A new N.C. Trails website has launched, providing a hub for the N.C. Trails Program and offering quick and easy access to information on state trails, as well as guidance for funding, creating and maintaining a trail. 

For the first time since wildfires ravaged the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in fall 2016, the Bull Head and Sugarland Mountain trails are open. 

A long-awaited section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley in Tennessee will officially open on Saturday, Nov. 10. Weather permitting, the public can preview the Parkway by foot during the morning of Thursday, Nov. 8, with a shuttle operation. Details will be announced Friday, Nov. 2. 

Open Enrollment for the 2019 Federal Health Insurance Exchange begins Thursday, Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 15 for coverage to start Jan. 1, 2019.

Groups: recover together, a leading provider of opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, will be hosting an open house from 4 to 6 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 13, to cut the ribbon on the new Waynesville office with the support of the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce. 

Many trendy diets like keto, whole30, paleo and carnivore all slam carbohydrates and particularly pasta, but pasta can be part of healthy and nutritious meals.

Leah McGrath, RDN, LDN is the Corporate Dietitian for Ingles Markets. She can answer your questions about food from the farm to the plate, whether you want to know about nutrition, ingredients, preparation or agriculture.

A sewage spill occurred in Haywood County Oct. 15 when a septic tank pump truck became involved in an accident on eastbound U.S. 23/74 along Richland Creek. 

Canton resident Caleb Henson was part of a class of N.C. State Fair junior livestock show winners that drew a record $190,000 in revenues at the Junior Livestock Sale of Champions Oct. 13 in Raleigh. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is forecasting that coyote sightings will be more frequent in the state over the next month. 

A statewide quarantine is in effect for the Guava root nematode, a serious pest of sweet potatoes that also affects cotton, soybeans, tobacco, potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, watermelons and other crops. 

A new wildlife rule has been implemented in North Carolina prohibiting the importation of whole deer carcasses and restricting importation of specific carcass parts from anywhere outside the state. 

The All Taxa Biodiversity Inventory has reached a major milestone with the announcement that it’s added 1,000 new species to science in its 20 years. 

To the Editor:

The large sign on the Asheville highway that was apparently put up by a rare “civil” local democrat got me thinking. The sign said, “Fellow democrats…. Move back to the center before it’s too late.” That’s a great message for local democrats and voters as their party has turned into the party of hate, violence, and socialism. 

To the Editor:

Opponents of the Voter ID amendment use the reason that requiring a photo ID will suppress the votes of seniors, minorities, students and rural residents. People in those groups ought to be highly insulted that Democrats and the left, who are the opposition to the amendment, seem to think these groups of people are stupid … unable to figure out how to acquire a photo ID. 

To the Editor:

I am writing in support of Mark Melrose for Superior Court Judge. I am for common sense when it comes to the courts. Jail is expensive and rarely helps people develop the skills they need to get out of cycles. I do support fair and just punishment for those who have done wrong, yet we do not need to lock people up for minor crimes. 

To the Editor:

I can’t vote in Jackson County, but I’m committed to the future of my hometown. That’s why I’ve stayed involved in local politics and supported my dad, Commissioner Ron Mau.

To the Editor:

Listen, if you will. A small child somewhere in the United States crying out in the night. She doesn’t call out in English, nor in Spanish, but in k’iche, her native language of Guatemala. No one understands her; there is no one to comfort her. Her mother has been taken away.

To the Editor:

Amending the N.C. Constitution should not be taken lightly nor done with political intent. This document is 229 years old and was designed to protect our basic freedoms, such as the right to vote, and to maintain a balance of power among the three branches of government. 

To the Editor:

As we prepare to vote in the November elections, let’s recall Bill Covin’s letter (SMN, Oct. 2-9, www.smokymountainnews.com/ archives/item/25686). Mr. Covin wrote about teaching in the Ukraine at the time Paul Manafort worked for the Russians there. (Readers will recall that Manafort is about to be tried for lawbreaking related to helping a Russia-backed politician, who took over the Ukraine’s government.) 

