By John Beckman • Columnist

After the hard winter of sub-zero temperatures, heavy snows and power outages our region and much of the nation has seen in 2014, I'm pretty sure that there are a lot of people desperately hoping for an early spring. For them, the end of winter — with frozen pipes, cars in ditches, wet muddy clothes and way too much “emergency living” — cannot come soon enough. 

It's not just the usual lot of spring-fevered gardeners and farmers chomping to get the first peas and mustards in the ground, or the hikers, birders and climbers looking for a chance to enjoy their hobbies with fewer chances of freezing to death. People in the construction and landscaping/grading business are likewise hoping for a stretch in the weather when the ground is neither frozen solid or too soupy to work, if you can get to the job to start with. 

To the Editor:

The drumbeat of complaints about the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) from the political right wing leave me a bit mystified. The cries of creeping socialism and government takeover of medical care either mark the duplicity of those making such claims or demonstrate a very low opinion of the intelligence of the public they serve.  

So why is the ruckus about the ACA blatant hypocrisy? Many of the core ideas in the ACA were in the plan developed by the conservative Heritage Foundation and later applied in Mitt Romney’s health plan in Massachusetts.

A consistent complaint about Obamacare is the mandate to purchase coverage. We live with all kinds of mandates with little complaint. The state mandates that we have liability insurance if we own a car. Haven’t had an accident? Doesn’t matter. The bank mandates that we have insurance if we borrow money to buy a home or car.

The government mandates that we pay taxes for Social Security and Medicare as well as a host of other government functions.

The most ridiculous complaint is that the program is socialistic. Under socialism, the government would provide the insurance, own the clinics and hospitals and hire the doctors directly. Obamacare has none of this.  

We do have programs that feature some of these elements, however. Medicare is a single-payer plan where the government provides the insurance but doesn’t own the hospitals or hire the doctors. Social Security is a form of insurance that is financed by the government through tax contributions.

Ironically, the closest we have to a socialist type medical system is the Veteran’s Administration, where the government provides the funds, owns the clinics and hospitals and hires the doctors. 

So what is all of the fuss about? The actual game has been obvious since Sen. Mitch McConnell pledged to make Barack Obama a one-term president — and failed. It’s about blocking all of the president’s initiatives, even shutting down the government at one point.  

If these complaints about Obamacare were based on real conservative principles, the U.S. House of Representatives would be voting to cancel or privatize Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the Veterans Administration. Otherwise, the objections about the ACA are simply political posturing.

John Gladden

Franklin

To the Editor:

I’m writing as a citizen and resident of Jackson County to voice my support for Ron Robinson for North Carolina State Senate, District 50, the seat currently occupied by Tea Party extremist Jim Davis, R-Franklin. 

As a person deeply concerned about the degradation of our natural environment, I see Robinson as someone I can trust to act responsibly and reasonably in addressing the most important issues of our times. Ron Robinson will use science, not an ideological partisan political agenda, as the basis for the environmental and health policies he supports and proposes when elected. 

Ron Robinson will not be controlled by the PAC money of Art Pope’s front groups, the Koch Brothers, the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), Duke Energy or any of the other corrupting influences that have been muddying the waters of our democratic electoral process in North Carolina in recent years. I would urge all who care about the environment, public health, our educational system and local control of our state government, to vote for Ron Robinson in the Democratic Primary on May 6 and in the General Election on Nov. 4. 

 Avram Friedman

 Dillsboro

To the Editor:

I was having an otherwise intelligent conversation with one of my more liberal acquaintances the other day when I was blown away by one of his radical statements. He told me how awful it was that medical insurance companies make a huge profit of 15 percent on their insurance and that government could do it cheaper. I could only assume he has been watching altogether too much television and his favorites programs are about space aliens and finding Bigfoot and that Paris Hilton would make a great president.

In his mind, government is just something up there and he knows only that it exists in Washington and assumes federal employees work for free. He doesn’t comprehend that government is made up of human beings that need to be paid and that their unionized salaries are considerably more than any insurance company pays its employees.

The fact is that the VA is going through turmoil with veterans in some areas who wait months to see a doctor and longer to get the benefits they are entitled to and incompetent managers simply get promoted, all of which gives us a good insight into the future of a government-run single-payer medical system. Government workers are unionized civil service and cannot be fired for incompetency. My acquaintance all but seems to live on another planet.  

In the world of private medical insurance, employees are held responsible for incompetency and can be fired from their jobs.

That so-called outrageous 15 percent profit is what pays the private insurance company employees, and I’ve seen figures that range from 22 percent to 25 percent for a comparable government employee to do the same job. The efficiency of business is considerably higher than government and government costs, when all the other benefits are taken into consideration, may run as high as 30 percent more.

This all reminds me of when I was a young man, I volunteered to run a therapeutic hobby program for veterans at a mental hospital in Augusta, Ga. The patients had suffered from the effects of combat during World War II. One in particular had had a lobotomy and did some pretty good work on building model airplanes, but he had the strange habit of drifting off into a conversation about government and referred to it as “you know, them, up there” or “those people up there somewhere.” To him, government was a vague idea of the Land of Oz. 

Unfortunately, lots of Americans fall into this category and only have a vague notion of what government really is and the reality of the moment escapes them.

