To the Editor:

One question that keeps going over and over in my mind is, will there be an environmental movement soon? Who is out there to lead the charge? It seems to me to be more urgent now than ever with the current government and the state of our country. 

Dave Foreman, co-founder of Earth First and the Wildland Project, in his 1991 book Confessions Of An Eco-Warrior states: “The crisis we now face calls for passion. Along with passion, we need vision. Passion and vision are essential, but without action they are empty.”

In the 1800s we had Thoreau, Muir, Jefferson and Pinchot, the founding of the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society. In the 1900s we had Carson, Peterson, Leopold, Teddy Roosevelt, Ansel Adams and E.O. Wilson, the passing of the Wilderness Act and the Clean Air Act and the establishment of the EPA and Wilderness Society. 

I googled “21st century environmentalists” and “21st century conservationists.” The only entries that came up were listings of events or rulings that have taken place, most of which have negatively affected the earth.

Who is there today? There is no one person who stands out, no one who is rallying the country to fight together for the sake of the environment. There are many who are taking on single projects. But there is no one who stands out or who has stepped up like John Muir or Rachel Carson.

We need someone who is a combination of John Muir and Charles Kuralt. Someone who knows the land and someone who knows the people. Muir, a conservationist, was passionate about nature, wilderness, and the interconnectedness between the flora, fauna and humans. Kuralt, a journalist, was passionate about the people of America’s back roads who are ordinary and often unnoticed, giving their stories and their lives meaning. 

Today, if there would come forward a person with both passions, for nature and people, that is what this country needs. There is power in numbers. If the common people are rallied together to bring about change, to help everyone understand the meaning of ecology, then species can be saved, ecosystems can continue to survive, there would be a decline in the extinction rate. All things have intrinsic value and inherent worth. John Muir believed “that all things are connected, interrelated, that human beings are merely one of the millions of species that have been shaped by the process of evolution” for 4.5 billion years. We humans do not have the right to control and use all of earth. As Edward Abbey the, author of Desert Solitare said, “We have a right to be here, yes, but not everywhere, all at once.”

Today there is a lack of compassion. There is no regard for the mother bear who is hunted and killed leaving her young abandoned in the woods. There is no regard for the last trillium under the canopy of the forest that will not be able to continue to grow once it is picked. 

As David Brower, past director of the Sierra Club once stated, “You cannot imprison a California Condor in the San Diego Zoo and still have a condor. The being of a condor does not end at the tips of the black feathers on its wings. The condor is place as well; it is the thermals rising over the Coast Range, the outcroppings on which it lays its eggs, the carrion on which it feeds.” 

This applies to all wild animals. It applies to native plants. Once dug up and placed in a pot it is not able to thrive and multiply as it once did in its natural environment. 

In college there was a buzzword, NIMBY. This stood for Not In My Backyard. If the destruction was not done in my backyard, neighborhood or city then it was of no concern to me. We need to take care of what is affecting our backyard, neighborhood and city, but also see the bigger picture. This is where vision comes in. What happens here effects what happens there. And what happens there, whether it is in the U.S. or Europe or Africa, it affects what happens here.

Where are the visionaries of the 21st century?  Dave Foreman’s vision in 1991 was, “to challenge the government and the people with a vision … of humans living modestly in a community that also includes bears and rattlesnakes and salmon and oaks and sagebrush and mosquitoes and algae and streams and rocks and clouds.”

Mary Olson

Canton

To the Editor:

Oh my goodness! What an amazing bunch of nonsense from anti-Trump letter writers in the June 20 issue of the Smoky Mountain News. Fueling the vitriol is the separation of illegal entrant children from parents as the epitome and proof of the hatefulness of the Trump administration and supporters who by the way are not those with “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” 

Those with the “syndrome” are the ones who cannot accept the fact that their favored candidate lost the election so they conjure up exaggerated accusations about President Trump. Forget the fact most of the children are accompanied by those other than family and should be housed away from those individuals. Forget the fact that spokespeople involved at the border for years report that the food, shelter and medical services are far better now than under the Obama administration. You won’t hear that from the media.