To the Editor:

I am writing this letter as a plea for parents to think about education as you cast your ballot in the midterm elections. I have been an educator for 24 years and I am the parent of a sweet middle school girl. I am in the thick of it. What do I see? I see schools running on fumes and teachers facing impossible expectations daily. Teaching has always been complicated. Complicated is great. Complicated makes our job stimulating. Seemingly impossible; well, that is something that takes a toll. It makes us want to leave. The young ones often do. We must make a change. The change starts at the voting booth. 

To the Editor:

As the director of the Jackson County Department of Social Services, every day I observe young families in Jackson County who are struggling with economic self-sufficiency. Central to this struggle is child care for their young children. Whether our young parents are already in the workforce or are still preparing for the workforce by educational and training pursuits, child care is a necessity.    

Women owning their own businesses is nothing new, and in fact North Carolina is among the nation’s leaders in this area. Still, those we interviewed for our annual series on Women in Business illustrate their inspiring stories and unique challenges.

If you’re about to remodel, don’t put a sledgehammer through the kitchen cabinets and toss the tub into the dumpster. 

We used to have an expression in the Army, “The truth changes.” 

After thorough consideration of the options available, the community board members of Angel Medical Center voted unanimously to approve the acquisition of the assets of Mission Health System (which includes Angel Medical Center) by HCA Healthcare. The board believes this transaction to be in the best interests of Angel and the best option for continuing healthcare for Macon County and its surrounding area. 

To the Editor:

President Trump dominates the news with his tweets and public statements, awkward diplomacy, unpopular tax cuts, and threats to dismantle social safety nets. Voters have the right and responsibility to try to change the conversation. But one group — younger people — have the opportunity to alter the direction of national, state and local politics by voting. 

 “Youth vote” is the official term used to describe 18- to 29-year-olds and their voting habits. Of all the age groups, younger voters historically have the lowest turnout. In the 2016 election, 50 percent of eligible young people showed up at the polls as compared with over 71 percent of those age 70-plus. Unlike the stereotypes, the reasons for low turnout among younger voters cannot be simplified and are not about being lazy, self-involved or entitled. 

 There are many valid reasons for lower youth turnout. This group moves a lot — college, work, the service, relationships, adventure — which can create a disconnect with local and even state elections. This can make voting feel less important. Campaign issues often have a greater impact on older people, such as tax rates, health insurance, and Social Security.  

Not surprisingly, many younger people are more liberal than some older folks on issues such as abortion, Dreamers, gun safety, and marijuana. Most don’t understand why full and equal rights for LBGTQ individuals are even questioned in 2018. Many devalue party loyalty, are disillusioned with the role of big money in policy decisions, and define themselves as global citizens rather than “America first” nativists. 

 But, there’s good news spilling over at this time of political discord and divisiveness; many young voters have been galvanized, bolstered by the gun safety activism of the high school students from Parkland, Florida. 

Younger voters are registering, but it would strengthen these positions if more get on board. If you’re at least 18 and have not yet registered (or someone close to you fits that description), please make note. Although it’s too late to register by mail, it is not too late to register in person (deadline is Friday, Nov. 3, to register at local board of elections). 

 You can do it during the early voting period (Oct. 17 to Nov. 3). Your county Board of Elections (BOE) website details the times/locations. It’s called One Stop, Same-Day Registration. Just show up at your early voting site, complete an application and show evidence of residency (N.C. driver’s license or government issued photo ID, a current utility bill, bank statement, or government check) or a current college photo ID paired with proof of campus residency. Then go ahead and vote. Within two business days, the BOE will verify your eligibility and your vote will be counted unless it’s determined you were not qualified. www.ncsbe.gov/voters/registering-to-vote.

 Your vote will help ensure that that the people elected more closely align with your generation’s values and priorities. Younger age voters now outnumber Baby Boomers. You can make a difference. Join your voting peers to ensure that your town, city, county, state and nation are more inclusive and progressive. With your help, this ship can be turned around.

