Local News

The Great Smokies: Sunsets, kayaks, trout streams… and Eminent Domain?

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Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Written by D.G. Martin

What would be on your to-do list on a trip to Great Smoky Mountains National Park? During the summer in and around the park, you might take in a dramatic sunset, hike to a waterfall, cool off in a river in a kayak, or catch a trout in a pristine stream.
Taking deep dives into lessons about eminent domain might not make your top five things to do, but it is what captivated my fisherman grandson as he explored not only spectacular trout holes, but also old cemeteries and foundations of homes along creeks in the Smokies near Bryson City.
Some trails he explored in Swain County hide the overgrown remnants of the large estate of wealthy landowner Phillip Rust and his wife Eleanor Dupont, an heiress to the Dupont fortune. In the 1930s, they built a summer estate along Noland Creek, including cottages for friends and a fine home for the caretakers of the land, the Hyatt family.
The homes of the Rust and Hyatt families, along with many other farms and homes, were condemned by the United States government during World War II. The Tennessee Valley Authority constructed Fontana Dam to provide hydroelectric power for the war effort, resulting in the creation of Fontana Lake. When the lake was created, homes, churches, schools, and communities were destroyed. All in all, 1,300 people were displaced.
This example of eminent domain reminded me of Cataloochee, by Wayne Caldwell. This novel, published in 2007, takes place prior to the construction of Fontana Dam further north in the Park in the areas around Big and Little Cataloochee Creeks in Haywood County. Cataloochee vividly describes the impacts of eminent domain on communities, following the lives of several mountain families during the time of the Civil War until they were pushed out of their homes in the late 1920’s when their lands were acquired for the new national park.
The story follows Ezra Banks who, after serving in the Confederate army, becomes an ambitious and successful farmer, marries into a family with landholdings in Cataloochee, and starts his own family.
Charles Frazier, author of Cold Mountain and Thirteen Moons, both also set in the North Carolina mountains, commented that the “rich cast of characters [in Cataloochee] spans generations, and collectively their stories form a brilliant portrait of a community and a way of life long gone, a lost America.”
Cataloochee helps us conjure what happened to many families throughout the creation of the park and what it must have been like for similarly impacted families during the construction of Fontana Dam.
Nobody would argue that Great Smoky Mountains National Park is not one of North Carolina’s (and Tennessee’s) greatest treasures. While perhaps more debatable, the construction of Fontana Dam was deemed necessary during the war. Through the use of eminent domain, thousands of acres of wilderness were preserved and protected.
And the dam was built and the lake formed, supporting our wartime efforts.
These “good” results are not the entire story. In Cataloochee, Wayne Caldwell reminds us of the pain and loss that were felt by families who lived in these areas for generations when they were forced to move to make room for the government’s priorities.
Unfortunately, progress for the majority is often accompanied by the sacrifice of others. When we remember the blessings of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the necessity of the construction of Fontana Dam, and similar projects, we should also say a word of thanks for the sacrifices that made them possible.

Enroll in fall classes: Take first step to exciting new career

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Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Written by Dr. Christopher Thrasher

Fayetteville Technical Community College has over 30,000 students, but continues to grow with new degree and short-term workforce programs that align high-demand occupations in Cumberland County and the Sandhills Region. If you are looking to upskill, advance in an exciting company, or just start out fresh following completion of high school, come check out the career pathways available at FTCC!
FTCC recognizes that every student has different goals and needs and, as a result, works hard to enhance the journey in college for workforce training or to get an affordable start on the first two years toward a four-year degree. FTCC’s transition to a new One College model is designed to ensure students are met where they are with access to resources and support services needed for a fully integrated educational experience that guides each student on a personalized road to success.
You can learn about almost anything you can imagine at FTCC. The college currently offers over 280 degree, diploma, and certificate programs and an almost endless array of short-term workforce development and special interest programs.
While FTCC prides itself on providing employer-aligned workforce training, it also offers courses in personal interest topics, from acrylic painting to yoga, and countless other special interest courses like pickleball and Summerscapes programs for youth. These classes can add life to your years and years to your life!
Many students transition directly from FTCC into the workforce, but others attend FTCC to save money and transfer to attend a university to complete a baccalaureate degree. Through Guaranteed Acceptance Programs that FTCC has with partnering UNC and NC Independent and Private Colleges, eligible students enjoy a seamless transition to many leading universities, including Fayetteville State University, Methodist University, UNC Pembroke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, NC State University, East Carolina University and many more.
FTCC classes are available in a variety of modalities including traditional face-to-face, online, and blended and hybrid formats that offer flexibility for students who are typically juggling multiple life obligations. FTCC even offers thirty fully online degrees and almost a hundred fully online certificates.
Additional flexibility is available in degree programs through course offerings that are offered over an eight-week term vs. the traditional sixteen-week session. FTCC also offers mini-term courses during certain times of the year. Many of FTCC’s short-term workforce training courses can be completed in a few short weeks, with a few lasting as little as one day.
Through the FTCC High School Connections program, students can take college classes online or in person. Students take the same great classes and work with the same award-winning faculty as other students, but High School Connections classes are available free of charge for eligible students.
FTCC welcomes active-duty military members, veterans, and their families with approximately one third of FTCC’s student population identified as active-duty, veterans, or military dependents. In 2025, FTCC was once again named a Top Ten Military Friendly School; full-time FTCC staff are available on Fort Bragg to serve those who honorably serve our country.
College can be expensive, but it doesn’t have to be expensive for you. Community college is an affordable path to upward mobility, and FTCC awards thousands of dollars in scholarships each year. Many students complete their college degrees at no cost due to federal Pell grants and local scholarships available through the College’s Foundation.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “The best way to predict your future is to create it.” Why not create your future at FTCC?
Fall classes begin on August 18, 2025. Reach out today (admissions@faytechcc.edu) and learn more about our registration schedule at www.faytechcc.edu – search “registration.”