If a single-payer system is so great, then why is it collapsing in England and other countries that use it? Somebody has to be paid, and it’s a question of paying more efficient and responsible private insurance company employees or paying less efficient government employees higher wages? That’s all it boils down to. Which do you want?

Bob Wilson

Franklin

Acclaimed comedian Gabriel Iglesias will perform at 7:30 p.m., March 22, at Harrah’s Cherokee.

Artist t.e. siewert will hold an encaustic painting demonstration from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at Gallery 86 on Main Street in Waynesville. 

Country music’s legendary “Gentle Giant” Don Williams will perform at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 15, at the Smoky Mountain Center for the Performing Arts in Franklin.

The U.S. Forest Service plans to conduct a series of prescribed burns over the next three to six weeks on about 3,500 acres of the Nantahala Ranger District in the Nantahala National Forest. 

The prescribed burn will take place in the following areas: 

• Slip Off area, 190 acres, Swain County. 

• Rattlesnake Knob area, 248 acres, Macon County.

• Alarka Laurel area, 697 acres, Swain County.

• Dirty John area, 830 acres, Macon County. 

• Steeltrap Knob area, 872 acres, Macon County. 

• Pine Mtn. area, 704 acres, Macon County. 

The dates for each burn will be announced as they are decided and weather permits. The prescribed burns will reduce the amount of fuel on the forest floor, preventing catastrophic wildfire and reducing risks to nearby communities, said forestry officials. www.fs.usda.gov/detail/nfsnc/home  

The Nantahala Racing Club Glacier Breaker is set for March 8-9 at the Nantahala Bridge Gates at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (NOC). 

The Glacier Breaker is the season-opener for both wildwater and slalom competition in the United States.  Late registration for Saturday’s slalom and wildwater competition will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. at NOC’s River’s End Restaurant, followed by a competitors meeting at 10:30 a.m. Slalom races start at 11:30 a.m. at the Nantahala Bridge Gates and the Wildwater Sprint at 11:30 a.m. at Donnie Dutton Park.

Registration for Sunday’s wildwater competition will be from 9 to 10 a.m. Sunday, March 9, at River’s End Restaurant, followed by a competitor’s meeting at 10:30 a.m. Registration for Sunday’s Wildwater Classic Start will be at 11:30 a.m. at Ledge’s Rapid.  Awards ceremonies will be held each day following the competition.

Registration for the 2014 Glacier Breaker is $20 for NRC members and $30 for non-members for both slalom and wildwater. A complete schedule of events and downloadable registration forms are at www.noc.com/nrcevents. The Glacier Breaker is hosted by the Nantahala Racing Club, a local nonprofit organization sponsored by the NOC and dedicated to the development of competitive whitewater athletes in both slalom and wildwater disciplines. 

The left loop of the Tsali Trail system has been reopened. 

Last month, the U.S. Forest Service closed the trail because of a slide along the trail. Located near Fontana Lake, Tsali Recreation Area is nationally known for its 42-mile trail system. The four-loop network is open to hikers and horses, but the system is best known as a challenging mountain bike course.

Friends of the Smokies’ first Classic Hike of the year will be to Little Cataloochee on Tuesday, March 11.

Join renowned outdoor author and hiking expert Danny Bernstein on this easy, 6.1-mile hike on Little Cataloochee Trail in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

Each 2014 Classic Hike will highlight a park program that Friends of the Smokies has supported. Hikers will visit Hannah Cabin, Cook Cabin and Little Cataloochee Baptist Church along the trail. 

The Classic Hike is $10 for current Friends of the Smokies members and $35 for non-members, who will receive a complimentary membership. Members who bring a friend hike for free. All registration donations benefit the Smokies Trails Forever program. 

Meeting locations for the hike will be in Asheville and Waynesville. To register for this Classic Hike of the Smokies, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 828.452.0720. 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park rangers need volunteers to help track nature’s calendar.

To the Editor:

Ron Robinson, a Democrat and Sylva businessman, has launched his campaign to become the next senator from District 50, attempting to replace incumbent Republican Sen. Jim Davis of Franklin. Ron recognizes that the ill-advised attack on the funding of public schools by the current N.C. Legislature must be reversed. The voucher system would, if ever implemented, siphon off public funds designated for public schools.

Ron knows that public education in North Carolina has provided the means for people to improve their own lives as well the lives of all North Carolinians — people of all incomes and people of all races and nationalities. He will work to ensure that public education money continues to flow to public schools as our state laws have intended for nearly two centuries.

Dave Waldrop

Webster

To the Editor:

Our basic freedoms in the Bill of Rights are encroached on almost daily by some branch of government, political organization or social group.

The latest is the attempt by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to monitor media news rooms by interviewing reporters, anchors and news managers to determine their “news philosophy,” how they select stories and gather the news. One reason given was to be sure the public was getting “crucial information.”

You can be sure that would be crucial information as determined by the government. If the FCC wants to know about what and who is reporting the news, they should look at and listen to the news just as we all do. Monitoring and on-site researching is intimidation.

