs at both the thrift store and the shelter. The thrift store is located at 1211 West U.S. Highway 64 in Murphy. The phone number is (828) 837-6137. The shelter is located at 7450 U.S. 19 in Marble. Their phone number is (828) 837-2304. Follow us on Facebook or check out our web site for current information and animals that are available at the shelter. We also post lost animals that have made their way to us. If you are missing one of your pets check our Facebook page.
Jan Manson
Hold people accountable in a respectful manner
Speaking as a 73-year-old Vietnam combat veteran, I often ask myself this question, “Is this the country that those of us who fought and died for deserving of our contributions?”
Too many power-hungry politicians in both political parties have lost track of our Founding Fathers’ message and our Constitution. As citizens, we must realize that politicians pit us against each other for their benefit, not our benefit. We all need to not play this game.
I am encouraged by the social push-back by our citizens who are against those in power who are using their unchecked power to dishonor all of us and especially those of us who have served our country in the Armed Forces.
To those who riot to make their point, you are not honoring those of us who fought and serve to defend your right to peaceably protest.
God bless those who respectfully hold our politicians and rioters accountable by supporting the rule of law.
Gary Chamberlain
Vietnam veteran (1967)
Combat veteran (one of many)
No citations will be issued for no face coverings
There have been numerous questions and concerns about the newest Executive Order issued by Governor Cooper effective Friday, June 26, 2020 at 5:00 pm. As far as masks and face coverings, there will be no arrests made or citations issued to people who choose not to wear them.
The Governor’s Executive Order puts the burden on the business owner of the establishment for enforcement and states, “Citations under this Section shall be written only to businesses or organizations that fail to enforce the requirement to wear Face Coverings.”
Executive Order 147 also states, “If a business or organization does not allow entry to a worker, customer, or patron because that person refuses to wear a Face Covering, and if that worker, customer, or patron enters the premises or refuses to leave the premises, law enforcement personnel may enforce the trespassing laws and any other laws (other than N.C. General Statute 14-288.20A) that the worker, customer, or patron may violate.”
The sheriff’s office will leave it to business owners how they operate. No business owner, employee or patron of a business will be cited or arrested for not wearing a mask or face covering. If a business owner refuses to serve someone, they have every right to ask them to leave, just as any other circumstance. We encourage everyone to do their own research on precautions they should take and operate accordingly to those standards.
All of that to say, the sheriff’s office will not issue citations or arrest anyone for not wearing a mask or face covering and please be respectful to the business owners on how they operate.
Sheriff Bobby Deese,
Clay County Sheriff’s Office