A Mother’s Touch, Inspire Horizons Academy: Safe Spaces for autistic children, their needs

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Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Written by Dr. Shanessa Fenner

Dr. Brook Fletcher is a mother, educator, introvert and achiever whose innate belief is that if we try our best, we will accomplish whatever our heart is set out to do.
“A Mother’s Touch was born out of the fact that I have a special needs daughter,” said Brook Fletcher, owner and founder of A Mother’s Touch Early Education and Childcare Service, LLC and Inspire Horizons Academy. “She is 22 years old and is profoundly autistic.”
She added, “My daughter is probably one of the worst cases that I have seen and encountered in my entire career."
Fletcher had her daughter at the tender age of 19. Her intuition kicked in the moment she realized that her daughter’s behaviors were out of the norm.
“Back in 2003, we could tell that something was wrong and a little different,” said Fletcher. “Autism was not as known then, and since she had been struggling since birth, they pretty much thought it was some type of genetic issue. They ruled out everything before they settled on the fact that it was autism.”
The signs that her daughter exhibited were being nonverbal, a screamer and banging her head.
“She looked as normal as could be, but her behavior did not match,” said Fletcher. “You would hear parents talk about milestones their child would make, but my child had no kind of progressions or milestones.”
Fletcher stated, “I had severe preeclampsia for a month and a half before her due date and she was 2 pounds when she was born. She was a screamer, had a voice on her, and the NICU staff called her little Whitney because of the way she would scream. That was the first sign that something was not right.”
“Dr. Sharon Cooper is the one who finally diagnosed her with autism,” said Fletcher. “She did all kinds of tests, and I remember her saying that she is a girl and it is not possible for her to be this profoundly disabled."
She added, “Then finally one day Dr. Cooper stated, ‘This is who your child is and just be prepared because this is who she is going to be the rest of her life.’”
One of the major challenges that Fletcher faced was finding stable childcare for her daughter.
“I couldn’t find childcare for her and she kept getting kicked out of everywhere,” said Fletcher. “Fort Bragg asked me if I was interested in doing childcare, and they would pay me to stay home with her, so that is how A Mother’s Touch was born.”
She added, “I could not find childcare that could meet her needs, and I wanted that mother’s touch in early education.”
Fletcher had a profound vision for A Mother’s Touch.
“I wanted it to be a safe space for every child no matter what their cognitive disabilities are,” said Fletcher. “I have worked in corporate daycare for many years, and one of the biggest things that I realized is that parents drop their kids off and they are done with their kid until they pick them up.”
Fletcher added, "It is very different from the elementary, middle or high school level where parents are more involved.”
Fletcher has worked on Fort Bragg as a family childcare provider. In 2017, she became assistant director of
The Sunshine House.
“During this time, I found out how much I truly loved doing this and I decided to go back to school,” said Fletcher. “In 2 ½ years, I obtained an associate and bachelor’s degree and then I decided to obtain my Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education.”
Then Fletcher decided that she wanted to be called “doctor.” She went back to college and obtained an Ed. S. degree.
“Inspire Horizons Academy was born out of the fact that there is no place for all of these children with cognitive disabilities to go,” said Fletcher. “A lot of these corporate daycares are hiring who they find on the streets, and this is a high turnover field.”
She added, “We have all these children with cognitive disabilities and there are not enough ABA clinics and there are not enough resources. The original plan was that we wanted to make it a daycare where children with cognitive disabilities could come, and each child would get a one-on-one. The Board would meet monthly to decide who gets in because we want the ones that I know regular daycares cannot handle,” said Fletcher. “These are the students with self-injurious behaviors, completely nonverbal and this is unfortunate.”
“The real work comes with the children like my daughter, who has such specialized needs that she needs to be with people who are kind, compassionate, and understand what the differences are between a neurotypical and neurodivergent child and be willing to work and help them.”
And that is where Inspire Horizons Academy came from.
“I want parents to know that when they come to A Mother’s Touch, we do a lot of give back programs in the community like bookbag drives and the Adopt A Grandparent Program where we visit the Senior Citizens Center and work with the older individuals who live there,” said Fletcher. “Coming to A Mother’s Touch and Inspire Horizons Academy is a holistic approach for the child, and at the end of the day, we are making a difference and taking the time to look out for one another.”
For more information, visit www.amotherstouchllc.net or call 910-339-3553.