Elaine Slocumb

Bryson City

To the Editor:

There’s an amendment that will be on your ballot in November that would require everyone to have a photo ID in order to vote. Sound like a good idea? It’s not. If you vote for this, you’re buying “a pig in a poke.”  

The proposed amendment does not say what kind of ID would be required, how often it would be renewed, what is required to get one, and how much it might cost in the future.

What if you don’t have the right one? Drivers license? Thousands of eligible voters don’t drive. Student ID? What if you’re not a student? A valid U.S. passport? Have you got one of those?  

In North Carolina now, all first-time voters need proof of residence. That has worked well in our state for years. Voter fraud is practically non-existent. We do not need another level of bureaucracy churning out voter ID cards, deciding who gets one and who does not. We do not need mysterious, as-yet undefined cards with unknown requirements. 

This amendment is designed to drive poor and rural people away from the polls, not let them in. Vote against this deceptive amendment and all the others, too.  

Leila Tvedt Hyde

Bryson City

To the Editor:

The letter from Ms. Kathryn van Heyningen in the last issue contained some valid points, but she unfortunately omitted others. As reported in the Oct. 6-12 issue of The Economist, a highly respected weekly newspaper, “Whatever the FBI finds, Brett Kavanaugh’s own testimony should disqualify him from America’s highest court.”

Lying under oath while testifying at his confirmation hearing should have disqualified him. Perjury is not a minor offense. As the article reports: “Lots of American teenagers drink before they are legally allowed to. They do not mislead the Senate about it three decades later.” The article also reported on other lies under oath, including incorrect definitions of the “Devil’s Triangle” and “Boofing.” He also claimed that he could legally drink at 18, but from that same article, by the time he was 18, Maryland had increased the drinking age to 21.

As a former investigator in the Air Force, I have conducted many, many background investigations. I am certain that the bureau was restricted in the scope of its investigation, either by the White House or by Senate Republicans. According to news reports, a lawyer of one of the accusers sent the FBI a list of 20 individuals who could provide corroboration, but not one was interviewed. 

I was a Republican for over 50 years and almost never voted for a Democrat, but I’m now an unaffiliated voter. I did not leave the GOP, it left me.

Clark Pearson

Sylva

More than 50 people competed in the ninth annual Cullowhee Canoe Slalom Sept. 22, raising more than $300 for the Western Carolina University Parks and Recreation Management Scholarship Fund.

Mainspring Conservation Trust is partnering with the Tennessee Valley Authority in a study to better understand what triggers thousands of minnows to migrate from rivers to smaller creeks each fall. 

Proactive bear management in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park got a boost thanks to a $4,000 grant Friends of the Smokies landed from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy. 

The Great Smoky Mountains Association has released a new issue of its award-winning Smokies Life magazine.

A countywide stream cleanup held Sept. 22 in Haywood County removed 2,205 pounds of trash from area waterways thanks to help from 62 volunteers. 

The outdoor gear industry in Western North Carolina is expected to take off in the coming years thanks to a recently announced grant the Appalachian Regional Commission’s POWER Initiative awarded to Mountain BizWorks.

Tom Tribble, president of the Elisha Mitchell Audubon Society in Asheville, has been named Audubon North Carolina’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year. 

A fiddle instructor is needed for the Jackson County Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) program. 

Twenty-two of the top high school marching bands from the Carolinas, Georgia and Tennessee will be competing for the title of grand champion and other honors at the 18th annual Tournament of Champions, which will be hosted by Western Carolina University’s Pride of the Mountains Marching Band on Saturday, Oct. 20.

My husband is newly diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes and I don't know where to start as far as what foods he should eat or what I should be looking at on food labels...can you help? 

To the Editor:

This fall's election will include six proposed amendments to the NC Constitution. All were drafted exclusively by the General Assembly without public hearings or debate. None of these amendments is needed, and all should be opposed by voters. 

Two amendments are designed to reduce the power of the governor and to shift appointment powers to the legislature. The first reduces the size of the Board of Ethics and Election Enforcement, and transfers appointment power from the governor to the legislature; the second removes the governor’s power to appoint judges to fill vacancies and effectively transfers that power to the legislature.

