Coldwell Banker update

Charlie Robinson, of Coldwell Banker Kasey and Associates, said the company had no further comment on the recent closing of its Weaverville office. The Tribune first reported on the branch's closing in its July 17 edition.

The office, which was described by broker-in-charge Michelle
Ranieri as a flagship office in the company's Western North Carolina chain, opened in January. It accompanied the mixed-use development The Village at Monticello. The first building of a planned five-building community opened in late 2007.

The group's contact information has been removed from the sign posted in front of The Village at Monticello. Keller Williams Real Estate is now handling the selling of the residential and commercial spaces available at The Village of Monticello.

The needle and no damage done

Tribune intern Megan Weaver shared this reflection after experimenting with acupuncture for the first time with Weaverville resident Brian Moran.

"After speaking with Moran, I decided to experience this practice first hand, and I was given an abbreviated treatment. After a quick health examination, my treatment began with a Chinese massage that focused on a rocking sensation. Then, 15 very thin needles were placed at various acupuncture points on my body. I felt no pain, and the increase in blood flow and energy was apparent at the acupuncture sites. I also felt very relaxed."

Weaver will have more on Moran in her feature, which will hit newsstands Thursday.

Blast from the past

This week's edition of The Weaverville Tribune featured snippets from several articles from The Weaverville Journal, the publication that predated the Tribune (and me!).

The issues have been fascinating to read, if only to see how the Journal's coverage differed from ours.

We've done several of these in the past, and we would like to continue periodically featuring these issues of the Journal. What do you think?

A giant dedication

Woodfin Water Board Trustee James Latimore presented a sequoia tree at the board's monthly meeting Monday night (July 21).

Latimore's wife, Kasha, bought the tree for the board to recognize the contributions of trustee Marjorie Meares, who has been battling cancer. She also thought the tree could honor the memory of former chairman Henry Chandler, who passed away in February.

The board discussed whether planting the tree at the district's watershed would be appropriate. Sequoias, commonly known as redwoods and popular along the west coast, can live up to 2,200 years and grow more than 350 feet in height. Latimore jokingly told the board he wanted to bore a hole in its base for a road to pass through after it matures.

The board will hold further discussions as to the appropriate home of the sequoia.

Birds of a feather ...

Four wild turkeys enjoyed an afternoon snack Monday (July 21) on the shoulder of the Blue Ridge Parkway near Craven Gap before deciding to return home. After the first turkey paved the path across the serene highway (albeit a path that involved narrowly escaping a run-in with an incoming vehicle), his friends soon followed.

No show for seminar

The Weaverville Police Department cancelled a drug awareness seminar Saturday (July 19) at the Weaverville Community Room due to a lack of participation.

Officer Andy Mace said the department handed out at least 150 notices of the meeting at the department's crime prevention booth during the town's Fourth of July celebration. The notice of the meeting ran in the pages of the Tribune twice, including the July 17 edition.

Officer Mace attributed the lack of attendance to the nice weather Saturday.

He said the department may try to reschedule the seminar in the fall when the weather conditions are not as favorable.

Listen to Bob Barker

In the 2006 comedy Talladega Nights, Will Ferrell, as NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby, delivers a public service announcement about packs of wild dogs that control most of the major U.S. cities.

The announcement is, of course, a joke. But, Woodfin resident Susie Sloan said she has noticed a growing problem with feral animals, specifically cats, in the town.

Sloan told the Woodfin Board of Aldermen on Tuesday (July 15) that she has trapped 11 wild cats recently in her Martel Village neighborhood. She asked the town for an organized plan to keep wild animals off the streets of Woodfin.

Woodfin Town Administrator Jason Young told Sloan he is currently investigating examples of the roles similar governmental bodies played in controlling animal population.