You also will not hear from or see in the media that in a year and a half our “terrible” President led (led is the key word here for we have a proven leader now heading our federal government) Congress to pass and sign the largest tax cut in 37 years, benefitting virtually every American and all levels of businesses, sent the stock market on a streak surging 31 percent, authorized record-setting rollbacks of restrictive regulations and bureaucratic red tape that unleashed economic advantages gaining 3 percent  economic growth. We have overall employment and rising wage growth, GDP increases over the final three quarters of 2017 continue in 2018, manufacturing, mining, energy, and service sectors all up in percentage growth as well as technical services, and healthcare. Pensions of working and retired people have soared and millions of Americans were paid bonuses which are sneeringly deemed “crumbs” by multi-millionaire Democrat House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi. Consumer confidence climbed to levels unseen since 2000, and at Trump urging Congress ended the Obamacare mandate that forced everyone to obtain health insurance or pay a fine that escalated every year.

Beyond economic records our military generals now decide how to destroy ISIS and the terrorist group is on the ropes, cities are offered federal support to crack down on violent crime and war is declared on the opioid epidemic. The USA advanced in standing throughout the world as Trump engaged China, brought nuclear threat North Korea to the negotiating table  and re-established warm relations with our international friends and allies while forcing ISIS into retreat.

Since much of the scorn against Trump has to do with immigration, here are some facts ignored by anti-Trumpers. Illegal border crossings dropped 73 percent and ICE has targeted the violent MS-13 gang members for arrest and deportation. 

Besides the misdirected anti-Trump letters, we are told in the SMN Opinion column that political correctness is a mode of an “accepting/open/respectful society. In truth PC has no respect, acceptance or openness for the ideas of anyone other than the PC police. Those who do not abide by the PC “rule” are vilified, attacked and intimidated. Recently the PC police had the colossal nerve to enter restaurants and demand Trump staff leave. No respect there for any other point of view. Political correctness is a misguided scheme but that topic is for another day.

Carol Adams

Glenville

Bryan Whitner, 1998 Haywood Community College criminal justice graduate, was named Outstanding Alumni of the Year Award recipient for 2018. 

A student in the Substance Abuse Treatment program at Southwestern Community College, Stephen Steen recently paired his passion for helping those in recovery, with his dream of a career in talk radio to launch his new podcast called NC Recovery All Ways (NC RAW).

For the son of a small-town Baptist preacher who studied to become a classically trained pianist — only to find his professional career take an unexpected change of tempo into academia — the Saturday, June 23, memorial service for Western Carolina University Chancellor David O. Belcher hit all the right notes.

Cartoogechaye Creek will become a little healthier thanks to a $100,000 grant that Mainspring Conservation Trust landed from Duke Energy’s Water Resources Fund. 

A new playground designed for kids with mental and physical disabilities is now open in Waynesville. 

Recycling is on the rise in North Carolina according to a recently released report showing numbers for all 100 counties and municipalities. 

To the Editor:

Based on available evidence, how would we describe the American population? The answer would seem to be that we are a self-centered, angry, and very fearful people who have no respect for truth or facts. Let’s take these descriptions in order.

A large number of us are concerned primarily with our own possessions. We don’t want to pay taxes lest some pennies might be used to benefit those whom we deem unworthy. That would include those people who need healthcare but cannot afford the high premiums charged by insurance companies. We also definitely would not want any funding for those we think should fend for themselves, such as single mothers and anyone we feel should be able to work any menial job even if that job does not pay a living wage.

On the other hand, we feel angry because we don’t think that we have gotten our due as part of the Great American Dream. This was a large component of the folks who voted for Trump. He promised to get the angry people, who felt left out, their fair share of wealth. The anger is that others are getting advantages not available for those of us who feel left out.

Most of all, we are a fearful people. We fear anyone who looks different or who has a religion we don’t understand. For white folks, this would be anyone who is brown to black in skin color. Anyone who does not speak English as a native speaker is suspected of not belonging in the United States. Most of all, we don’t want anyone from a s_ _ _ _hole country to get any where near our borders.