One of the FCC commissioners, Ajit Pai, stated “the government has no place pressuring media organizations into covering certain stories. News organizations might feel compelled to cooperate with a government study, given that the FCC holds the power to renew radio and TV licenses. The agency could potentially reject a station’s license renewal if it failed to meet a ‘critical information’ needs test.”

Think about that! Another government agency wielding a penalty on organizations that do not meet government standards, i.e., the ideologies set by any current administration.

An immediate and powerful backlash caused the FCC chairman to withdraw the study while saying the effort would be amended. Rest assured this disgraceful breach of our Constitution will be back in a different form in another attempt to control our media. The ultimate result could be a state-run media — a tactic well-known in third world and dictator-ruled countries.

This attempt to damage our freedom of the press is reason for Americans of every political persuasion to take notice of the incredible hubris and arrogance of a government agency to disregard our Constitution to satisfy some government quest for power and control.

The Bill of Rights, the first 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution, guarantee basic freedoms. In the First Amendment we are guaranteed freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and the right to petition government for redress of grievances without fear of punishment or reprisals.

The IRS delayed or denied the 501C applications of conservative organizations, mostly TEA Party groups — a threat to freedom of speech or maybe even assembly. Obamacare requires contraceptive coverage be provided by religious groups whose doctrine forbids it — freedom of religion ignored. The Second Amendment, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed, is under attack from multiple anti-gun groups, executive orders and government agencies that would leave guns in the hands of criminals but not of law-abiding citizens. The National Security Agency collects telephone records and Internet activity of innocent Americans in the name of protection from terrorism. The Fourth Amendment prohibits unreasonable searches and seizures and sets out requirements for search warrants based on probable cause The Fourth Amendment was breached in 2013 when Justice Department secretly obtained two months’ worth of telephone records of journalists working for the Associated Press.  

One definition of encroachment is “to intrude gradually or stealthily often taking away somebody’s authority, rights or property.” Consider this and how we tolerate encroachment on our basic guaranteed rights.

Carol Adams

Glenville

To the Editor:

Jackson County's main business corridor, Highway 107 South, is a disaster.  

By allowing all the main businesses and an (expanding) high school and elementary school, and now a Verizon Store/Cook Out restaurant, in a place where there was only ever a one-lane driveway, the planning is now showing very poor forethought.  

The Comfort Inn on the hill beside Sonic is now open. A Dunkin’ Donuts business was allowed to open in one of the most dangerous traffic patterns on the road. Dollar Tree is now on the road (not beside Walmart anymore). The speed limit is 35 mph from the Bogart’s intersection until you reach the State Employee’s Credit Union, then it is 45 mph going past Ingles, Burger King and CVS (unless it is school zone hours). The lanes are all very tight, and the “suicide” middle lane is just that. If you are elderly, or maybe just not on your game, it is not if, it is when, are you going run into some situation.

This is my suggestion, and it is by no means rocket science. If you look at N.C. 107 from Bogart's to CVS, look at how many entrances and exits are permitted to exist. Radio Shack and Kel-Save Pharmacy have at least three choices for pulling in and out. And if you wanted to go to Ted's Laundry from Radio Shack, guess what? You are pulling out on the road, into flowing traffic, gumming up the “flow,” just to pull in the next road. And this pattern continues all the way down the road! If eminent domain is gonna be enforced at “taking land for the good of public use,” why not connect all the businesses, so business can be done with out being in the flow of traffic. channel the traffic to the lights.

To me, this seems like a very practical thing to do. Rework some business lanes and that might just allow those doing business to connect with a few in just one stop. Every business having its own entrance is just a cluster of poor planning. 

Also “time of the day” is a big factor on N.C. 107. If traffic was managed better at the peak times of the school, this could also help. Again, why you would try to grow everything on the same road is poor planning in the first place.

Put in a bypass if you want a fast road to the door of SCC or WCU. I am not fighting that with this letter. But everything traffic-wise will still be the same on N.C. 107 because that is where nearly all the business in the county is conducted, and I highly doubt the new road will be any less congested from that decision. 

I won't go into my thoughts on public transportation and the idea of investing in the plan of a passenger train from Sylva to Asheville in order to help stimulate the economic growth … maybe next time.

Kelly Timco

Sylva

To the Editor:

In response to Mr. Robert Jumper's letter in the Feb. 19 edition and the Jackson County TDA, I’m wondering how many of those who serve on that board even have a clue as to the big picture of national tourism. How many belong to national tourism organizations where the exchange of ideas (marketing and development) are discussed at numerous meetings throughout a year? Some of the best groundwork for a local TDA can be had without spending thousands of dollars when knowledge of the bigger picture and common sense can be more important.

Until someone can show me the qualifications of those currently serving on the TDA board, I will continue to think they don't have a realistic knowledge of the tourism industry and therefore must spend thousands of dollars to be told how, who, what, where, and when tourism marketing should be best spent.    

One comment about the Haywood County TDA and the letter in the same issue of the SMN: citizens must be educated about the fact the accommodation owners are not paying the tax. They are collectors of the tax paid by those who stay in the accommodations and in turn pass it on to the TDA via the county. The local taxpayer contributes nothing for tourism development, yet they reap benefits.