According to The Charlotte Observer, Sept. 5, 2018: "All five of NC’s living former governors unite against constitutional amendments.” 

“Don't hijack our constitution," said former Gov. Pat McCrory at a gathering of all five of North Carolina's living former governors. The group convened to warn voters about constitutional amendments that would shift power to the legislature.”

Another amendment is a continuation of the legislature’s efforts through regulations and what has now been determined by the courts as illegal partisan gerrymandering of voting districts: to suppress voting rights and reduce effectiveness of minority and urban voters. We are being asked to vote on an amendment to require photo ID for in person voting. And the regulations and specific language will only be written — by the legislature — if and when the amendment is approved! We don’t even know what is being proposed and how it will be implemented. It has been shown repeatedly that voter fraud is essentially non-existent, or is so small as to be irrelevant — but that voter ID regulations routinely have the greatest impact on those with the fewest advantages: people in lower income groups, urban environments and minority populations.  

One proposed amendment seeks to reduce the maximum income tax rate to 7 percent from the 10 percent it is today. This amendment will have absolutely no impact on anyone’s tax bill, since the rate currently is 5.499 percent. It only has the effect of tying the hands of policy makers in the future — and perhaps protecting the rich from a future progressive tax structure where rates might increase on the highest brackets of income. A reduction in maximum allowable tax is designed to have an emotional, populist appeal — but this addresses another non-existent problem and can only be viewed as a cynical way to get voters in the mode of approving amendments. 

A similar amendment addressing a non-issue is one “to protect the right to hunt, fish and harvest wildlife.” These are rights that already exist under North Carolina law and certainly don’t require a constitutional amendment. This can only be seen as a transparent effort to put an amendment on the ballot which will entice a “yes” vote — sort of like creating an amendment to protect the right to eat apple pie. This is not what the constitution, or the amendment process, is meant for, and should be rejected accordingly. 

The final proposed amendment is one to highlight, add to, or enumerate rights for victims of crime.  gain, most of what is called for are things that already exist, such as rights to be informed of judicial process; to consult with prosecutors, to be treated with respect, to be informed of judicial outcomes. In general, it is another “sounds like it might make sense” amendment, but far from what should actually rise to the level of requiring a change to the Constitution.

Thoughtful voters should oppose all six amendments. And we should expect the legislature to focus on building our state’s economy, protecting our environment and improving people’s lives — not pushing any measure they can think of to entrench power or cement partisan divides. The Constitution should not be a political football.  

Dan Chasins

Cashiers 

To the Editor:

I was raised as a Republican and in my youth voted Republican. And I still concede that the GOP was once a political party with defensible principles that cared about middle-class Americans. But this is no longer the case.

“Republican” is now just a brand that has been sold to a handful of unscrupulous mega-donors (such as the Koch brothers, the Mercers, and Betsy DeVos) who use the trust placed in this brand to manipulate and dupe “consumers.”

Think of an American company that you've really admired for a long time that makes one of your favorite products. Now imagine that some Chinese — or Russian — conglomerate buys this company, moves the factories overseas, and begins manufacturing a cheap, shoddy, totally unreliable version of your once-beloved product. The brand is the same, but the product is not — no matter how much an expensive advertising campaign tries to convince you it is. That's the situation of the GOP today. Would you keep buying a product just because of its brand name even after it's proven itself to be degraded junk?

The GOP has been bought. It's the victim of a hostile takeover. The new owners are counting on you to maintain brand loyalty no matter what. When complaints pour in, instead of listening and making the product better, they abolish the Complaints Department. You tell them you want guaranteed coverage of preexisting health conditions, and they say, “No you don't.” You say you want to preserve net neutrality, and they say you're mistaken. You say you don't want tax cuts for billionaires, and they say, “Oh yes you do.” Finally, you say you don't want such toxic levels of corruption and criminality in your politicians, and they say, “Our politicians’ level of corruption and felony is well within the newly relaxed limits.” 

