Only one of the Knights’ 11 runs was earned. Included were eight unearned runs in the first inning.

The Mustangs (10-14) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first, but a two-out error opened the floodgates in the bottom of the frame.

Queen received a total of 4,993 votes in Jackson, Haywood and Swain counties, to Davis’ 4,975. The canvass totals show Queen increasing his election night lead (12)  by six votes.

Jackson County decided the multi-county election, with Queen receiving 2,511 votes to Davis’ 2,298. Davis led in both Haywood and Swain, besting Queen 800 to 716 in Swain, and 1,877 to 1,766 in Haywood.

The deadline for Davis to request a recount is noon Thursday, May 17, Jackson County Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl said. Because this is a multi-county election, recounts must be requested from state officials.

The Mustangs will play at North Henderson in Tuesday’s second round. The teams split two games this season.

The Lady Mustang softball team ended its season 7-14 Friday with an 8-1 loss at Madison in the first round of the playoffs.

The baseball Mustangs (9-13) will travel to Polk (14-7) for a 7 p.m. game. A win would mean a game Tuesday at WNCAC top seed North Henderson (12-11) or Owen (12-9), the WHC’s third seed.

The Lady Mustangs (7-13) will be at Madison (17-2) for a 4:30 p.m. game. A victory would send SM to WNCAC top seed North Henderson (17-4) or WHC third seed Mountain Heritage (13-5) Tuesday.

A woman charged with seriously injuring her stepgranddaughter entered a guilty plea May 8 in Jackson County Superior Court.

Lisa Plank Hart, 45, of Cattail Road, Sylva, pleaded guilty to child abuse inflicting serious bodily injury.

Judge Brad Letts continued sentencing until Sept. 19.

Kristin Hart, who was then 28 months old, was found unconscious at Hart’s residence on Aug. 31 of last year by emergency workers. She was airlifted to Mission Hospitals in Asheville, where she was listed in critical condition for several days. The child continues to recover from her injuries, according to court officials.

Hart was providing care for the child at the time of the assault, according to the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation showed Hart not only assaulted the child but also failed to obtain timely medical assistance for the injuries, law enforcement authorities said at the time.

A search warrant described the child’s injuries as several areas of bruising, including a large bruise on her left upper leg in the shape of a hand. More bruising was found on the child’s stomach area, both legs, chin, and on the left and right side of her face and forehead, the search warrant states.

Lisa Hart told detectives that Kristin Hart has resided with her since Aug. 29, when she picked the little girl up from her mother’s residence in Warner Robins, Ga. She said that the child’s mother, Jennifer Hart, told her that a dog had knocked the child down. Lisa Hart later told a detective that the child’s father had hit Kristin’s head with a car door in Georgia.

Van Deren’s MST Endurance Run is aimed at raising money to build, protect and promote the Mountains-to-Sea Trail. She’ll start at Clingmans Dome around 5:30 a.m. and plans finish at Old Bald for a first-day total of 51.7 miles.

According to Jackson County Planner Gerald Green, Van Deren will pass through northern and central Jackson County, utilizing an identified MST alternate that brings trail users down from the existing trail route that parallels the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Based on her projected speed of 14 minutes per mile, Van Deren will likely reach Dillsboro between 2 and 3 p.m.

She’ll enter Jackson County at Whittier along Thomas Valley Road, go along Thomas Valley to U.S. 441, follow 441 to Old Haywood Road, take Old Haywood to Dillsboro and then follow the Tuckaseigee River (North River Road to N.C. 116 and then South River Road across N.C. 107 to Old Cullowhee Road) to N.C. 107 south of Cullowhee.

She’ll follow 107 to East LaPorte and then turn left on Caney Fork Road. She’ll take another left onto Moses Creek Road and follow it to the U.S. Forest Service Road that leads to Old Bald, where she’ll rejoin the existing MST.

Van Deren hopes to reach Jockey’s Ridge in 21 days – on May 30th. Her run is being sponsored by The North Face and by Great Outdoor Provision Co.

“She’s an extraordinary athlete and a fun and inspiring person who runs despite a brain injury caused by epilepsy in her past,” said Kate Dixon, director of the Friends of the Mountains To Sea Trail. “We think her run will bring a lot of attention and new funding to the trail.”

More information about Van Deren and her MST run is online at www.mstendurancerun.com.