David Redman

Sylva

To the Editor:

Regarding Clark Lipkin's guest opinion column in the Feb. 26 opinion, I find it incredulous that he states [ridgetop houses] "tend to be hard to find". All he needs to do is take a short drive through north Georgia in order to see the effects of ridgetop development gone amok. If he still has trouble seeing houses on ridgetops, then all we need to do is pass out the same kind of rose-colored glasses he is looking through.

Bruce Buchanan

Sylva

The seventh Western Carolina University physics research balloon to be launched to the edge of the Earth’s atmosphere – Cat 7 – left Cullowhee on Saturday, Feb. 1, and traveled unexpectedly to Tennessee, across Virginia and on to the Atlantic Ocean, where it appeared to be lost at sea. 

“The flight was amazing and epic, but we lost our equipment – everything,” said Michele Coker, a senior majoring in geology with a minor in physics.

The hydrogen-filled balloons carry about $1,500 worth of equipment – cameras, tracking devices, sensors and a radiation detector. The data collected during the flights helps students learn more about radiation levels and radiation sources in the atmosphere and about weather phenomena, such as dark lightning, said Enrique Gomez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at WCU.

Dark lightning is an invisible burst of high-energy radiation immediately preceding a flash of lightning.

About a week after the Cat 7 flight, Coker received news that a portion of the equipment had been found. Two teachers walking on the beach in the town of Nags Head found the balloon’s science box. A few days later, a Southern Shores resident walking his dog located part of the radio box. Both parties shipped the recovered items to campus. Although the bulk of the equipment will have to be replaced, Coker believes she can retrieve some of the data and photos.

For more information about the research, contact Gomez at 227.2718 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The cause of a fire that caused substantial damage to the Pageant Inn in Cherokee last week is being investigated. 

Haywood County

Haywood Commissioners 

What’s up for election? Three out of five seats on the county board. 

About the race: The current Haywood commissioners have enjoyed a stable tenure, consistently winning their seats when they come up for reelection. They have largely avoided controversy and kept a steady hand at the helm. All three incumbents, with long histories of elected office.

Democrats: only three advance

•Kirk Kirkpatrick, a lawyer, has been on the board since 2002 and has been a supporter of recreation.

•Michael Sorrells has been a commissioner for four years and previously served six years on the school board. He is a service station, convenience store and café owner in Jonathan Creek.

•Bill Upton, the retired superintendent of Haywood County Schools, a principal and teacher, has been on the board eight years.

•Bob McClure has been a bailiff for 14 years for the Haywood County Sheriff’s Department. Prior to that, he worked at the now-closed Dayco manufacturing plant in Hazelwood for 33 years.

•Kyle Edwards owns the Stompin’ Ground in Maggie Valley, a campground, and is a general contractor. He considered bringing jobs to the area to be a priority. 

“We need to keep jobs for our younger generation here in Haywood,” Edwards said. “Our jobs and our people are leaving the county.”

Republicans:

• Denny King, a conservative voice in county politics and frequent critic of sitting commissioner’s decisions, previously ran for a commission seat in 2012. He came within 300 votes. 

• Phil Wight, owner of a motel in Maggie Valley and Maggie town alderman. Wight has long been involved in Maggie’s controversial breed of politics and a player in the tourism industry.

Libertarian

• Dr. Windy McKinney, is a historian and writer with a doctorate in Medieval Studies from the University of York, in the United Kingdom. She is the Libertarian Party of Haywood County’s first candidate for county commissioner and feels the area is ready for a candidate who will “change politics as usual.”

Haywood Sheriff 

About the race: And the winner is… Sheriff Greg Christopher. Christopher has proven immensely popular and effective in just a short time, after being named sheriff barely a year ago after the sitting sheriff at the time stepped down. Christopher has made several innovations at the department. He has improved moral, public outreach, cooperation with other law enforcement agencies and drug enforcement. He has also made a point of being more visible and accessible in the community.

Word on the street was no challengers would have had a chance.

U.S. Congress

About the race: This used to be a toss-up district, but clever redrawing of voting boundaries by the Republican-led legislature in Raleigh two years ago tipped the scales to the right. The liberal stronghold of Asheville was carved out and shunted it into a different Congressional seat.

From 2006-2012, the seat was held by Heath Shuler, a self-described conservative Democratic and former football star. But Shuler threw his party for a loop at the 11th hour by deciding not to run in 2012. Shuler’s own chief of staff was the only dog the Democrats could muster for a last-minute run. But it was to no avail, however. The seat went Republican, and has attracted little Democratic interest this time.

Democratic primary: yes

Republican primary: no

GOP:

•U.S. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-Cashiers, has been serving in Congress for two years.

Democrats

•Keith Ruehl, D-Barnardsville, is a 47-year-old entrepreneur. He decided to run for Congress because of “dissatisfaction with our current leadership.”

•Tom Hill, D-Zirconia, is making another run for this congressional seat. The candidate has a Ph.D. in physics from UNC-Chapel Hill and worked in the aerospace field with the U.S. Department of Defense. During the 2012 race, Hill listed the costs of “unwinnable wars” and collecting taxes from “deadbeat corporations” as some of his key concerns.

N.C. General Assembly

118th House seat

Is this my state rep? Yes, if you live in Madison and Yancey counties and part of Haywood — namely Canton, Clyde, Bethel, Cruso, Maggie Valley, Jonathan Creek and Crabtree areas.

