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A former Gatlinburg priest indicted of hidden from his assemblage is now confronting grave charges.

The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office arrested 65-year-old Ronald Lukat Thursday. He is a former priest of Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church.

The church’s daycare was forced to close down behind in February. A military news afterwards showed Lukat certified to officers that he unsuccessful to compensate state or sovereign taxes on a daycare.

The church pronounced during a time that combined adult to some-more than $40,000.

GATLINBURG (WATE) – The Gatlinburg Presbyterian Church assemblage speaks out after a former priest is indicted of hidden tens of thousands of dollars.

Pastor Ronald Lukat incited himself in during a Sevier County jail Thursday night. Church members contend he dissipated a church credit card. They contend a roughly $3,600 in purchases he done enclosed a conference assist and new tires for his car.

“Oh, he was a smashing pastor. We unequivocally desired him. This came like lightning, out of a blue,” pronounced church orator Peggy Noblitt.

She says they are operative with authorities on a investigation.

“We’ve already paid off his credit card,” she mentioned, about how they are operative on cleaning adult a mess. In further to profitable a credit card, they contend his loosening as church treasurer also forced them to tighten their daycare.

They due over $40,000 in delinquent taxes.

“It’s strictly been dissolved as a corporation. And since we have a vast taxation bill, we won’t be reopening,” she explained, about a daycare closing.

Today she says they have a new priest and operative on relocating forward. The whole occurrence has been a doctrine to a assemblage on who we trust.

“Be clever and do good oversight,” is her recommendation to other churches.

6 News spoke to Lukat’s attorney. He told us his client’s bond has been set during $10,000. And he designed to bond out.

Great Smoky Mountains Association to celebrate 60th anniversary

A day of hikes, lectures and cupcakes is planned to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains Association’s 60th anniversary on Saturday, June 22, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee.

GSMA’s legacy of providing financial support to Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in 1953 with a slightly longer name (Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association) and a $100 startup loan from Mount Rainier Natural History Association. The organization’s mission in the last 60 years has remained the same – to assist national park visitors by providing educational and other park-related sales items; to build a membership program of those who wish to support the park; and to use the proceeds of both these efforts to contribute to preservation efforts in the most-visited national park in America.

“Our organization started by selling postcards and Pioneer Farmstead pamphlets for a nickel. Our lifetime memberships were offered for $5,” said Terry Maddox, GSMA director. “Since then we have become home to one of the largest and most recognized national park publication teams, increased our membership ranks to more than 12,000 individuals and supporting businesses, expanded our visitor center and stores to eight in North Carolina and Tennessee, and grown our staff of GSMA employees to 70.

“More importantly, our organization in the last 60 years has contributed more than $30 million to the national park,” he said. “I’d call that an effort worth celebrating.”

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Wednesday, May 15, 2013 1:45 pm.

April visits were down 14.6 percent, compared with Apr 2012. Park officials pronounced that was off scarcely 109,000 people from a year before and 11.9 percent next a five-year normal for April.

On Apr 15, a highway – also famous as Newfound Gap Road – was non-stop after roughly 90 days of closure due to a landslide.

With a highway again open between Gatlinburg, Tenn., and Cherokee, N.C., park officials expect a lapse to ancestral visitation numbers during a residue of a year.

GATLINBURG, Tn. (WYMT/WVLT) – Officials with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park says visitation for January through April of this year was down from last year.

Officials with the National Park Service say 1,620,340 visitors which is 359,202 less than what was seen during the same period in 2012.

The park service believes a landslide that washed out Newfound Gap Road was the leading factor for visitation being down this year.

The Gatlinburg, TN entrance saw a high number of visitors in the facility during the Spring Break period in early April. The visitor center recorded over 6000 visitors in one day which is a 20 year record.

The Daily Times (http://bit.ly/16MBiYJ) reports the agreement covers land connecting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest.

According to a recent announcement, The Nature Conservancy will convey the acreage over a 2-year period to state and federal partners.

Brookfield Renewable Energy Group bought Tapoco-APGI, ALCOA Inc.’s hydroelectric project for $600 million in 2012. The sale included four dams and about 14,500 acres.

Brookfield U.S. chairman John Zuccotti said the company “believes in greening and believes in renewable power.”

“There is no more popular or magnificent section of the great American outdoors than the land adjacent to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest,” said U.S. Sen. Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., who spoke during the announcement this month at Calderwood Dam.

“Any effort to find new ways to protect that land and make more of it available for outdoor recreation certainly will be welcomed by Tennesseans. Today’s announcement means tens of thousands of Tennesseans and visitors will be able to continue to enjoy more hiking, hunting, fishing and boating.”

Alex Wyss, director of conservation programs for the Tennessee Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, said the organization wants to enhance the ways in which the public can enjoy the property.

