Nature-inspired LEGO creations will add an extra incentive to hit up the N.C. Arboretum the next few months, with the exhibit — called “Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks” — featuring more than 370,000 bricks’ worth of creativity. 

A Sylva teen is preparing to prove himself on the national stage of fly-fishing after qualifying for the U.S. Youth Fly Fishing Team National Championship in State College, Pennsylvania. 

Clingmans Dome Observation Tower will get a makeover thanks to a $250,000 grant that supporters of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park landed through participation in an online voting contest. 

The Dogwood Crafters Cooperative will be celebrating 40 years of creating space for local crafters at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 16, in Dillsboro. The event will be a “Meet and Greet” informal gathering with refreshments. 

The lack of high-speed internet in Western North Carolina has been more than just an annoyance to Netflix binge-watchers — it’s also seen as one of the region’s largest economic development challenges.

Drivers who use a section of U.S. 74 in Haywood County will be taking a slightly different route starting on Monday, July 11.

An N.C. Department of Transportation contractor will close the exit ramp off U.S. 74 East at mile marker 104 as well as on the on-ramp from Business 19/23 in order to improve the area.

What would you say to people who think that dairy farmers give their cows antibiotics all the time or that antibiotics are in conventional milk?  

Bart Ramsey: I'd say they don't understand dairy farming.

To the Editor:

I recall some 65 years ago when citizens were often complaining about their governments, primarily about their inabilities to furnish all the desired benefits to these citizens. So here we are 65 years later and the complaints, it seems, have gotten more and more about more and more (benefits or goodies). With misnamed “government benefits” from one of the three governmental entities — county, state or federal — on our wish lists, the matter is simple but unappreciated. There are too many riding on the wagon and too few (taxpayers) pushing said wagon.

My observations are that our commissioners and legislators do a great job with the dollars that they have to fill the holes in the state’s dike. Neither Haywood nor the state has the monetary assets to solve each problem that wanders through the minds of our voters. It might be wise for any group seeking a substantial amount of aid for any project to be required to develop a comprehensive plan for the availability of the requested funds. 

There is no free lunch, and if you have some suggestions for resolving these issues please submit them in writing or email to our elected representatives. Or even better, sign up to run for office so that we don’t have to wait for your suggestions to wind through the system. 

How about me? I don’t think that I can get the votes after this letter, and I’m too old to put up with foolishness from the uninformed. If the shoe fits, wear it; if not, try the socialist program of tight everything, including shoes. Look around you: there are more regulations, statutes, directives, etc., than a show dog can jump over just to tell us how to brush our teeth or pull them out.

What I want to say is that things can get worse very soon, and what is complained about now will be minute compared to what’s on the way. Let’s talk about the Armed Forces; they’ve been gutted by political bungling at the highest level, as many good troops have opted out of a force that is not permitted to win without apologies. The women are now on the front lines (if there are any), and I’m confident will fight as hard as anyone to prevail. However, we’ve not witnessed body bags filled with parts of a female yet, but it’s coming.

You know, of course, that a body bag should be renamed “a body part bag.” Rough but true. After a number of years of mendacity by the Armed Forces and their civilian bosses, truth might seem a bit callous. But this country needs some truth, and a thought among many is that it’s coming.

Let’s give our elected officials our appreciation for their efforts to try to make two dollars out of one; and try to plug the holes created to a large degree by regulatory authority, without — you guessed it — the necessary financing for the mandated items.

Let’s all push the wagon. We can’t support those who can push but desire to ride. Get off and help us.

KG Watson

Maggie Valley

Visitation to Jackson County for the 2015-2016 fiscal year was the highest recorded in the four-year history of the Jackson County Tourism Development Authority, with occupancy tax seeing a record 9.6-percent increase for this fiscal year. 

What do dairy cows feed on?  

Bart Ramsey: They graze on grasses that we grow like ryegrass, bluegrass and fescue. In dry weather and from October to April that's not enough to provide them with the nutrients they need - they'd starve and not produce any milk if all they did was graze. We also feed them corn silage.  

Fifteen new tent sites could go in along the Appalachian Trail on its route through the Standing Indian Basin in Macon County, pending public input to the U.S. Forest Service. 