That brings us to the fact that we will do anything to keep people from crossing our borders. We will allow, if not support, implementing all kinds of inhuman policies to discourage anyone from coming close to our borders. We will tear nursing babies from their mother’s arms and put kids into concentration camps apart from their parents and siblings of the opposite sex. We will make people afraid to ask for asylum or even consider seeking citizenship in this country. We will justify this with quotes from the Bible so that our Christian consciences will not be bothered.

To do all this, we need to suspend our reliance on truth and facts. We have started to do this by electing a president who lies on a daily basis and has installed the most corrupt administration in history. We will tolerate any and all immoral and illegal behavior so long as it protects us form the “others.” We can deny that our actions are influencing the climate or that all people are really created equal. Obviously brown and black people are not equal to white ones.

You might claim that “this is not who we are.” It may not be who we were, but the sad truth is that this is indeed who we have become. Even if some individuals differ from this description, they are allowing those who do fit the description to continue to act in accordance with the aforementioned descriptions. Other nations and history will judge us as a people.

Norman Hoffmann 

Waynesville

To the Editor:

In a news article (Swain sheriff suspends mutual aid to town, opponent claims the move is purely political), it was stated Chris Dudley, the K-9 Officer for the Bryson City Police Department, wrote a letter to Sheriff Cochran following the suspension of the mutual aid agreement expressing his disappointment and tendering his resignation as an auxiliary Deputy for Swain County. SMN misinterpreted my letter and said I was disappointed in the sheriff but that is not the case. My resignation letter had nothing to do with the mutual aid agreement.

I am shocked that SMN would be misleading the public by printing (Dudley said he was disappointed in the sheriff for his decision after so many years of working his K-9 for the sheriff’s office when in fact I have never spoke to the Smoky Mountain News until the misleading article was printed and posted and I have not worked a K-9 for the Swain County Sheriffs Office for so many year, I have only been living in Swain County for little over a year and a half.  So, if the Smoky Mountain News wants to be a reputable news outlet it needs to print the facts. As for Sheriff Cochran goes I feel he and his deputies have done a great job and I look forward to giving a helping hand anytime Sheriff Cochran Needs me or my K-9.                       

Chris Dudley

Bryson City

To the Editor:

As the Mayor of Franklin, I agree with the efforts of the three Buncombe County legislators who have introduced a local bill to allow Asheville City Council to view police body cam videos. I have to say that this needs to be statewide for all city councils, not just the City of Asheville. 

I do not understand the reluctance of some in the General Assembly who are so against this. The Town of Franklin, was among the first in Western North Carolina to have body cams. As a retired law enforcement officer, and as the mayor, I fully supported the town employing these body cameras but was appalled when the legislature stepped in and made it sound as though municipal officials could not be trusted to view the actions of the officers we employ.

I do see the argument that the videos should not be open to anyone who just has a curiosity of what may be on the videos. That could get out of hand. There does need to be a system to keep prurient or frivolous viewing out of the picture. I believe any municipality could come up with a policy to negate casual, frivolous viewing by someone with no interest in the situation but who is just plain nosy. Of course, defining nosy in such a policy would be interesting and challenging. Sort of like defining pornography. 

I will be the first to admit that there are situations, such as those involving children or domestic crises, that should be of no concern to the general public unless they are of extraordinary circumstances. In those cases, there must be a guard against an unreasonable invasion of privacy.

Those also do not need to be a concern of the city council as well, unless there are allegations of misbehavior or improper handling of the situation by the officers. I question why a city official or citizen has to take the time of a busy judicial official to make a body cam video public when the judicial system is already swamped with overflowing dockets.

Any legitimate reason to review the videos by a member of the public or media will result in transparency and public trust of our officers. The North Carolina Public Records law allows for the release of law enforcement incident reports — unless there is some investigative or compelling reason not to release the report. Body cam videos should be treated similarly. 

The videos also protect the officer from false accusations of improper actions.