If you still consider yourself a Republican, you may be focusing more on the brand than on the actual product.  If you value healthcare, women's rights, the full Social Security benefits you’ve earned, consumer protections, and a protected environment — but are still buying the dreck that the co-opted GOP is selling — it's time for you to switch brands.

Bill Spencer

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

On a religious broadcast, the host commented that 80 percent of Evangelical Christians voted for the current President. An editorial in a local paper called for Christians to stand up and speak out for our faith and country. These two statements caused me to wonder who we as Christians really are and just what do we believe? 

Whether we are fundamental, evangelical, moderate or liberal, Christians hold to certain basic beliefs concerning truth and faith. As followers of Jesus, Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.

As brothers and sisters in Christ, we sometimes differ on how God inspired the Bible, but there is no doubt in our minds that the Bible contains the truth God wants us to know. In the Bible, we find the way to salvation and how to live joyful, productive and meaningful lives. We believe in the Bible. Does our President? 

As followers of Jesus, we believe the worship of God is at the top of our to do list. We differ on the methods of worship, but we do not disagree on the primary importance in worshiping God.

Does our President worship God? Almost every Sunday while Christians are attending worship our President is teeing up a golf ball. Can God be worshiped on the golf course? Yes, but how often does a golfer get a hole in one?

As followers of Jesus, we believe in God given moral values such as integrity, telling the truth, obeying the law and love of neighbor. The list goes on but our President must not have seen the list. 

As followers of Jesus, we place family values high on our list. Faithfulness to a spouse, training children in the way to live and respect for all persons are on a Christian's code of ethics. Does a man who has been married three times, had several affairs and shows no respect for anyone really deserve our vote?

When asked “Why do you support the President?” many Christians answer because the economy is doing so well. Translated this means we have more money to spend. It is nice to see our bank accounts healthy and to be able to pay our bills, but when did Jesus tell us to worship money? 

Does a person who thumbs his nose at basic Christian values, who demonstrates a disdain for immigrants, women and children, who has trouble telling the truth really deserve the vote of Christians?

Fellow followers of Jesus think on these things. Pray and ask God for guidance. Then summon forth the courage to do what is right. November is coming.

John Davis Jr.

Waynesville

To the Editor:

The column last week by Chris Cox does not address the question which is raised: “Is this the demeanor of a Supreme Court justice?”

There is no mention or evaluation of Judge Kavanaugh’s qualifications, education, work history, opinions, citizenship, husband, father, volunteer, etc. The writer meanders through his heartfelt concerns over unreported sexual attacks upon women but never addresses the point. He writes of feelings and belief, of downtrodden women, beer drinking students. He talks of people, not ideas. This hearing is not about sex or people; it is about the rule of law, the ideal enshrined in our Constitution which gives everyone the presumption of innocent until proven guilty. 

The article is a biased, emotional, slanderous, rambling rant, attacking and condemning Judge Kavanaugh because, it appears, the writer has judged other drunken college students as bad people, and as everyone now knows, Kavanaugh drank beer and he really liked it.

Constitutional lawyer, Harvard graduate and Democrat Alan Derschowitz calls this new unfounded allegation tactic employed by the Democrats to halt the judge’s elevation to the Supreme Court as “sexual McCarthyism.”

The fantastic drama that played out over the past few weeks is the stuff of books, movies, and documentaries. The United States is at a turning point. Will we protect our right to presumption of innocence under the Constitution or will we allow lies, deceit, and big money funding mob demonstrations to become the new rule of law?

Kathryn van Heyningen

Franklin

The Highlands Biological Station and Nature Center’s Patrick Brannon was recently named 2018 Environmental Educator of the Year by the Environmental Educators of North Carolina. 

Karen Babcock, former director of Folkmoot USA in Waynesville, has been hired as the WNC Nature Center’s new executive director. 

The Blue Ridge Parkway Association has hired Frederick “Tubby” Kubik as its new executive director, replacing previous director Tom Hardy, who retired after 36 years with the Association. 

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest now has a new trailhead map, replacing a sign that was previously stolen.