“We intend to improve the recreation opportunities,” he said. “We want to leave it even better than we found it.”

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest are connected by lands along the Little Tennessee River and provide habitat for several plant and animal species.

Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency Director Ed Carter said his staff was pleased with the gift.

“We know the possibility was there, but we always thought: could we ever scrape up enough money to buy it? Then this happened. It’s the best of all possible worlds,” he said.

Information from: The Daily Times, http://www.thedailytimes.com

A crowd applauds Heather Wood (center), administrative support assistant for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, after she received the 2012 Park Employee of the Year award.

Vivian, Margie, Les and John Hockenberry were chosen as the park’s Tourist Family of the Year.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park staff, as well as area officials and administrators, gathered at the park’s headquarters Monday morning to honor Heather Wood as 2012 Park Employee of the Year.

“It is an honor and a privilege to be selected as Employee of the Year,” Wood said to the crowd, which included several past recipients of the award, now in its 30th year.

Wood works as an administrative support assistant for the park’s resource and visitor protection division.

“Our administrative assistants play a critical role throughout the park,” Park Superintendent Dale Ditmanson said. “Many of the times, that is behind the scenes. You don’t always see them out in front, but that support is appreciated by everyone and provides the ability for our staff to be properly trained for the travel they do, equipment they need – and of course, they make sure we get paid. We appreciate that and all those duties very much.”

Clayton Jordan, chief of the resource and visitor protection division, elaborated on Wood’s character and what she means to the park.

“(Wood) has a reputation for not only being the subject-matter expert in a wide assortment of budgetary and other administrative processes, but also for her willingness to assist any employee within any division at any time,” Jordan said. “Every day she demonstrates a positive attitude towards her work and coworkers, and possesses a strong work ethic. The phrase ‘not my job’ is simply not in Heather’s vocabulary.”

Wood said she was raised on values of hard work and placing the needs of others before your own.

“To be recognized for something that comes naturally and that I enjoy doing seems unnecessary, but I am grateful,” Wood said.

In the past year, Wood actually chose to move down the payroll, from administrative assistant to the chief, to a part-time position providing administrative support for the Tennessee district ranger operation. She made the decision in order to spend more time with her family, but Jordan said she still went beyond what was expected of her.

“On top of her new duties, Heather has worked side-by-side with a new administrative assistant to the chief ranger’s office, training her to assume a complex array of responsibilities,” Jordan said. “At the same time, she has worked tirelessly to help transition the division to a new and very different accounting system developed by the Department of the Interior.”

Wood explained that the key to her success is understanding the big picture.

“As an administrative support assistant, my primary job is to support others and to aid them in getting their jobs accomplished,” Wood said. “I enjoy my job, and enjoying your job makes all the difference in the attitude that you have.”

For winning the award, Wood received a monetary award from Friends of the Smokies, as well as an engraved clock, a gift basket and two paintings courtesy of the local communities.

Ditmanson also recognized the four other employees who were nominated for the award: Emily Darling, who works in the park’s Appalachian Highlands Science Learning Center; Kenneth Parton, a maintenance mechanic in the park’s facility management division; Carlos Trevino, lead information technology specialist; and Imelda Wegworth, landscape architect in the park’s division of emergency management.

Also honored at the ceremony were the Hockenberrys of Chicago. They were named 2013 Tourist Family of the Year.

Les and Margie Hockenberry and their children, John and Vivian, were selected after they entered Sugarlands Visitor Center.

“Now that’s being in the right place at the right time,” said Jimbo Whaley, who served as emcee.

Ditmanson said he was pleased the family accepted the honor: “I’m not sure how I would receive that if I walked into the Sugarlands Visitor Center.”

The Hockenberry family is no stranger to the outdoors. John, 6, has completed several junior ranger programs in various other national parks.

Vivian, 2, took her first steps in the Smokies last year. For that, “the Smokies will always have a special place in our heart,” Les said.

Les is a medical director at a Christian health center that serves about 23,000 patients.

“Those days can be long and tiring, and this chance to come to the national park and rest and renew, I can’t tell you how grateful we are,” Les said. “… We appreciate the National Park Service so much, and the mission and the opportunity that it serves.”

As part of the ceremony, the family received a gift basket from officials of local communities.

Said Ditmanson, “We do have a wonderful relationship with our communities at the gateways that support the park.”

rhargett@themountainpress.com

One of nature’s most spectacular light shows takes place each year in the Elkmont area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, when the only population of synchronous fireflies in North America—bioluminescent fireflies, known to scientists as Photinus carolinus—flash in unison during their two-week mating ritual.

This synchronous firefly species is one of 19 species that live in the park and the only species in North America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns. Peak flashing for synchronous fireflies in the park is normally within a two-week period in late May to mid-June.