About the race: This is a slightly Democratic-leaning district and was held by the popular and effective leader Ray Rapp, D-Mars Hill, for more than a decade. But Rapp lost in 2012. It surprised politicos on both sides of the aisle. Rapp’s loss was chalked up to collateral damage in the Republican landslide in North Carolina that year. Despite the Democratic Party begging Rapp to run for his old seat, he didn’t want to reenter politics. 

Democratic primary: no

Republican primary: no

GOP:

•N.C. Rep. Michele Presnell, R-Burnsville, is running for reelection after her first term. She is a small business owner. Presnell previously ran on a platform that included lowering taxes, requiring voter I.D., expanding gun rights, restricting abortion, and reducing regulations — and she delivered. 

“I am proud to be able to say that I made promises during my 2012 campaign, and I kept those promises,” Presnell said.

www.presnellforhouse.com

Democrats

•Dean Hicks, D-Burnsville is challenging Presnell. Hicks, a Yancey native and a retired teacher and coach, served three terms as a Yancey County commissioner. The candidate lists education reform as his top priority. 

“I feel like we’ve lost 50-plus years of progress in the last year,” Hicks said. “That is my main goal, is to try to get education back on the right track.”

119th House seat

Is this my state rep? Yes, if you live in Jackson and Swain counties and part of Haywood  — namely Waynesville and Lake Junaluska.

About the race: The seat in this left-leaning House district has long belonged to a Democrat. In 2012, the seat came up for grabs with the retirement of long-time legislator Phil Haire of Sylva after 14 years. A fellow Democratic statesman picked up the torch — one of the only Democrats elected to the legislature in the mountains two years ago.

Democratic primary: no

Republican primary: yes

Democrats

•N.C. Rep. Joe Sam Queen, D-Waynesville, is running for reelection. Queen, an architect and businessman, is serving his first term in the N.C. House. But Queen has previously served three terms in the N.C. Senate over the past decade. Queen, who is married to a doctor and has two grown children, is a long-time civic leader in Haywood County and has served on many community organizations, including heritage and cultural organizations, as well as being involved in environmental and business initiatives.

www.joesamqueen.com

GOP:

•Dodie Allen, an auctioneer for the past 30 years, runs Dodie’s Auction in Sylva. The 79-year-old is seeking the House seat because she believes “that we are pulling further and further away from our constitution.”

•Mike Clampitt, a Republican from Bryson City, ran against Queen for the House seat two years ago but lost by a rather wide margin. Clampitt served 28 years as fire captain with the Charlotte Fire Department and returned to his hometown of Bryson City 10 years ago.

www.mikeclampitt.com

•Aaron Littlefield, 22, is a political science student at WCU and server at Bear Lake Reserve, who is graduating this May. He wants to be “a voice for the struggling business of WNC, support higher standards in education, and fight back against corruption in our government.”

120th House seat

Is this my state rep? Yes, if you live in Macon, Clay, Graham and Cherokee counties

About the race: The indefatigueable and apparently untouchable N.C. Rep. Roger West, R-Murphy, will once again run for this seat unopposed. 

Democratic primary: no

Republican primary: no

50th Senate seat

Is this my state senator? Yes, if you live in anywhere in the seven western counties of Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Graham, Clay and Cherokee.

About the race: The district is fairly evenly split, with neither the Republicans or Democrats able to claim a real leg up. The seat has flip-flopped between Republicans and Democrats twice in the past decade.

The race for this state Senate seat from the far western mountains usually is a local affair, but it garnered national media attention in 2010 and 2012 as a poster child for the flood of outside money from right-wing groups to influence regional races — allegedly part of a larger, far-reaching strategy to bankroll local campaigns as a way to amass state conservative majorities.  

N.C. Senator Jim Davis, R- Franklin, won the seat narrowly in 2010 by unseating the Democratic incumbent John Snow. Snow ran to get his seat back in 2012, but didn’t come close.

Nearly $1 million was spent by Davis’ campaign and by outside groups on Davis’ behalf in the 2012 election.

Democratic primary: yes

Republican primary: no

GOP:

•N.C. Sen. Jim Davis, R-Franklin, is an orthodontist and two-term legislator. 

Democrats

•Jane Hipps of Waynesville is a retired public educator with six degrees, including three master’s degrees. Her expertise was in science and math curriculum development and training. She has promised to make education one of her main areas of concern if elected. She is the widow of a former state senator and long-time district attorney in the region.

•Ron Robinson of Cullowhee is a management consultant who says the current GOP leadership in Raleigh does not represent the working people of the district and has called their policies extremist. 

www.robinsonncsenate.com.

Judicial seats

District attorney

Do I vote in this race? Yes, if you live anywhere in the seven western counties.

About the race: District Attorney Mike Bonfoey, who has been the top prosecutor for the 30th judicial district for 10 years, is not running for reelection. That left the seat open for the taking. Two of the assistant district attorneys — colleagues who have worked together as prosecutors under Bonfoey for many years — are running. A toss-up in terms of party advantage, at least in terms of voter registration stats.