Many times when, as an officer, the first thing someone nearly always said to me when I stopped them was, “Why are you picking on me? I haven’t done anything?” Well, with body cams there is about a 90 percent chance to show visually how that person acted and what they said. And probably what they did. A perpetrator would have trouble arguing against such a visual record.

Mayor Bob Scott

Franklin

To the Editor:

In response to Dennis Ford’s letter, “The standard today is a double standard,” which appeared in the June 13 issue, let me offer this.

I want to thank you for what you referred to as the “Trump Derangement Syndrome.” I couldn’t have named it better, the affliction borne by Trump supporters.

Lying is the standard today. Anyone who will take the time to research the matter comes quickly to a clear understanding that our President is in fact the Liar-in-Chief. In his own words, for one example, “at a closed-door fund-raiser,” Trump bragged about this tactic, gleefully recounting a White House meeting with Trudeau in which he insisted, against Trudeau’s protestations, that American had a trade deficit with Canada. “I didn’t even know,” Trump told the crowd. “I had no idea.”

President Trump accidentally told the truth there. “I had no idea.” That’s just the way he rolls. His lies are constant, purposeful and shameful. America is better than this, for the most part.

All of the above holds for the EPA administrator. He lies to benefit his cronies at the expense of America’s natural resources, and his lust for power has been an ongoing saga, an open book.

Let’s all work for the betterment of America, whether or not our “leaders” care to.

Bil Aylor

Bryson City

To the Editor:

Sunday morning in America (Father’s Day).

Politicians eat steak, plump and happy, while playing political games.

Immigrant children separated from parents, anxious and afraid.

A disgrace to America

Surely, we can do better than that.

Paul Strop

Waynesville

When you think of North Carolina hot sauces, the first one that comes to mind may not be Texas Pete®. The first time I saw Texas Pete® at a North Carolina food show I was perplexed and remember thinking, “Wait a minute, that’s a North Carolina company?”

Ingles in Candler, NC. 1572 Sand Hill Road. Thursday, June 14 • 3-6 p.m.

Kids wanting to earn their badge will have plenty of chances with a full slate of junior ranger programs offered this summer in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Cherokee’s new outdoors retailers will host a grand opening celebration 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, June 16, at their store on the corner of Big Cove and Acquoni roads. 

Key elements of the historic Palmer Barn in the Cataloochee area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are now restored, thanks to volunteer efforts from Asheville-based building contractor Sean Perry and his crew. 

The Waterrock Knob Visitor Center on the Blue Ridge Parkway will get new exhibits if the Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation is successful in raising $1.5 million toward its next round of Parkway improvement projects. 

Haywood County farmer Bill Holbrook has been inducted into the Western North Carolina Agricultural Hall of Fame for his tireless efforts as a community organizer and advocate for farmers in WNC, dedicating his career to preserve the rural way of life in the mountains. 

Trails are good and we could have more here.

— The board of the Nantahala Area Southern Off-Road Bicycling Association

Our primary thesis is this: trails are good for communities and their economies, and if the political will existed, we could have more in Western North Carolina. We have public lands owned by local town and county governments, amazing terrain, and the potential funding opportunities exist. As a chapter of a regional mountain biking advocacy organization (the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA)), we hear about the amazing things trails have done for towns across the Southeast. We realize this is not common knowledge, nor is there any reason for it to be common knowledge, so we wanted to talk about some of the things we hear about in our advocacy world in a more public forum.

To the Editor:

My wife and I are avid recreational bicyclists, having ridden for 30 and 15 years respectively. You may frequently see us and our friends out cycling the roads of Swain and Jackson County. I am a 69-year-old male and she is a beautiful 58-year-old as well as a 5-year survivor of stage 4 renal cell cancer. She is a “cheerful warrior” with many friends and loved ones in the community, all of whom want her to live a long(er) life. I do not say this for pity or admiration but just so all will realize those folks in helmets and colorful clothes are people of your community just like you. We are not some hostile interlopers trying to inconvenience you or take over your roads. We cycle for our health and happiness. We also drive cars to conduct our lives and business.