They permit the “on-premises” and “off-premises” sale of malt beverages, unfortified wine, the operation of ABC stores and the sale of mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres and convention centers countywide.

The affirmative votes for those measures were in the 56 to 58 percent range.

Elizabeth Cooper will be the District 1 School Board Member; Matt Wike will be the District 3 School Board Member. Vicki Greene will take the County Commissioner Chair for District 3.

Out of 26,217 registered voters, 9,319 voters cast ballots, which is a 35.55 percent voter turnout.

This blog will be updated this evening as election results come in. Bookmark this page now for easy access later.

Note: Polls close at 7:30 p.m. Precinct totals come in throughout the evening, so there is no specific timeline for having any information posted here. Results are added when made available to the press by the Board of Elections. If you do not see updated results, you can hit ‘refresh’ in your browser, or clear your browser cache.

These results are preliminary and will not be final until the canvass is done, which usually takes about a week.

Precincts reporting: 15/15 – FINAL

School Board – District 1:
Elizabeth Cooper – 4,075
Jarrett Crowe – 805
Joe Ward – 1,936

School Board – District 3:
Thurza McNair – 2,024
Ron Robinson – 1,528
Matt Wike – 3,685

County commissioner – District 3:
Vicki Greene – 2,976
Stacy Buchanan – 1,876

Alcohol referendum (see description* at bottom):
Malt beverage election – FOR: 5,165 AGAINST: 3,996
Unfortified wine election – FOR: 5,204 AGAINST: 3,941
ABC store election – FOR: 5,455 AGAINST: 3,720
Mixed beverage election – FOR: 5,394 AGAINST: 3,789

Amendment one**
FOR: 5,706
AGAINST: 3,544

State house – District 119**:
Danny Davis – 2,288
Joe Sam Queen – 2,494

Tallies for other offices will be provided at the end of the evening.

*Alcohol referendum definitions:
Malt beverage election – to permit the “on-premises” and “off-premises” sale of malt beverages -
Unfortified wine election – to permit the “on-premises” and “off-premises” sale of unfortified wine -
ABC store election – to permit the operation of ABC stores -
Mixed beverage election – to permit the sale of mixed beverages in hotels, restaurants, private clubs, community theatres, and convention centers

**Jackson County Totals only.

Tuesday is the general election for local school board races and will also decide the outcome of countywide alcohol sales and an amendment to the state constitution defining marriage between one man and one woman as the only legal union in North Carolina.

The only local primary is for the Democratic nomination for the District 3 county commissioners’ seat.

Board of Elections Director Lisa Lovedahl said it’s important to remember that normally in a primary when you vote on a party’s candidates, it carries over to the November election, however several things will be decided tomorrow.

“The marriage amendment, the ABC questions and the school board candidates will be decided tomorrow; this is your only chance to vote on those questions,” she said.

Voters may cast their ballots from 6:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Polling places for Tuesday are as follows:
Barkers Creek, Barkers Creek Community Building;
Canada, Canada Fire Station;
Caney Fork, Caney Fork Community Building,
Cashiers, Cashiers Fire Station;
Cullowhee, County Recreation Center;
Dillsboro, town hall;
Greens Creek, Savannah Community Building;
Glenville, Glenville-Cashiers EMS/Rescue Base;
Qualla, Qualla Community Building;
River, Tuckasegee Fire Substation;
Savannah, Savannah Fire Station;
Scotts Creek, Balsam Fire Station;
Sylva-North, Justice Center;
Sylva-South Community Service Center
Webster, old Webster School

Unlike early voting, primary votes must vote in the precinct where they’re registered. Those who are unsure of their precinct may call 586-7538.

Lovedahl said around 2,800 local voters cast ballots early or sent in mail-in ballots, which is more than double the 1,259 that did so in the 2010 primary. Lovedahl said she expected a larger early turnout due to the alcohol referendum and alcohol vote. She reminds  people who haven’t voted to cast their ballots tomorrow.

The Herald will post election results on its blog and Facebook page on election night as they are made available.

Candidates for the non-partisan District 1 school board seat are incumbent Elizabeth Cooper, Jarrett Crowe and Joe Ward. Cooper was appointed to the seat following the resignation of Mark Brooks in 2010 so this is the first time she has been on the ballot. Stephanie Maney has told The Herald she is waging a write-in campaign for the post.

