Home RemodelingIn Indian Trail, NC

The NHL’s Seattle Kraken have partnered with the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe to put the tribe's logo on their jerseys and help increase Indigenous youth participation in the area.

The team announced the agreement Wednesday at a news conference in Seattle. The Kraken will be the first team in the four major North American men's professional sports leagues to feature the name of a Native American tribe, unrelated to a casino, on jerseys since advertisements became commonplace in recent years.

“To be able to assert sort of our place and our identity within the city, within the region, with organizations like the Kraken, it’s hugely important and it’s hugely meaningful and really a powerful step for our tribe, for our people,” Muckleshoot Vice Chairman Donny Stevenson said.

The multiyear agreement also involves the construction of a sports court on the Muckleshoot Reservation, more Indigenous art at Climate Pledge Arena and the creation of hockey programs for Indigenous youth in the area. The Kraken are on track to make the playoffs in their second year of existence.

“One dream I have is young people throughout the Pacific Northwest who perhaps haven’t felt a part of it will now feel a part of it,” Kraken CEO Tod Leiweke said. “A dream of mine is someday a young person learns this support and succeeds, and maybe someday a young Muckleshoot kid wears that jersey with that patch on it.”

Gila River Resorts & Casinos, owned by the Indian community of that name, is the sponsor on Arizona Coyotes jerseys.

The Kraken's latest deal with the Muckleshoot Tribe comes at a time when appreciation for Native American and First Nations influences in the sport is on the rise.

But it's nothing new for the NHL's 32nd franchise, which before it had a name or an arena invited members of Coast Salish tribes in the area for lunch in 2019 to get their input on everything from land acknowledgements before games to how to best reach out to members of the community.

Leiweke and Mari Horita, senior VP of social impact and government relations for the Kraken, look back at that gathering as the start of a long-lasting partnership for an organization that has sought to be more progressive than hockey at large.

“One of the things we talk about a lot is trying to build the most inclusive and representative and welcoming hockey culture in the country,” Horita said. “Hockey has not historically been the most representative sport, and this is an incredible opportunity to start to shift that narrative and expand who hockey is for, so that a nontraditional hockey community can suddenly say, ‘Wow, this is a sport for me.’”

Leiweke, who previously worked for the NFL, the Seattle Seahawks, the NBA's Golden Golden State Warriors and Portland Trail Blazers and the NHL's Minnesota Wild, Vancouver Canucks and Tampa Bay Lightning — the latter of which he was a minority owner — called it a business partnership and a community one. In informing team staff of the agreement, he said he “referred to it as one of the proudest moments” of his career.

“We’re new,” Leiweke said. “We’re second year in. To have this endorsement from the Muckleshoots means so much to us.”

Follow AP Hockey Writer Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

This is the first in a series “Forest Plan in Action.”

For Forest Supervisor of the North Carolina National Forests James Melonas, the more than a million acres of land that make up the Nantahala and Pisgah forests are a puzzle. After more than a decade of putting the pieces together, the community got a first glimpse at the complex composition when the Forest Service released the long-awaited plan on Friday.

The final puzzle contains four main themes, according to Melonas: restoring forest ecosystems, providing clean and abundant water, connecting people to the land and acting in partnership with others.

The contours of the plan are shaped around the themes and the needs of the specific geographic regions in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests.

“We've created what we call geographic areas, so different parts of the forest that we have specific goals and objectives to achieve within those,” Melonas said.

For example, the Davidson River area in the Pisgah National Forest near Brevard has more recreation use than a backcountry area further west in the Nantahala National Forest.

“We know that we're going to continue to see changes in climate and the frequency and intensity of storm events and insect and disease outbreaks are going to continue to increase,” Melonas said. “And so we need to be able to adapt over time to those changes and the plan allows us to do that.”

Alongside the final plan, the 754-page environmental impact statement was published as well as the 95-page record of decision which explains the reasoning behind the plan. All those documents and others are available on the Forest Service website.

Changes from the objections

Last January, the final draft plan was released, and stakeholders submitted about 800 eligible objections filed by stakeholders in March 2022. The Forest Service made changes to the final plan based on some of the objections, Melonas said. The final plan added 474 additional acres to the Big Ivy/Craggy Mountain Forest Service Scenic Area and 234 acres at Shope Creek and Snowball Mountain as part of a Special Interest Area. Objections also added a process for collaborative trail planning opportunities with recreation stakeholders. The plan also added the North Fork of the French Broad River to the Wild and Scenic Rivers list based on objections received.