Health &Wellness: Birthing and beyond: Women’s health services expanding at Cape Fear Valley Health

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Tuesday, 29 July 2025

Written by Lia Tremblaya

Andrea Hunsinger’s path to pregnancy was not an easy one. Last October, after a two-year emotional struggle to receive some good news, she decided it was time to take action. She set a date to talk to her gynecologist about fertility testing.
And then, almost as soon as she put that appointment on her calendar, she and her husband had a wonderful surprise.
“It was an amazing moment, a week later,” she said. “I got to call them and say, ‘Hey, never mind. I just took a test and it’s positive!’”
Just a few months into her pregnancy, she got another pleasant surprise: a closer location for her regular checkups. Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN was opening a new clinic at Health Pavilion North, just off Ramsey Street and much closer to her workplace.
“I was going to the Walter Reed Drive location before that,” said Hunsinger. “And that was a little too far for me with work.”
At the HPN location, Matthew Shakespeare, DO, and Annie Sanders, PA, see low- and high-risk obstetric patients, as well as gynecological patients for all kinds of visits, from annual checkups to acute concerns.
Until February, when the new clinic opened, they had been seeing OB/GYN patients in the family medicine clinic across the hall. But after some growth, it was time to get their own space.
“Having this new office makes it possible for us to see more new patients while still being able to see our many established patients,” said Dr. Shakespeare. “There is a growing need for OB/GYN care in the area.”
The HPN location is the third for Cape Fear Valley OB/GYN, joining the clinics on Tilghman Drive in Dunn and on Walter Reed Drive in Fayetteville. Dr. Shakespeare said the location offers greater convenience to patients who live or work in the northern end of town, but it’s more than that.
“Some have chosen to come to HPN even if it isn’t closer,” he said, “because they enjoy coming to a smaller, less busy office.”
That’s been another perk for Hunsinger, who said she has enjoyed getting to know the staff who are seeing her through her pregnancy.
“I'm a very anxious person,” she said, “so I am constantly messaging or calling the office with questions and things I’m worried about. And they're so patient with me, which I really love.”
Hunsinger’s anxiety is partially rooted in a tough personal experience: Two years ago, she endured a miscarriage 11 weeks into her first pregnancy.
“The nurse and provider I had in the emergency department were amazing and so comforting,” she said. “I’m thankful for Cape Fear Valley staff as a whole because of how they’ve treated me in good and bad times.”
Dr. Shakespeare said that level of comfort is key to maintaining good gynecological care well beyond the childbearing years.
“Gynecologists serve an important role in caring for patients throughout many various stages of life, from adolescence to geriatrics,” he said. “Each new phase of life comes with new needs, and we are here to help with them all.”
Jerlinda Ross, MD, is a practicing OB/GYN and an associate professor at Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine. She said she was drawn to the specialty in part because there is so much more to it than meets the eye.
“I saw it was a whole spectrum of care that needed to be performed for women,” she said, “and we need to not only care about them when they're having children, but throughout their whole lives.”
While also guiding medical students into their careers, Dr. Ross is also treating patients at another new clinic designed to focus on cancers of the female reproductive system. Located at 413 Owen Dr., Suite 101, it opened to new patients in May.
Dr. Ross is enthusiastic about introducing this service to Fayetteville, for many reasons.
“It will be positive from a training standpoint for the OB/GYN residents,” she said. “Before, to get any exposure in this subspecialty, they’d have to go all the way to ECU. And having this kind of care closer to home will be great for the community.”
The clinic will welcome patients with any number of gynecological concerns, from fibroids to prolapse to menopause management. Because of this, it may look a little different from other OB/GYN offices, which are often festooned with photos of babies and pregnant bellies.
“This will be a gyn-only practice, so the focus is not on childbearing,” she said. “Our patients might be very anxious about their diagnosis or the symptoms they are experiencing. In a clinic that’s focused on what they’re going through, we can build something holistic to care for a woman and her whole quality of life.”

(Photo courtesy of Cape Fear Health)