The District 3 school board race pits incumbent Thurza McNair against Ron Robinson and Matt Wike.

In the District 3 race for county commissioner, Democratic candidates are former Commissioner Stacy Buchanan and Vicki Greene.

In the alcohol referendum, voters will be asked four different questions about county alcohol sales. They are for malt beverages, unfortified wine, an ABC store and mixed beverages.

Two Haywood County Democrats, former District Court Judge Danny Davis and former state Sen. Joe Sam Queen, are vying for the Democratic nomination for the state House from District 119.

Democrats seeking the District 11th Congressional seat are Tom Hill; Hayden Rogers, chief of staff to current Congressman Heath Shuler; and Asheville City Councilman Cecil Bothwell.

Mark Meadows of Glenville is one of eight Republicans running for Congress. The only current office-holder among the group is Jeff Hunt, who is district attorney for Henderson and Transylvania counties. The field also includes Susan Harris, Vance Patterson, Chris Petralla, Kenny West, Ethan Wingfield and -Spence Campbell.

Democrats running for governor are Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, former Congressman Bob Etheridge, state Rep. Bill Faison, Gary Dunn, Gardenia Henley and Bruce Blackmon.

Seeking the Republican gubernatorial nomination are former Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory, Jim Harney, Scott Jones, Jim Mahan, Charles Moss and Paul Wright.

Eric Mansfield and Linda Coleman are the Democratic candidates for lieutenant governor

The winner will face one of five Republicans – state Rep. Dale Folwell, Dan Forest, Tony Gurley, Grey Mills and Arthur Rich – in November.

Incumbent Republican Steve Troxler is opposed by Bill McManus for commissioner of agriculture.

Democrats seeking the post are Walter Smith and Scott Bryant.

Former Labor Commissioner John Brooks is one of three Democrats seeking his old post. Others are Marlowe Foster and Ty Richardson.

State Treasurer Janet Cowell is opposed in the Democratic primary by Ron Elmer.

The winner will meet Republican Frank Roche or Steve Royal in November.

Republicans running for auditor are Joseph DeBragga, Greg Dority, Debra Goldman, Fern Shubert and Rudy Wright.

Seeking the GOP nomination for commissioner of insurance are former state House Co-Speaker Richard Morgan, James McCall and Mike Causey.

Republicans running for secretary of state are A.J. Daoud, Kenn Gardner, Ed Goodwin and Mike Beitler.

Republican candidates for superintendent of public instruction are Ray Martin, David Scholl, John Tedesco, Richard Alexander and Mark Crawford.

The state’s presidential primary has drawn little attention since both major party nominations are virtually decided.

President Barack Obama is unopposed on the Democratic side.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is all but assured of being the GOP presidential nominee, though Texas Congressman Ron Paul is still a candidate. Also on the ballot are former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. However, Santorum has suspended his campaign, and Gingrich is expected to do likewise this week.

Libertarian presidential candidates are Roger Gary, R.J. Harris, Gary Johnson, Carl Person, Bill Still and Lee Wrights.

A no-preference option is on each party’s presidential ballot.

The award-winning Haywood County-based group, which includes Tuckasegee native Darren Nicholson and Buddy Melton, whose parents are from Sylva, won Bluegrass Song of the Year at the International Bluegrass Music Awards last September.

The group has had several ups and downs over the last year, from its September honor to the recovery of fiddler and lead singer Melton, who suffered a life-threatening injury in March.

“Through it all, our fans have lifted us up, and we wanted to thank them by going beyond just a 12-song recording,” said bass player Tim Surrett. “We have always said that we don’t have fans, we have family. We wanted to create something that made that family official.”

The initiative they’ve dubbed “Balsam Nation” does that. It’s a fan-sourced, member benefit program that offers more value just buying a CD or attending concerts, according to Surrett.

“Balsam Nation goes beyond a band’s standard music offerings,” he said.

It includes an advance copy of the group’s upcoming release, “Papertown,” which is due in July; an additional song each month for a year; a live recording; a digital copy of a new music video from the album; a trademarked feature called “Pick With the Band,” which gives fans the chance to play along with the new CD, an interactive mobile app, and opportunities for fans to visit with the group at pre-show hangouts.

For information about Balsam Range’s new venture, visit balsamnation.com.

Signup ends June 30 or when membership availability reaches its limit – whichever comes first.