A croquet group has formed in Waynesville, meeting 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays at Vance Street Park.

A tiny insect is being blamed for declining health in eastern white pine trees in six North Carolina counties including Haywood, Swain, Madison and Transylvania. The N.C. Forest Service is asking Western North Carolina landowners to look out for signs of damage.

For the first time since September, severe drought is affecting North Carolina — including portions of Haywood, Jackson, Macon and Transylvania counties. 

A new bridge allowing access to the Jackson County greenway’s terminus at Locust Creek is now open to pedestrians, marking the end of a years-long project.

The Cold Mountain Game Lands in Haywood County will likely get larger following a 162-acre purchase by the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.

To the Editor:

I read with interest the editor’s op piece (Even today, our republic is on shaky ground, www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17903). It seems that he has almost admitted what his senses are telling him. Almost.

Over the last two administrations I have noted more of our natural rights have come under attack by enemies of the Constitution and Bill of Rights. All of these natural rights have essentially fallen or have been neutralized. All except for the Second Amendment.

We’ve seen the child-like representatives in D.C. (district of criminals) staging a sit-in on the House floor, hypocritically ordering in Chick-fil-A and attempting to neutralize due process, our natural right of self-defense and perhaps even habeas corpus by their “cry bully” tactics. Their behavior smacks of the mentally disordered. If the country’s representatives behave unsoundly and irrationally over our natural right to protect our loved ones and ourselves and are applauded by the mob, what does that say of those who voted them into those offices?

A student of history can easily show you exactly where the American Experiment went wrong. Look at Lincoln’s first administration. Only a tyrant suspends habeas corpus for citizens (over 10,000) of these United States. The alleged exigencies of a never-declared war weren’t then and are never an excuse to override the contract between the citizens and their representatives. The ends do not justify the means. There was an insurrection in 1863 because of this tyrannical behavior involving thousands of militia (Democrats) in Indiana that only failed because someone talked.

“Historically, a government that can, without due process, throw a citizen into a dungeon or summarily execute him is considered to be a tyranny, not a democracy. By any historical definition, the United States today is a tyranny. (www.zerohedge.com/news/2016-03-27/does-united-states-still-exist).

Thomas Jefferson wrote about American virtues; the virtues of justice, benevolence, industry, moderation, patience, self-reliance, vigilance and spirited participation, wisdom, friendship, piety, charity, toleration and hope.

All are disappearing or gone.

When Rome lost its virtues, Rome fell. As we have lost/discarded our American virtues, so has our star diminished.

Soon now, that “time and place where wise people ... those who value reason, are well read, those who treasure human connections and are not always trying to be witty or bombastic,” their wisdom will be totally devalued. Men and women will deride what was once called wisdom and value the momentary and the mindless. 

Panem et circenses, bread and circuses, was a calculated political strategy used by the Roman emperors and their allies to control and rule the mob. It worked quite well until the oligarchs could no longer pay for the grain grown in Egypt and shipped to Rome. The empire could no longer pay its armies, the government collapsed and the first of several barbarian invasions occurred.

With over $19 trillion of debt, some say that time is rapidly approaching for America.

Since the editor of SMN wasn’t quite ready to make an admission in last week’s op piece of the actual state of things I will.

The republic is dead.

The rule of law is dead.

We are in the interregnum.

A political agenda/ideology won’t save you.

A man on a white horse won’t save you.

Only you can save yourself and establish a second republic, freer and better than the first and with those Jeffersonian virtues.

 The only thing that matters now is what do we intend to do about it?

Benjamin Franklin said “Join or die.”

Carl Iobst

Cullowhee

To the Editor:

I was reading Scott McLeod’s piece last week (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17903) with interest when suddenly I felt like I was hit by the literary equivalent of a brick. You start with “This is not a political column, but …” and then proceed to trash Donald Trump, accusing him of everything from being a liar to being an uninformed, uneducated idiot, stating “… he doesn’t know history or foreign policy, isn’t well read….”