Melonas said the Forest Service team learned a lot from the community during this process. This is the first time that the Forest Service has taken on community input for the Forest Plan in this way.

“We've learned a great deal. The first thing I say is that there's an incredible amount of passion for Nantahala-Pisgah. I haven't met anybody that doesn't love these forests. And we know that there's a great diversity of values and ideas on how best to manage the forests,” Melonas said. “We also are really humbled by the incredible amount of work and dedication from so many partners to help us develop this plan.”

Tribal Partners

Melonas also highlighted the partnership between federally recognized tribes and the Forest Service in the development of the plan.

"We're very excited and proud of our work consulting with our tribal partners,” said Melonas.

The record of decision lists 12 tribes with historic ties and interests in the management of the Forests in the plan area.

Those tribes include:

• Alabama-Coushatta Tribe of Texas

• Alabama-Quassarte Tribal Town

• Catawba Indian Nation

• Cherokee Nation

• Coushatta Tribe of Louisiana

• Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians

• Kialegee Tribal Town

• Muscogee (Creek) Nation

• Poarch Band of Creek Indians

• Thlopthlocco Tribal Town

• United Keetoowah Band of Cherokee Indians

• Shawnee Tribe

Old growth forests and new growth

One focus of the new plan is having different ages of trees throughout the forest, Melonas said. The new forest plan establishes 265,000 acres of the forest as part of an old growth network, an increase of about 50,000 acres of the current old growth network and in the old plan. The network makes up about a quarter of the forest. The large majority of the forest is between 80 to 120 years old because of logging in the past.

“We recognize in the plan that we need more young forest, and we need more old forest and, and what we call open forest, that kind of mosaic fire adapted forest that's a little bit more open,” he said. “And we recognized the need for working to create young forests, which is important for many wildlife species.”

Nine newly eligible wild and scenic rivers

The plan identifies nine waterways as newly eligible to be “wild and scenic rivers,” a federal designation designed “to preserve certain rivers with outstanding natural, cultural, and recreational values in a free-flowing condition for the enjoyment of present and future generations.” The Cullasaja River, Fires Creek, Flat Laurel Creek, North Fork French Broad River, Santeetlah Creek, South Toe River, Thompson River, West Fork Pigeon River, and Whitewater River all made the list. These rivers, plus the ten already eligible rivers, brings the total eligible wild and scenic rivers in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests to 19.

“As we know, Nantahala-Pisgah has some of the most incredible rivers and waterfalls and water systems of any national forest,” Melonas said. ”When we look at ‘wild and scenic rivers,’ those are ones that are outstanding in their values, really stand above and beyond - whether that's for their scenic characteristics or for recreation values.”

Maintenance needs

The plan identifies a backlog of maintenance needs that the Forest Service plans to address through partnership with local organizations. Melonas cites Tropical Storm Fred in 2021 as one example.

“So what that looks like on the ground is replacing old culverts that we know are going to get blown out in the next storm event with structures that provide passage for trout and other mountain species that rely on those stream and rivers in the forest to better withstand the storm event,” he said.

Addressing the maintenance needs serves another function: making the forest more resilient to climate change by preparing for stronger storms and other tactics.

Issues not addressed in the plan

While the Forest Service Record of Decision includes five main issues addressed during the development of the Forest Plan: Vegetation Patterns and Wildlife Habitats, Special Designations, Access, Recreation, and Economic Contributions of the Forests, it also acknowledges issues not yet addressed.

The plan does not include a decision on oil and gas leasing on the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forest or a decision on the management of the Chattooga River, which was designated as Wild and Scenic around 1974.

The Forest Service declined to include an oil and gas leasing decision because of the low potential for commercial development of oil and gas deposit in the Forests, according to the decision. “If technologies change and there is interest in commercial interest in developing those resources, the oil and gas availability will be re-evaluated at that time,” the decision states.

Ongoing monitoring is necessary to determine if a change in visitor use management on the Chattooga River is needed, according to the decision. The river is currently managed with the Sumter National Forest of South Carolina and the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest of Georgia.

INDIAN TRAIL, N.C. — The Town of Indian Trail in Union County has a new mayor: David Cohn. Cohn took over in late February after the death of now former Mayor Michael Alvarez.

Alvarez, well-known in Indian Trail for always being available and giving his contact information out to residents, passed away in January after battling cancer.

The town was then left searching for a new mayor to fill out the end of Alvarez’s term, which ends in late 2023.