Democratic primary: no

Republican primary: no

GOP:

•Ashley Welch, 36, an assistanct districy attorney from Macon County. Welch, who attended law school at UNC-Chapel Hill, is from Hendersonville. Her legal career has been spent solely as a prosecutor. She is married to the attorney for the Macon Sheriff’s office and does not have children.

Democrats

•Jim Moore, 52, an assistant district attorney from Haywood County. Moore has spent a total of 15 years as an assistant district attorney and 12 years in various private legal practices in Waynesville. His wife is an attorney and he has three grown children. He is originally from Arkansas but has been in WNC for almost 30 years.

District Court Judge

Three District Court judges up for election in the seven western counties — Kris Earwood, Roy Wijiwickrama and Donna Forga — will walk back onto the bench. No candidates signed up to run against them.

Stories from the 2014 midterm election:

The Trail Magic No. 7 Release Party will be March 14-15 at Nantahala Brewing in Bryson City.

Mountain Faith fiddler Summer McMahan will perform at a release party for her new solo album, “The Story of My Life,” at 6 p.m. Saturday, March 8, in the Community Room of the Jackson County Courthouse in Sylva.

The sixth annual Celtic concert featuring Bean Sidhe will be held at 7 p.m. Thursday March 13, at the Smoky Mountain Community Theatre in Bryson City.

Learn about the new seed library of Waynesville at an open house from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Haywood County Public Library in Waynesville.

This is how the seed library works: Gardeners “borrow” seeds, plant them and then harvest the seeds at the end of the growing season, and return seeds to the library for restocking. The seed library will be housed at the actual library — specifically in the old card catalog drawers once used to file book titles and authors, are being recycled and used to store the seeds.

The open house also will feature local food samples. The new seed library will be open for business on Monday, March 3. 828.356.2507.

A reception and talk to accompany the new exhibit “Fewer Footprints and More Tears: Commemorating the 175th Anniversary of the Trail of Tears” will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 27, at the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Michael Abram, a scholar who focuses on Cherokee culture, will present an illustrated lecture on contemporary Cherokee artists commenting on their reactions to the Trail of Tears.

The exhibit will run through March 14. It includes historic images and copies of historic documents, including the Henderson Roll, along with contemporary art by Cherokee artists reacting to the Trail of Tears and its historic and ongoing effect on the Cherokee people.

It is on loan from the North Carolina Chapter of the Trail of Tears Association, which is dedicated to documenting all the routes and sites associated with the Trail of Tears in North Carolina.

The reception will begin at 6 p.m. with a presentation in the museum auditorium at 7 p.m. 

Free. 828.227.7129.

Interested in keeping chickens? Learn all about it from Ashley English at 2 p.m. Sunday, March 2, at the Canton Library.

Retired national park wildlife biologist Kim DeLozier will speak about his book, Bear in the Back Seat, on Saturday, March 15, at Sugarlands Visitor Center on the Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park near Gatlinburg.

Great Smoky Mountain National Park is recruiting volunteers to staff the Information Center at Clingmans Dome, from April 1 through Nov. 30.

A 10-day workshop in May will cover everything you need to know to join trail crews on overnight expeditions in Wilderness Areas.

“An Evening with Gloria Steinem” will be at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in the John W. Bardo Fine and Performing Arts Center at Western North Carolina.

An award-winning writer and activist, Steinem has been involved globally in feminist and social justice movements for more than four decades and is currently working on a book about her years as a feminist organizer titled “Road to the Heart: America as if Everyone Mattered.” A journalist whose work has ranged from editorial columns to investigative pieces, Steinem co-founded Ms. magazine, dubbed the first national magazine to offer a feminist worldview, in 1972 and continues today to serve as a consulting editor. 

Her bestselling books include Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, Moving Beyond Words, and Marilyn: Norma Jean, on the life of Marilyn Monroe. In addition, Steinem helped found organizations including the Women’s Action Alliance, the National Women’s Political Caucus, the Women’s Media Center, Voters for Choice and Choice USA. 

Her awards range from the Society of Writers Award from the United Nations to the National Gay Rights Advocates Award. Biography magazine listed her as one of the 25 most influential women in America, and she has been the subject of two biographical television documentaries as well as “The Education of a Woman,” a biography written by Carolyn Heilbrun. In 1993, her concern with child abuse led her to co-produce and narrate an Emmy Award-winning TV documentary for HBO, “Multiple Personalities: The Search for Deadly Memories.” 

Steinem’s address at WCU will follow the annual Gender Research Conference held on campus and is part of events connected to the 2013-14 campuswide interdisciplinary learning theme, “1960s: Take It All In.” 

The event is sponsored by the “1960s: Take It All In” steering committee; Amy Cherry, assistant professor of music and chair of the 1960s steering committee; the Office of the Provost; Undergraduate Studies; the Bardo Arts Center; Paul Lormand, director of the Bardo Arts Center; the Office of the Dean of the College of Fine and Performing Arts; the College of Fine and Performing Arts; and the Department of Anthropology and Sociology.

All tickets for seats located outside a block reserved for students are $15 each. A limited number of student tickets will be sold for $5 each. In addition, a limited number of complimentary student tickets will be distributed to students attending the event as part of a class. All seating for the event is reserved. 