Shame on you for making these biased, unfounded statements. Donald Trump graduated from one of the finest colleges (Wharton School of Business) at one of the finest universities in the country (University of Pennsylvania, which, by the way, is in the Ivy League). You don’t know what he reads or knows. You just want to sway your readers against him because of your own misguided beliefs.

As an attorney who has lived six decades now, I’ve seen enough of the political process in this country and the results thereof to know that Mr. Trump is nothing short of a breath of fresh air. He has not only forced a discussion of issues that our so-called leaders prefer to keep under the rug, but he has also offered us a chance to regain control of our great country from forces that simply don’t care about our prosperity or that of our allies. 

President Obama has blatantly snubbed our allies (i.e., Mubarak in Egypt, Israel) and embraced our enemies (i.e. Iran, Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt). The fallout has only begun. If we don’t dramatically change course ASAP, I fear for the future of this nation. And you should, too.

Aimee Fried

Waynesville

Haywood County Sheriff’s deputies are looking for an armed and dangerous suspect involved in a June 26 shooting incident in Canton.

CULLOWHEE – Chili’s Grill and Bar, a popular national chain restaurant, will be open for business on the campus of Western Carolina University this fall as the full-service dining establishment is the latest tenant announced for Noble Hall, the mixed-use facility being constructed on the site of structures damaged by fire in 2013.

To the Editor:

I’d like to thank the community of Western North Carolina for so cooperatively hosting the historic Moral Monday gathering in Sylva last Monday, June 13, held in the aftermath of the horrific mass shooting in Orlando, Florida. 

This event was hosted by the newest and farthest west branch of the North Carolina conference of the NAACP, in Jackson County. Dr. Enrique Gomez is the first Hispanic president of an NAACP Branch. The Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II delivered an inspiring and motivating keynote address in his first trip west of Asheville to a large crowd of hundreds in this small rural town. Other citizens who have been impacted hard by actions of the N.C. General Assembly and the governor also stood up to speak in a way that was very moving to all who witnessed.

The Smoky Mountain News covered the event thoroughly and fairly, even devoting its front page to the announcement the week before.

The Town of Sylva cooperated fully with the preparation of Bridge Park. The Sylva Police and the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department were very professional and fully cooperative in providing security for the event and for Dr. Barber, personally. Jackson County Transit provided a paid shuttle service between the Justice Center parking lot and Bridge Park.

Sylva Mayor Lynda Sossamon was welcoming to all those who came to our community to participate in this event.

I am proud to be living in this community.

Avram Friedman

Sylva

Executive Director of the Canary Coalition 

To The Editor:

Chris Cox’s opinion column concerning “trying to make sense of Orlando” in the June 15 edition of this paper (www.smokymountainnews.com/opinion/item/17857) was a sham to promote his own political views. Not a bad read until the Donald Trump bashing began and snide remarks aimed at the NRA, so conveniently noted as the gun lobby. 

Orlando, a tragedy indeed, need not be dragged into the political arena. Plain and simple, a deranged individual who managed to convince the FBI he was a good guy and should be allowed to buy a gun is the guilty party here, not Donald Trump or the NRA or our 4.5 million members. Of course, liberals are screaming for more gun control, which has been a failure from the get-go. Perps do not adhere to the law, so all the gun laws in the world will not stop these incidents from happening. 

Compounding this tragedy, too bad bouncers and bartenders were not armed so this episode of rage and terror could have been contained to a minimum. You can never save the first victim; element of surprise and being in the wrong place at the wrong time, but, wouldn’t it have been great if an armed citizen (not consuming) or employee stepped up to the plate and held this carnage in check. Bottom line, a few dead instead of a staggering 50!

 As for Chris’ attempt at interpreting the 2nd Amendment, it’s pretty clear, very simple: “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.” It couldn’t be any plainer, a simple statement, as it was intended to be, but one that has been twisted and redefined to promote the agenda of the liberal media whose answer to any act of violence is “ban everything!”

“Gun-free zones” are preying opportunities for miscreants and their ilk, and these so-called safe havens should be eliminated for they are anything but safe. Why? The only guy with a gun is a bad guy because again, bad guys don’t obey the law. 