I write today to request that we all conduct ourselves legally and courteously on our roads. I have cycled for 30 years and there have always been a few motorists that will curse at us, occasionally throw things, drive too closely and generally drive in an antisocial manner. In this increasingly angry nation of ours, I have faced several incidents in the last week. Most ominously, an elderly man stopped to insist that we were in a risky sport (we know) and insist that it is illegal to ride on state roads (it is not). He became increasingly angry as we disagreed. Particularly when we pointed out that he had a young boy in his lap with no seat belt. We extricated ourselves from a no-win situation.

A few things for motorists to remember:

• Bicycles are perfectly legal on state roads and have all the rights and responsibilities of automobile. 
• Bicycles are entitled to the entire lane. However, if you do pass in a no passing zone, state law requires that you give the cyclist four feet of space and have enough line-of-sight to pass safely. Most cyclists will move to one side of the road to allow you to pass, but please be cautious.
• Please be patient. We know you’re behind us. Have you ever really been stuck behind a bicycler more than a minute or two?
• Cyclists can occasionally make unpredictable moves due to road hazards that you might not notice in a car. Did you know that railroad tracks are a particular hazard for cyclists? My tires are one inch wide. I try to adjust my route to cross tracks perpendicularly to avoid cracks and the resulting crashes.
• I know that some cyclists are foolish, violate rules, are unpredictable, etc., just like motorists. In fact, they may be the same people.
• Think you’re a safe driver? Try the other side of the coin ... stand by the side of the road and have a car pass within two to three feet of you at 30 to 40 mph. 

A few things for cyclists to remember:

• It may be legal, but laws can change. Act responsibly and courteously.
• If no other option is available, move aside and let motorists pass. Does it really take more than a moment or two? Certainly relieves my stress.
• Try to be predictable and use hand signals. 
• Remember who is most at risk and don’t respond to provocation. Being right is great, being in the hospital is not.

Folks, we know bicycling can be a risky sport. But so is football, kayaking, hiking and many others. Over the years, I have had several friends and acquaintances killed and injured. In a car/bicycle crash, the cyclist may be the biggest loser, but the motorist has to live with the consequences.

Rick Hane

Bryson City

To the Editor:

After reading all three letters to the editor in the latest Smoky Mountain News, I’m wondering how many people are suffering from Trump Derangement Syndrome. 

Some side effects leave people who don’t have it scratching their heads, raising their blood pressure and mentally exhausted. All three letters were left-leaning and covered topics from propaganda by our local News 13, to EPA Secretary Scott Pruitt, to Andrew Jackson and Trump’s blatant pardon of Dinesh D’Souza. 

By the way, the president has complete power under the Constitution to do so and the rule of law was not broken! Who he pardons is of no consequence. Barack Obama pardoned transgender traitor Chelsea Manning and brought another traitor, Bowe Bergdahl, to the White House and traded five Taliban for him. According to judicial.gov, Obama pardoned hundreds of serious felons. 

Andrew Jackson’s picture hanging in the Oval Office infers that because Trump has it there, he is just like Andrew Jackson. That’s a very weak analogy. Andrew Jackson’s portrait has been in the White house for years. Guilt by association — is that in the liberal handbook? 

 About Trump denigrating the courts and the media. Is appointing conservative Judge Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court degrading? Some of the top FBI agents have been fired, replaced, transferred, or forced to resign and Andrew McCabe who was fired for lying is facing jail time. Also the mainstream media has nothing but hatred for President Trump and he shouldn’t be faulted for pushing back. They are fake news!

Propaganda by WLOS is ludicrous! Just because they aired a segment that disagreed with your liberal thinking is hardly spewing propaganda. I have been watching WLOS for years and they are fair in my opinion. Just because you heard that Sinclair Broadcasting is wanting to start a new conservative cable news channel doesn’t mean that WLOS is now a propaganda machine. CNN and MSNBC are the real propaganda news channels. The Washington Post and The New York Times are just a small tip of the iceberg when we talk about fake news. Do you really believe Donald Trump beats the First Lady as reported by some supposed journalist? She had a major operation and was recovering, hence her absence.