828.227.2479 or www.bardoartscenter.wcu.edu. 

Internationally acclaimed choreographer and dancer Mercedes Ellington will give a presentation at 11:15 a.m. Friday, Feb. 28, in the Coulter Building at Western Carolina University.

The internationally-acclaimed Harlem Ambassadors will play a basketball game against the Franklin Dribblers at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 11, at Franklin High School. 

The Smoky Mountain Rollergirls Roller Derby Team will open its 2014 season at 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at the Swain County Recreation Center in Bryson City.

From all across Western North Carolina, SMRG is a group of mixed-experience skaters, rolling with the punches, and then some. They entertain audiences with bouts against other roller derby teams from across the Southeast.

The team contributes heavily to its community. Whether it be a food pantry drive during a parade or collecting school supplies, these women spread their spirit and goodwill like grease on a wheel. This season, SMRG will be focusing its fundraising efforts on Hawthorne House in Bryson City and The Cherokee Children’s Home. This organization of derby girls is highly structured with various committees to help organize and maintain a good flow of energy. 

No skating experience is necessary to join roller derby. The team teaches everything a member needs to know. Practice is at the Swain County Recreation Center on Sunday and Wednesday.

Tickets can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com for $5 or get them at the door for $7. Ages 7 and under are free.

The 2013-14 First Thursday Old-Time and Bluegrass Jam Series will continue with a concert featuring multi-instrumentalist James Leva and The Stuart Brothers at 7 p.m. Thursday, March 6, in the Mountain Heritage Center at Western Carolina University.

Artist Melissa Enloe Walter will hold a painting demonstration from 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, March 1, at Gallery 86, 86 N. Main St., in Waynesville. 

To the Editor:

We repeat our mistakes because we never seem to learn the lessons of history and, in our case, we have an arrogant group of liberal elites who are attempting to do away with not only our way of life but establish a quasi-dictatorship run by a liberal aristocracy. President Obama bypassing Congress by using executive orders is similar to methods used by past dictatorships. The people in Congress we elected to represent us no longer have a voice.

We’ve seen it in dozens of countries from Nazi Germany to Venezuela.

The elite liberal aristocracy only thinks they know what’s best for us, they look down on the working class and prefer them to stay in their place by making them dependent on a big government. In fact, liberals have little understanding of how things work in life, many never having held a real job.

Several black leaders have commented recently that the aristocratic liberal class has done almost as much damage to the black people as did slavery. 

The result is a liberal aristocratic hierarchy with everyone subject to their views. But all liberal thinking goes against our knowledge of science, and I suspect at least some of them  are titillated by lowering our sexual moral codes to the level of Hollywood.

What brought the lack of historical continuity to my attention was a short clip I watched on one of the late night shows. Someone was interviewing people on the street and asked how they felt about the death of FDR last Monday? All replied that FDR was a great loss and sorry to hear he died. They were then asked which was FDR’s most important accomplishment, the Monroe Doctrine or the Louisiana Purchase?  

Dear reader, I hope you know the answers to these questions and if you don’t, we’re all in a whole heap of trouble because we will repeat the same mistakes over and over.

Bob Wilson 

Franklin

To the Editor:

The letter saying the Tea Party is making changes is correct, but let’s look at the changes the Tea Party legislators have made. The legislators supported by the Tea Party have shifted taxes from the rich to the middle class, have cut education funding, and violated constitutional principles.

The tax “cuts” that the legislators enacted did cut income taxes for all, but primarily for the rich. The tax cuts for middle class persons making under $80,000 amount to a few dollars as compared to thousands for those making a million. However, they also increased our taxes by including sales taxes on labor and services. You will now pay more taxes to get your car serviced or to buy a movie ticket. The hidden sales tax increase will mean we in the middle class will actually pay more tax than before.

The Tea Party legislators say they budgeted more general funds for education than before. So why has every school district had to fire teachers and teacher aids? The answers are a follows. First, the legislature did not replace all the federal funding that ran out. Second, it eliminated a tax that directly funded education. The fact is that we now spend less per student than ever before.

A Tea Party legislator proposed a state religion. This is against both the U.S. and state constitutions. Apparently some Tea Party legislators do not really understand the Constitution.

Don’t be fooled by what the Tea Party members say or even believe. Look at what the legislators they have helped put into office are doing.

Norman Hoffman

Waynesville

To the Editor:

The Haywood Regional Hospital Foundation need look no further than The Good Samaritan Clinic.

The support of the foundation would be a lifesaver for our wonderful yet financially strapped clinic. Dr. Gruner, Nurse Flo and a dedicated staff work so hard to help so many. Haywood County has many residents like myself who have no insurance and little money to get by on. We depend on this small clinic for the critical medical services it can provide. 

Just imagine what funding from H.R.H.F. could do. Dr. Gruner is a true angel, but we need another doctor. It is my opinion, along with many others, that this is the obvious choice for the foundation to turn their focus to. The need is so great, let’s get this ball rolling.

Mylan Sessions

Clyde

To the Editor:

Everyone in Jackson County needs to know there was an overflow crowd at the public hearing on steep slope issues on Feb. 20. During the three-hour hearing, everyone who spoke — without exception — wanted to protect the mountains.  