“People who lived in the Elkmont community always knew that they had a special firefly,” Great Smoky Mountains National Park spokeswoman Dana Soehn said. “Scientists first started studying them in the 1990s. Word spread, and before you knew it, we were overwhelmed with people who wanted to see them.”

Fireflies—also called lightning bugs—are actually beetles that utilize light patterns as part of their mating display. Each species of firefly has a characteristic flash pattern that helps its male and female individuals recognize each other. Most species produce a greenish-yellow light; one species has a bluish light. The males fly and flash, while the usually stationary females respond with a flash.

The production of light by living organisms is called bioluminescence, a process of chemical reactions that results in the release of particles of light with little or no emission of heat. Fireflies are a good example of an organism that bioluminesces, but there are others as well—such as certain species of fungus, fish, shrimp, jellyfish, plankton, glowworms, gnats, snails and springtails.

The dates for the Elkmont synchronized firefly display vary from year to year, Soehn said. Scientists haven’t figured out why, but it depends, at least in part, on temperature and soil moisture. Since 1993, this peak date has occurred at various times from the third week of May to the third week in June.

Although it is impossible to predict in advance exactly when the insects will begin flashing each year, Great Smoky Mountains National Park biologists predict that this year’s peak display will take place from June 6 to June 13.

“We have been taking temperature data, and our biologists have predicted that time period for the peak,” Soehn said. “It’s a prediction, but that is when we feel like it will be the peak.”

During the two week-long mating season, the quality of individual nightly displays can be affected by environmental factors. On misty evenings following rainfall, the insects may not readily display. Cool temperatures (below 50 degrees Fahrenheit) will also shut down the display for the night. Moon phase has been observed to affect the timing of nightly displays as well; on nights with a bright moon, the insects may begin flashing a bit later than usual.

Because of the popularity of the synchronous firefly display, access to the Elkmont area is restricted after 5 p.m. in late May and early June to registered campers and those who park at the Sugarlands Visitors Center and ride a shuttle trolley to Elkmont. Access to the Sugarlands parking lot and to the trolley during this period requires a parking pass, which must be obtained in advance through www.recreation.gov.

This year’s advanced parking passes, which went on sale April 29, are already sold out; however, Soehn said the park will hold back 85 passes for each day to accommodate individuals who did not learn of the need to prepurchase tickets. Those 85 passes will go on sale online at 10 a.m. EDT the day before each event and will be available until 3:30 p.m. EDT each day or until all of the passes are reserved. Day-before parking passes will be available through www.recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. A $1.50 reservation fee covers the cost of processing the requests for the passes.

In order to prevent human spectators from interfering with the annual firefly display, park officials have created rules of etiquette for visitors venturing out to watch this spectacular natural light show. For instance, visitors are asked to bring flashlights with red cellophane covers to reduce white light.

“Visitors can interfere with the fireflies, so we provide firefly viewing etiquette, and our rangers are on hand during the event,” Soehn said. “We ask people to stay on the trails, not to use their flashlights unless necessary and to follow the rules of Leave No Trace.”

For more information about the Elkmont firefly-viewing event in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, visit http://www.nps.gov/grsm/naturescience/fireflies.htm.

Jenni Frankenberg Veal is a freelance writer and naturalist living on Walden’s Ridge, whose writing interests include conservation, outdoor travel and sustainable living. Visit her blog at www.YourOutdoorFamily.com.

A day of hikes, lectures and cupcakes is planned to celebrate Great Smoky Mountains Association’s 60th anniversary on Saturday, June 22, at Oconaluftee Visitor Center near Cherokee, N.C.

GSMA’s legacy of providing financial support to Great Smoky Mountains National Park began in 1953 with a slightly longer name (Great Smoky Mountains Natural History Association) and a $100 startup loan from Mount Rainer Natural History Association. The organization’s mission in the last 60 years has remained the same – to assist national park visitors by providing educational and other park-related sales items; to build a membership program of those who wish to support the park; and to use the proceeds of both these efforts to contribute to preservation efforts in the most-visited national park in America.

“Our organization started by selling postcards and Pioneer Farmstead pamphlets for a nickel. Our lifetime memberships were offered for $5,” said Terry Maddox, GSMA executive director. “Since then we have become home to one of the largest and most recognized national park publication teams, increased our membership ranks to more than 12,000 individuals and supporting businesses, expanded our visitor center and stores to eight in North Carolina and Tennessee, and grown our staff of GSMA employees to 70.

“More importantly, our organization in the last 60 years has contributed more than $30 million to the national park,” he said. “I’d call that an effort worth celebrating.”

GSMA contributions to the national park have been used for a wide variety of preservation efforts, including protecting bears from human interaction, restoring historic structures in Cataloochee Valley, Elkmont and Cades Cove, the fight against threats to the hemlock trees, backcountry rangers to protect the most isolated areas of the park, and archival storage of park-related documents and artifacts. GSMA was instrumental in the effort to bring elk back to the park, as well as worked to ensure the native brook trout population remains vibrant.