The global warming hoax has spawned many unnecessary regulations that have crippled many companies. The Obama far left ideology has hurt the EPA and someone needed to reverse that. It’s a long stretch to say we are polluting the earth. Have you been to China lately without a gas mask?

The double standard against this president and conservative Republicans is ridiculous and profound. The reason so many Liberals have contracted Trump Derangement Syndrome is because they can’t stand people who go against the liberal ideology. 

Dennis Ford

Franklin

Recently an infographic appeared on social media showing a cube of cooked meat on the end of a fork next to a small floret of broccoli on the tines of an adjacent fork. The text questioning "Do you really need to eat meat to get protein?" and showing amount of protein in in 100 calories of beef vs 100 calories broccoli and that there is more protein in 100 calories of broccoli. This is not exactly the whole truth and definitely not an accurate visual representation.

To the Editor:

I am extremely uncomfortable knowing that our local television station, WLOS, continues to advance political content under the veil of news.

The most recent advocacy presentation by Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation on the legacy of one of President Trump’s administrators, Scott Pruitt, was aired this past week. Enough of this public relations media blitz from SBC! 

Any individual or group must realize this is pure propaganda. In light of their public relations move with a segment recommending audiences should be aware of “fake news,” this assault on reason seems ironically hypocritical. This station, WLOS, with its double-down support of this administration, clearly identifies itself with clandestine, if not nefarious, public manipulation strategies.

So, my question is simple. When will we see and hear the next assault on our democratic principles through the manipulative tactics of Sinclair Broadcasting Corporation and its mouthpiece in Western North Carolina, WLOS? Propaganda or news, it remains your choice.

Jon Jicha

Waynesville

To the Editor:

EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is in violation of his oath of office. Our members of Congress are charged with oversight of this agency.

The Environmental Protection Agency, created by President Nixon’s Reorganization Plan No. 3 in 1970, is tasked with protecting the environment, the health of which is directly related to the health of all Americans. 

Under this GOP administration, the EPA is reducing staff and enabling polluters rather than regulating them, by allowing greater land, water, and air pollution. Not enforcing climate-related regulations, while firing bona-fide scientists and replacing them with industry shills, as well as drastically slowing down work at the agency, is calculated to reward those who profit from polluting.

Our congressmen and senators must perform their duty under their oath of office. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt is a clear and present danger to America’s health. His ethical transgressions are obvious and egregious, but his regulatory actions will lead to real damage to Americans every day. Please tell your representatives to act as though their constituents are their first concern. They have an obligation to not allow this to go unchecked and unbalanced.

Bil Aylor

Bryson City

To the Editor:

By the year 1808, the eastern Cherokee had adopted a written legal code. In 1820, they established judicial districts and appointed judges for these districts. By 1822 the Cherokee had established a Supreme Court, and in 1827 had drawn up a Constitution, based on the United States Constitution. 

It all came to an end in July 1829 when gold was found on Ward’s Creek in Lumpkin County, Georgia. The Georgia Legislature passed laws confiscating Indian lands, nullifying Cherokee law, and forbidding assembly of the Cherokee people. They were aided in this by the then President of the United States, Andrew Jackson.

The Cherokee fought back by turning to the U. S. court system. The final verdict was rendered on March 3 of 1832. The Supreme Court of the U. S. ruled in the case of Worcester v. Georgia that Georgia’s laws against the Cherokee were unconstitutional. 

The decision was handed down by Chief Justice John Marshall. President Jackson’s reply to this was: “John Marshall has made his decision, now let him enforce it.” Andrew Jackson believed himself to be above the court system and the law and ignored the ruling.

Next time you view a TV news report concerning President Trump in the Oval Office, please note the presidential portrait he has chosen to hang in that space. It is the portrait of Andrew Jackson, whom Mr. Trump seems to emulate. I fear we have not seen the last president that seems to disregard the court system and the rule of law. 

Richard Nixon was once asked in an interview by David Frost if the President could give an illegal order.  Nixon’s reply was that if the order was given by the President, then it could not be illegal. We see where that led. Yet even Nixon did not defy the Supreme Court when ordered to turn over the Watergate tapes, though there did seem to be a convenient 18-minute gap in the recording.