Current council members eventually settled on Cohn, a 10-year veteran of the council himself. Cohn served his first two terms on council from 2012 to 2020, before filling in for another term on council the following years.

“You know there were things I wanted to see get done in the town,” Cohn said about his desire to join council, highlighting his work for the town’s parks. “The year I got in, we decided instead of doing one park, we’ll do two parks,” Cohn added, “[We] got the park bond passed.”

Cohn has lived in Union County for 16 years, saying he and his wife agreed back in the early 2000s, Indian Trail would be a great place to live.

In 2012, he ran for council with Alvarez, and then ran again. Now, he’s filling Alvarez’s seat at town council meetings and around town.

“I consider it an honor to be asked to do it, and to do it. So, I told them I would,” Cohn said about being asked to serve the end of Alvarez’s term.

He was officially sworn-in as the town’s new mayor on February 22, 2022.

“To tell you the truth, I really have to pay attention all the time now. Before I could let my mind drift a little bit, sometimes, but as mayor, you’ve got to be on your toes at all times. And I’m saying that halfway kidding,” Cohn joked.

Cohn said he jokes around like former Mayor Alvarez, the man he shared 10 years with on town council.

“He was a people mayor, he was for the people and helped the people, so I’d kind of like to be known to do the same,” Cohn said“He was a people mayor, he was for the people and helped the people, so I’d kind of like to be known to do the same,” Cohn said about what of Alvarez’s tenure he would bring to his own.

But the mayor’s job is not all business. Cohn also gets to have some fun, like when he went around to the town’s schools, talking with fourth graders about trees and sustainability of the environment with the town’s park and recreation staff.

“You know, on council we don’t get out and do this type of thing as much. There’s a lot more to do as the mayor,” Cohn said after addressing the gathered fourth graders. “I enjoy it, you know, I enjoy just every aspect of doing it, whether it’s working with kids or helping somebody with their storm water issues, it’s just fun to help people.

Cohn said he’s reminded of Alvarez’s impact to the community constantly, even sharing the same mayoral phone number as Alvarez.

“As a matter of fact, funny thing is my phone number’s the same thing as his phone number, so anybody that had his phone number has my phone number,” Cohn said with a smile.

Alvarez, known across town and at town hall for working the phones, answering questions and calling town staff with citizen requests, left big shoes to fill. One last lesson still sticks in Cohn’s brain as he continues settling in to the new role, something he said he also watched Alvarez do almost every day.

“This job is not about me, it’s about the town and it’s about enjoying helping people and I think Michael did a good job of doing that,” Cohn said.

The town’s business continues, despite who’s running council meetings. Cohn said he and town council are currently hard at work figuring out the details of next year’s budget.

“We’ve got some, what we call ARPA funds now, which is federal government’s giving us money that we’ve never had before. And, we’re actually getting to buy some firetrucks with it, getting to spend some money on parks and roads. And that’s what people want, they want us to fix the roads,” Cohn said about the budget process.

It’s a budget process Cohn is used to from his days on council, but this time he’s leading the conversation from his new chair with lessons remembered from its former user.

NASHVILLE – Two Southern Baptist churches have been reported to the SBC Credentials Committee on the grounds that the churches are out of step with the convention’s stances on sexual abuse.

The reports stem from speaking invitations extended to former SBC president Johnny Hunt. Hunt was named in a 2022 report from Guidepost Solutions on the firm’s investigation into the alleged mishandling of sexual abuse claims by the SBC Executive Committee.

Hunt has admitted to “a brief, but improper, encounter” in 2010 with a woman who wasn’t his wife, but has denied that it was abuse.

In an email shared with The Tennessean by Todd Benkert, the SBC Credentials Committee acknowledged placing two churches under inquiry.

The churches are Hiland Park Baptist Church in Panama City, Fla., and New Season Church in Hiram, Ga., according to The Tennessean.

Hunt preached at Hiland Park on Jan. 15, and is scheduled to preach March 17 and 18 at a men’s conference at New Season Church. Hunt and his wife, Janet, are members of Hiland Park, according to a statement made by Hiland Park Senior Pastor Steven Kyle in a Jan. 15 church service.

Benkert is lead pastor of Oak Creek Community Church in Mishawaka, Ind., and a member of the SBC Abuse Reform Implementation Task Force (ARITF). Benkert also spoke at a trauma-informed ministry training event at the 2022 SBC Annual Meeting in Anaheim.