Everyone from a young college man to an old man with a cane; everyone from scientists to artists; everyone from a real estate person and a builder to environmentalists; everyone from old-timers to newcomers came to voice opposition to the planning board’s desire to slash the current steep slope regulations. 

There were photos, facts and statistics, a jug of river water, and heartfelt pleas including one expressed in an original song. Everyone’s presentation was followed by applause. 

Now, everyone on the planning board for the Jackson County Board of Commissioners needs to heed the pleas and not slash the current steep slope regulations.  

Instead of slashing the current regulations, why not encourage and provide incentives for builders who work with the environment not against it?

Mary Joyce

Sylva

To the Editor:

Sixty-nine school boards across this state joined with the State Board of Education in challenging the constitutionality of the school voucher program passed by our Legislature, which initially takes $100 million out of public school systems and gives it to private schools. This is indefensible at a time when North Carolina ranks near the bottom in both per pupil spending and teacher pay.

The Constitution requires funding for public schools, but there is no mandate to take state money and provide it to private schools.

If our Legislature really had any confidence in our public schools, and really cared about the low-income students which this legislation claims to help, it would follow the constitutional mandate to provide through taxation or otherwise a general and uniform system of free public schools, instead of siphoning off desperately needed funds to private schools through things like this voucher system.  

My children and grandchildren all graduated from Haywood County Schools. I know they had the opportunity for the best education they could have gotten anywhere. Now, I have great-grandchildren in the schools here, and I want the same opportunities for them.  

If our Legislators continue to take funding away, continue to disparage and discourage our teachers, while piling more and more responsibilities on them, I worry that these children may not have those same opportunities. Taking teacher tenure away, forcing the school systems to reward 25 percent of its teachers with a small bonus and a four-year contract, leaving the rest of our good teachers out in the cold, is the stupidest move I have ever seen. It’s time to stand up against these atrocities. Our schools and our children deserve more.

Juanita Dixon

Canton

The Highlands-Cashiers Hospital Foundation is $2 million richer thanks to a $1 million donation by philanthropist Jane Woodruff and a matching $1 million gift from Mission Health.  

Highlands-Cashiers Hospital recently announced it has merged with Mission, based in Asheville.

“I am very pleased to make this gift to Highlands-Cashiers Hopsital, which has provided compassionate and quality health care to families in our local area for more than three generations,” Woodruff said.  “I believe this new partnership with Mission Health will strengthen our hospital and enhance its capacity to provide exceptional local health care.” 

The new Highlands-Cashiers hospital board will have nine local members and three Mission representatives.

The HCH Foundation will remain a separate entity, under local ownership and control, and will continue to be responsible for providing financial support for the hospital’s capital and operational needs. 

The town of Waynesville plans to convert half of its fleet of police cars — 15 in all — to run on propane. Conversion kits have an upfront cost of $5,600 each. 

“The anticipated payback on propane conversions is between four and five years, but the life of our vehicles is between seven and eight years,” said Waynesville Town Manager Marcy Onieal. 

The additional tank will also allow the cars to travel up to 700 miles before refueling, though they’ll run on the cheaper propane fuel as much as possible. Propane costs about two-thirds as much as gas. 

It’s an effort that echoes one Jackson County kicked off last year, opting to outfit nine of its public transit vans with propane tanks, a decision that will save the county an estimated $26,000 per year in fuel costs. Haywood Public Transit also uses propane for its fleet.

— By Staff Writer Holly Kays

“A hundred years from now everybody in this room will have passed on but the mountains will still be baring the scars that we leave on them. We should respect these treasures that have been entrusted to us. The air that we breathe, the water we drink, and the space we share is what we have in common. Our collective space matters.”

Sign up for spring soccer in Jackson

Jackson County spring soccer sign ups will be from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, Feb. 17-28, and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the recreation department in Cullowhee. 

Participants must be 5 years old by Aug. 1. Cost is $40 for new participants and $35 for returning 2013 fall soccer participants. Membership and sibling discounts are available. 

Jonathan Parsons at 828.293.3053 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Swim lessons available at MedWest 

The Health & Fitness Center at MedWest Haywood is offering American Red Cross certified group swim lessons for children ages 3- 10 from Feb. 21 through April 6. 

The classes are offered in six-week sessions and designed to prepare children for the summer swimming season. The interactive, progressive program allows children to continue improving their skills and become more comfortable with the water as they move through different levels. 

The program is $30 for non-members and $50 for members. Call 828.452.8080 or stop by the Health & Fitness Center to register children. 

www.medwesthealth.org.

A beginning beekeepers school will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22, at the Haywood County Extension Service in Waynesville.  

There will be complete informational handouts and discussions about the biology of bees, how to assemble and maintain a hive, how to buy and install bees, the diseases and treatments of bee colonies, how to use smokers and other equipment, and much more. Refreshments will be provided during midmorning and midafternoon breaks. Lunch will be on your own.  There will also be door prizes and a package of bees (an $80 value) will be given out. 

The class is $35 per person (or $45 for a family), which includes a year’s membership in the local beekeepers’ association. In addition, a field day is planned for late April for hands-on learning in an apiary nearby. The Haywood Beekeepers Association is sponsoring the event.

828.456.3575.