Mr. Trump seems to be attempting a concerted effort to denigrate the courts, the legal system, and the news media. It is an effort to convince the people of this country that these institutions are not to be trusted, that trust and loyalty should only be given to Mr. Trump and to those to whom he delegates power. We need to remember that the reason that we have laws is to protect those that do not have the power to protect themselves. 

Our current president has shown his disregard for the rule of law by pardoning Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who was convicted in federal court of defying the federal law, and Dinesh D’Souza for pleading guilty to campaign finance violations. Both men were found guilty by the court system. Both men have not shown any signs of regret for their transgressions on society and the law. Both men have been pardoned by a president that has little regard for the rule of law. Do we really want or need another Andrew Jackson? 

Luther Jones

Sylva

Chimney Rock at Chimney Rock State Park is still closed due to storm damage, but Chimney Rock Village and Old Rock Café are now open for business. 

A $21,500 grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will help Mainspring Conservation trust conserve a 504-acre property in Graham County. 

Lucas Cody of Bethel Middle School won this year’s Haywood Waterways Association Kids in the Creek T-shirt design contest. 

The second annual Cold Mountain Music Festival will return June 8-9 to the Lake Logan Conference Center. 

The festival will feature top-notch musical talent. Friday’s schedule will be The Kenny George Band (4:30 p.m.), The Broadcast (5:45 p.m.), Jon Stickley Trio (7 p.m.) and Mandolin Orange (8:45 p.m.). Saturday’s schedule will be The Broadcast (1 p.m.), Dangermuffin (2:15 p.m.), Tyler Ramsey (3:45 p.m.), The Steel Wheels (5 p.m.), River Whyless (7 p.m.) and Shovels & Rope (9 p.m.). The event will raise funds and awareness for Lake Logan and Camp Henry.

Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall was recently recognized by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Committee as a “Patriotic Employer.” 

A special presentation to Haywood Habitat for Humanity will be given at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 9, at Belk in Waynesville.

Western Carolina University has launched a new online information tool designed to provide easy access to recent economic trends in the counties of Western North Carolina and across the entire state to everyone from community-minded residents and college students conducting research to industry and business executives exploring possible locations for expansion. 

The Western Carolina University Board of Trustees has endorsed a slate of three finalists for the position of chancellor to be considered by University of North Carolina System President Margaret Spellings.

Justus Leighton Bailey and Abbey Cecilia Siek are the 2018 winners of the Arts Council of Macon County’s $1,000 Arts Scholarship. 

Worst feeling ever… you’re in the middle of cooking dinner and realize you’re missing an ingredient or have run out of something.

Environmental groups in Haywood, Buncombe and Madison counties recently received a total of $217,010 to improve water quality, wildlife habitat and water-based recreation thanks to this spring’s round of grants from The Pigeon River Fund of The Community Foundation of Western North Carolina. 

The Cheoah and Tusquitee Ranger Districts of the Nantahala National Forest have a new district ranger following the May 29 hire of Andy Gaston. 

The pool at Lake Junaluska will likely open this week following renovations that began in March. 

The Highlands Biological Foundation has a new executive director with the hire of Charlotte Muir. 

A celebration of the 50th anniversary of the National Trails System Act will kick off at 6 p.m. Wednesday, May 30, at the Cradle of Forestry in America near Brevard. 

Memorial Day Weekend signals the beginning visitor season on the Blue Ridge Parkway, with all facilities now reopen after winter closures. 

A collapsed retaining wall at Chimney Rock State Park has caused the park to be closed since the collapse occurred Saturday, May 26. 

To the Editor:

A gun rights rally was held on the historic courthouse lawn in Waynesville on May 19. Jeremy Davis is quoted as saying, “I’m 44 years old and never in my life have I seen somebody march to take rights away. We’re seeing that now, where you’ve got a bunch of misguided youth out marching, begging the government to limit their rights.” 

I hope the entire Second Amendment to which Mr. Davis refers was read and displayed: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms shall not be infringed.” 

