CHARLOTTE — When North Carolina lawmakers approved a bill expanding where concealed weapons are legally allowed, it created a dilemma for communities that had banned firearms from playgrounds.

To comply with the legislation, some municipalities have had to change their local laws. While some community leaders have expressed outrage, gun rights groups say its time municipalities follow the law — and they’re watching to make sure they do. If they don’t, legal action could follow.

“The days when local government bureaucrats can ignore state law with respect to firearms are over,” said Paul Valone, founder of Grass Roots North Carolina, a gun rights group. “We want these municipalities to comply with the law. I don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

The fight has been brewing for years. Opponents say it’s dangerous to have guns around children, but supporters say concealed weapons help reduce crime.

The latest battle can be traced back to 2011 when the General Assembly passed a law that prohibited municipalities from banning concealed weapons in local parks.

The legislation also included a provision that let cities ban concealed weapons from “recreation facilities” — defined as “a playground, an athletic field, a swimming pool and an athletic facility.”

In the wake of

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. –

When North Carolina
lawmakers approved a bill expanding where concealed weapons are legally
allowed, it created a dilemma for communities that had banned firearms
from playgrounds.

To comply with the legislation, some
municipalities have had to change their local laws. While some community
leaders have expressed outrage, gun rights groups say its time
municipalities follow the law — and they’re watching to make sure they
do. If they don’t, legal action could follow.

“The days when local
government bureaucrats can ignore state law with respect to firearms
are over,” said Paul Valone, founder of Grass Roots North Carolina, a
gun rights group. “We want these municipalities to comply with the law. I
don’t think that’s too much to ask.”

The fight has been brewing
for years. Opponents say it’s dangerous to have guns around children,
but supporters say concealed weapons help reduce crime.

The latest
battle can be traced back to 2011 when the General Assembly passed a
law that prohibited municipalities from banning concealed weapons in
local parks.

The legislation also included a provision that let
cities ban concealed weapons from “recreation facilities” —

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Holiday Craft Fair at Rugby Middle School on Saturday

Rugby Middle School at 3345 Haywood Road, Hendersonville, is hosting its 22nd annual Holiday Craft Fair and Scholastic Book sale from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

More than 100 artisans will display crafts for sale. Members of the student council will work the concession stand to feed the masses, and the art department is sponsoring a raffle for a Bob Timberlake print, valued at more than $200. The builders club and National Junior Honor Society are providing assistance to the crafters as they set up for the fair.

Crafters will be offering specialty soaps, railroad ties repurposed into adorable “critters,” wooden wildlife creations and one-of-a-kind bowls, and an assortment of pet products.

Folk art and fused glass also will be on sale.

Ornaments and wreaths will decorate tables throughout the school as the shoppers enjoy the scent of cinnamon, orange and mint.

Handwoven rugs, crocheted scarves and hats, and quilted handbags also will be for sale.

The event is free to the public and includes free parking and a free shuttle bus to Johnson Farm.

Author, illustrator to sign ‘Manger Mouse’

Sarah Martin Byrd and Debbie Wall will sign copies of “The Manger Mouse,” from 1 to 5 p.m.

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DOLEV, West Bank â?? Sitting in the shadow of a row of leafy grapevines, 26-year-old Zac Waller grabbed his guitar and started playing a hymn.

The soulful sounds tripped down the hillside adjacent to the Jewish settlement of Dolev west of Jerusalem, bringing a smile to the volunteers harvesting grapes in the warm October sun.

Waller was among a group of Christians who are increasingly coming here to help Israelis and Palestinians with the grape and olive harvests. They see it as a religious duty.

During a trip to the Holy Land several years ago, Tommy Waller, father of Zac, was deeply moved when Nir Levy, a winemaker from the settlement of Har Bracha, pulled out his Bible and read from the Book of Jeremiah, “Again you will plant vineyards on the hills of Samaria.”

“That verse spoke to me from a spiritual place,” Waller says. “Before that, God was ethereal. I had never been physically touched by faith before.”

Waller is the founder of Hayovel, which brings together more than 300 volunteers from 14 countries to work in the summertime and winter time in vineyards owned by Jewish residents, or settlers, of the West Bank.

Referred to by residents here by the biblical names Judea

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GAME NOTES: With a four-game road trip on the horizon, the Wright State Raiders try to take advantage of some home cooking this afternoon as they host the Western Carolina Catamounts in non-conference play.

The Raiders have won three of their last four outings, the most recent of those being a 73-55 triumph over Alcorn State on Wednesday night at the Nutter Center. Wright State is a perfect 3-0 at home thus far in 2013-14.

As for the Catamounts, they are aiming to post back-to-back wins for the first time since the opening week of the season when they triumphed over Wittenberg and UNC Asheville. On Tuesday the squad bounced back from a loss to USC Upstate during the Coaches vs. Cancer Classic with a 78-69 triumph over Limestone.

This is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

Western Carolina shot only 36.1 percent from the floor and 12-of-33 (.364) behind the 3-point line in the meeting with Limestone, yet the Catamounts still came out on the winning side. Trey Sumler posted 28 points and six assists for the hosts, followed by reserves Tom Tankelewicz and Mike Brown with 18 and 10

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Inspired by Ireland

Mulling potential topics throughout his coursework, Czarnosmki unexpectedly found inspiration abroad.

Hiking Ireland for 2 1/2 months last summer, he stopped at various tourist locations and visitor centers where simple requests for information regularly turned into in-depth conversations about the area.

Also at these spots were wonderfully illustrated printed maps packed with details on why hikers may want to traverse a particular area. Typically free or for a small charge, the handouts presented insight that those back in the Smokies rarely afforded and appealed to his passion for cataloging plants in the field.

“Here, if you go hiking or backpacking, most of the trail info will say its difficulty, but not what’s so special about the trail that would make you want to walk it,” Czarnomski said.

Returning home, he researched available guides at local outfitters, libraries and bookstores, and though he came across some wonderful books, the presentation was largely dry.

“Out biodiversity is more special than that, but how do you explain it to people coming to the area for the first time or even for locals?” Czarnomski recalled.

In nearby Purchase Knob, Czarnomski found an

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Once close to eradication worldwide, the dreaded disease polio is resurfacing in Muslim-majority countries where vaccinations are hard to come by due to war, religious edicts and ignorance, experts say.

The latest example comes this week in Syria, where a strain of polio originating in Pakistan has crippled more than a dozen children, according to doctors for the Kurdish Red Crescent. Cases have also been showing up in Somalia, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

The problem is prompting some polio-free countries to demand that visitors from high-risk countries take oral vaccines at the airport upon arrival if they cannot prove they’ve gotten the vaccine.

“The Saudi government has introduced restrictions for all those traveling to the Holy Land from polio-affected countries,” said Mazhar Nisar of Pakistan’s Ministry of National Health Regulations and Services.

“Every pilgrim is to take polio vaccine before traveling to Saudi Arabia and also upon arrival at any of the international airports in the Kingdom,” Nisar said.

Polio is a highly contagious disease caused by a virus in the throat and intestinal tract that can cause paralysis, crippling and even death. It was once the leading cause of disability in the United States and infected millions of people worldwide until the introduction of

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