Most recently GSMA funds have been used to complete a renovation of the Clingmans Dome Information Center, Sugarlands Visitor Center near Gatlinburg, Tenn., and to construct a new visitor center at Oconaluftee, near Cherokee, N.C., both of which enrich the visitor experience by providing interpretive displays, current event information and assistance in planning your national park visit.

Two events will be held during the year to celebrate the organization’s 60th anniversary, the first of which is set at Oconaluftee on the North Carolina side of the park, said Lisa Duff, GSMA marketing and membership director. “The people on both sides of the park have played an important part in the GSMA story over the years,” said Duff. “We plan to honor both for the contributions they’ve made.”

Most aspects of the daylong event are free and open to the public, including the official anniversary program at 2 p.m., the GSMA book signing beginning at noon and the GSMA historic photo exhibit, said Duff. Only GSMA members will be invited to take part in the day’s other planned activities, said Duff, “Which means if you join GSMA anytime prior to or during the day June 22 you’ll be eligible to participate in all the events planned during the day.”

GSMA members should preregister for the following, as space is limited:

8 a.m. – GSMNP Ranger Jason Fisher will give an elk program, limit 50

9 a.m. – Bryson City artist Elizabeth Ellison will conduct an outdoor watercolor class or participants can opt to bring the medium of their choice, limit 10

9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. – Individuals and teams are invited to participate in a scavenger hunt at Oconaluftee, Mingus Mill and Smokemont, prizes to be awarded

10 a.m. – GSMA volunteer Westy Fletcher will lead an interpretative hike along the Oconaluftee River, limit 20

1 p.m. – Indoor storytelling and artistic program by Sylva’s Ammons Sisters, limit 50

4 p.m. – Naturalist Liz Domingue will lead a salamander safari, limit 20

To preregister for any of these activities, call the GSMA Membership Department at 865.436.7318, Ext. 222 or 254 by Friday, June 14.

A second 60th anniversary event is planned for Sept. 13-15 in Townsend, Tenn. That event will feature a full day of similar activities on Saturday, plus dinner and dancing in the evening. Preregistration will be accepted starting in early August.

Since its inception in 1953, Great Smoky Mountains Association has supported the preservation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the national park system by promoting greater public understanding and appreciation through education, interpretation and research. A non-profit organization, GSMA has provided more than $30 million to the park during its 60-year history.

Support for the Association comes primarily from sales of educational products and from annual membership dues. Anyone who wishes to become more closely involved with the park is encouraged to become a member. For more information about GSMA’s membership and volunteer opportunities, visit SmokiesInformation.org or call 888.898.9102, Ext. 222 or 254.

Collin Colbert

Collin Colbert had usually been here a few years, though it was prolonged adequate to make a durability sense on a friends and family members who filled a Calhoun’s party gymnasium Monday.

Colbert was one of 3 people found murdered in a homeless stay in Knoxville progressing this month. He was 29. His friends contend he had been in diagnosis for alcoholism, though had apparently checked himself out and had been vital on a streets

Many of them pronounced they would have given him a place to stay if he’d asked.

“We consider he didn’t wish us to know (that he had left rehab and had been vital in a homeless camp),” pronounced Beth Kizer, who helped classify a service. “I feel like he suspicion we’d be disappointed, though we wouldn’t have.”

She pronounced military trust that 3 other people during a stay had murdered a initial dual victims, and afterwards killed Colbert since he wouldn’t keep wordless about a other murders.

They wish people who’ve listened about his murder to know who he was over how and where he died. And they wanted to remind his friends to be prepared to let a decider know a impact of his detriment when a time comes.

Colbert changed from Chicago to Gatlinburg a few years ago to stay with his aunt, one of his final vital relatives, after a grandmother who lifted him died.

The initial thing his friends and family mentioned was his adore of sports, and of all a teams from his home in Chicago. Many wore White Sox caps as a reverence to him.

After relocating here, he started operative for a Copper Cellar sequence of restaurants. Many of his friends were people he’d met by work.

They pronounced it was tough to suppose Colbert removing into any kind of altercation. He frequency mislaid his temper.

“He was never stressed,” pronounced Lauren Beebe. “He was a good friend. Just articulate to him finished we feel better.”

They concurred he had struggled. He had a formidable childhood, and some of them pronounced he mostly seemed to feel he was alone notwithstanding a friends he made.

Delivering his eulogy, Cris Corneliussen pronounced Colbert’s coworkers had turn an extended family to him.

“For all a problems he had, he was always there and always gave we a smile,” he said.

Now, he said, they need to hang together to see that, when a time comes, probity is finished for him.

“If we sojourn Collin’s family, we consider we can all get by this,” he said.