Few people attempt to support the entire Second Amendment. Many merely want the right to bear arms. Some insist the right has no limits. Some choose to ignore the need for “A well regulated Militia.” Both clauses of the amendment make it the complete law.

Being one of five military veterans in my immediate family, I am grateful for the right to own firearms. However, I do not believe the constitutional writers meant for civilians to sport modern-day assault weapons. We must do all we can to protect innocent civilians while at the same time defending people’s right to own and use conventional firearms.

Dave Waldrop

Webster

To the Editor:

In a recent Smoky Mountain News article, the writer confirmed the Waynesville Town Board overwhelmingly reached a decision last week on the apartment complex proposed for Plott Creek Road. The board chose to side with the developer despite overwhelming opposition to the project, citing a major shortage of rental housing throughout the county as a prime factor in their decision.  

My experience with these town meetings has been the same — they appear to listen but typically side with growth regardless of opposition from the existing county residents. I understand the position they are in and realize that they are likely to side with growth every time unless there is some existing law/statute that prohibits it.  

Those of us who live near the proposed building site have known for years that some sort of multi-family development would occur there since the property sellers were demanding such a high price for the land. Our biggest concern is the scale of the proposed complex. Our hope was that voicing our concerns openly would prompt some sort of compromise in development scale to be more in line with the Plott Creek community as a whole. 

Considering a smaller complex such as less units or even less profile (one-story versus three-story units) or both would not only serve the needs of the town (additional housing) but also show the local residents that their concerns are considered as well. What I see from this town board decision is that there was no indication alternative proposals were even considered. Basically the board members seemed to say “suck it up neighbors, we know better than you what you need.”  

I realize the developer would not unilaterally offer alternate plans as his goal is to maximize profits. I look to the town leaders to consider all sides of the proposal when making decisions of this magnitude. I look to the town leaders to help us all meet in the middle. On that, they appear to have failed. Please push the developer to offer alternate, less-invasive proposals to better align with the existing community.

Steven Winchester

Waynesville

To the Editor:

“A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes,” Mark Twain once said. Twain never really said this, but most people believe he did. Attributing this quote to him has become an alternative fact. If you tell a lie often enough it becomes the “truth.”

Dictators, advertisers, phony religious leaders, and politicians have all known that the truth is what they want it to be. All they have to do is keep repeating their alternative fact loud and often enough and it will fly around the world long before the truth ever catches up. We now live in a world of alternative facts.

Donald Trump has spent his whole professional life mastering the art of alternative facts, and he is a master at it. Through his many divorces, adulteries, bankruptcies, failed businesses, and hundreds of lawsuits against him, he always proclaims himself a winner. He calls this twisting of facts “truthful hyperbole.” The real truth never seems to catch up with him.

Here are just a few examples of the truth by Donald Trump: Obama bugged Trump Tower; I had the biggest inauguration crowd; Hillary Clinton won the popular vote because of fraud; Michael Flynn did not do anything wrong; Americans pay the most in taxes; tax reform will cost me a fortune; there is substantial evidence of voter fraud; the FBI spied on my campaign; and I have signed more legislation than any president. Even though every one of these claims have been disproven by actual facts, no one noticed.

We have all heard Trump say that the Russia investigation is a witch hunt, so what are the facts? “In the nine months since Robert S. Mueller III was appointed to oversee the investigation into possible links between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, he has issued more than 100 criminal counts against 19 people and three companies. Of the 19 people, five — including three Trump associates — have pleaded guilty. Thirteen are Russians accused of meddling in the 2016 presidential election.” (nytimes.com/2018/02/23/). If the investigaton is a witch hunt, then there are a lot of witches who speak Russian.

If you are host of “The Apprentice” or a circus ringmaster,  you are expected to create an entertaining world of unreality. If you are the President of the United States, your words have power and consequences.  

The president’s need to create his own truth has alarmed our allies and encouraged dictators around the world. I have to believe that his most ardent followers have decided that the end justifies the means and that the truth no longer matters. 

Louis Vitale

Franklin