“The SBC messengers made clear statements about how we expect churches to respond to abuse,” Benkert told The Tennessean.

Messengers voted in 2019 to amend the SBC constitution to specifically state that mishandling sexual abuse is grounds for a church to be deemed “not in friendly cooperation” with the convention. In 2021, messengers adopted a resolution stating: “Any person who has committed sexual abuse is permanently disqualified from holding the office of pastor … [W]e recommend that all of our affiliated churches apply this standard to all positions of church leadership.”

In a video released in November 2022, Mark Hoover, of NewSpring Church in Wichita, Kan., Mike Whitson, of First Baptist in Indian Trail, N.C., Steven Kyle of Hiland Park Baptist Church in Panama City, Fla., and Benny Tate of Rock Springs Church in Milner, Ga., announced the restoration of Johnny Hunt to public ministry.

Rock Springs identifies itself as Congregational Methodist while NewSpring, First Baptist and Hiland Park are all affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

SBC President Bart Barber objected to the “restoration,” saying: “I would permanently ‘defrock’ Johnny Hunt if I had the authority to do so.

ARITF Chairman Marshall Blalock joined Barber’s sentiments.

“I fully support your (Barber’s) statement. This kind of ‘restoration’ works against abuse prevention efforts and harms those who have suffered abuse,” Blalock said.

Hunt was also scheduled to preach at a Great Commission Weekend later this month hosted by Fellowship Church in Immokalee, Fla., but was later disinvited.

According to the SBC’s website, the Credentials Committee “… will not release comments or updates regarding submissions through the media or by other means unless or until a recommendation is submitted to the Executive Committee for withdrawal of fellowship from a church.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE – Brandon Porter serves as associate vice president for Convention News at the SBC Executive Committee.)

UNION COUNTY, N.C. — A Union County hardware store is in trouble with the state after inspectors found the business overcharged customers. Their recent inspection of Ace Hardware Indian Trail flagged widespread problems in the checkout line.

State records reveal the store's scanners overcharged inspectors by nearly $90 over the advertised prices on a sample size of 50.

"There's no excuse for that amount of overcharge," North Carolina Department of Agriculture Standards Division Measurement Manager Chad Parker said. "It's just someone, personnel, neglecting their job."

Parker said the overcharging at the store in question is by far the worst he's witnessed in recent years.

"All it takes is a little bit of work and you're a whole lot better than that," he said.

Inspectors visited the store in early March after receiving a complaint. Their final report lists more than 20 items that rang up at a higher price, ranging from 40 cents up to $5 per item.

Parker said inspectors are finding more and more businesses overcharging customers. State records identify an extraordinarily high number of stores across the state, 22 in all, fined in the fourth quarter of 2021 for overcharging and Parker expects the problem to continue. He believes it's a sign of the times, the result of a labor shortage coupled with inflation.

"It's just getting very bad right now as far as overcharges," he said. "Inflation causes the prices to go up and it's hard to hire the correct people or enough people to help change the prices."

Overcharging costs customers like Jerry Griffin.

"I got to pay for it," he said. "It comes out of my pocket in ways I don't like."

Inspectors will visit the Indian Trail store again in the coming weeks and depending on what they find then, could fine the company up to $5,000.

WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing money@wcnc.com.

Customers, while shocked by the problem, said they trust the store will make things right.

"I would assume they are going to correct it one way or the other," Frank Witkowski said.

The store’s owner originally agreed to an interview with WCNC Charlotte, but canceled. He later sent a statement.

"The Helpful Hardware Company acquired Indian Trail Hardware, where this incident occurred, in 2021 and has been undertaking the painstaking process of converting it from its previous wholesaler to Ace Hardware," owner and CEO Darin Workman said. "Unfortunately, during this transition there have been isolated discrepancies between our shelf price and our scanned price. Our ongoing policy states that whenever such discrepancies are identified, we will honor the lower of the two. We are currently inspecting our entire inventory to identify and eliminate any such discrepancies and are confident that the Department of Agriculture will be satisfied upon its return to reinspect the store. We deeply appreciate the opportunity to serve Indian Trail and will continue making every effort to be regarded as a respected, appreciated member of this community."

If you believe a store you frequent is overcharging customers, you can reach out to the Standards Division at (984) 236-4750.

WCNC Charlotte only found out about customers getting overcharged at this store because a viewer sent in a tip. If you have a tip you want our team to investigate, we'd love to hear from you too.

We've made it easy for you. Just email investigators@wcnc.com

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