Amazing how we trust an 18-year-old kid with an M16 as long he is 10,000 miles away, but when that same kid comes home he has to jump through hoops to carry a weapon for self defense because he isn’t 21 years old; old enough to defend his country, but not old enough to defend himself on his own soil. What’s wrong with that picture? 

J. (Duke) De Luca, 

Otto

The Zahner Conservation Lecture Series at the Highlands Nature Center kicks off its initial program on July 7

Volunteers are wanted to help keep Haywood’s streams free of trash by adopting a section to clean once per year. 

A new slide has been installed at the water park at the Waynesville Recreation Center.

The nation holds only seven Bee Campus USA gardens, and now the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville is one of them.

Ray Russell recently finished nearly a month of running with his arrival at the Blue Ridge Parkway’s end in Cherokee. He’d started off May 17 at Milepost 0 near Waynesboro, Virginia, and kept running until reaching the end of the Parkway June 9 — just 20 minutes before finding out that his grandson had just been born.

For more than 50 years, Mountain Projects has been known for helping the most vulnerable in the community, but with a resolution passed by the Haywood County Board of Commissioners on June 20, they’ll be helping themselves — and the county.

Applications are now being accepted for Folkmoot USA Festival 2016 volunteers and guides. This year, Folkmoot is seeking volunteers for the Parade of Nations, International Day, in-office and cafeteria support, guides and souvenir vendors.

The Jackson County Board of County Commissioners has selected Don Adams to succeed Chuck Wooten as county manager.

Thursday, June 30th — Ingles Market, 1980 Asheville Hwy, Hendersonville

To the Editor:

 As an educator and your neighbor, I want to thank the citizens of Jackson County for voting in support of the one-fourth of a penny referendum that passed on Tuesday, June 7. I am gratified to live in a region of our state that recognizes and highly values the importance of education. I am also thankful to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners for their commitment to education.

We are energized to implement the SCC Jackson Campus facility master plan, with additional funding provided by the Connect NC bond passed in March. Our board of trustees, administrators, faculty and staff have collaborated during the past few months to prioritize our most critical needs and have made the design and construction of a new, state-of-the-art health sciences building on the Jackson Campus the college’s top capital priority. This facility will improve the educational and training experiences for our students, and provide expanded opportunities for more students to pursue health science careers in our area.

The students, board of trustees, faculty and staff here at SCC thank you for your investment in us. We deeply appreciate your continued support and commitment to help provide for and preserve one of the very best educational institutions not only in our state, but in the nation. We are proud to serve the region by providing quality education, training and career opportunities for our citizens.

Don Tomas, Ed.D.

President, 

Southwestern Community College

To the Editor:

In the article “Sound off: Haywood candidates talk animal shelter” from March 2016, Mr. Rogers wonders if other options to deal with homeless animals in Haywood County have been explored. He also has knowledge of northern states and the fact that they do not struggle with the issue like we do. He is quoted as saying, “Evidently they are doing a better job than we are. Let’s find out how they are doing it.”

Many local and city governments of northern states successfully implement mandatory spay/neuter laws or ordinances. Although there are exceptions to these laws and the states, themselves, are not able to pass such laws, they seem to prevail with the evidence being that they recruit animals for adoption from areas like ours. Areas like ours include many people that have the very sad attitude that animals are just animals and are easily replaceable. Greg Burrell was quoted in the article saying that even though he loves his dog, “It’s just an animal; I can go get another one just like it tomorrow.”

Explored more closely, I am certain you will find this kind of attitude and the lack of willingness to spay/neuter pets are two major contributors to pet overpopulation in our area. I know that $3.5 million dollars may seem steep to spend on a new animal shelter, but when very little effort is put in to preventing the issue, I’d say it sounds fair and the animals most deserving of our consideration. A righteous man has regard for the life of his animals.

Kay Sutton-McCoy

Waynesville

Sylva earned recognition for its efforts to be clean and sustainable when the travel site Expedia.com named it the fourth cleanest city in the country.

Haywood Community College’s Bass Fishing Team recently competed in the 2016 Carhartt College Eastern Regional Bassmaster Tournament where teammates Ryan McLaughlin and Justin St. Onge qualified for the national championship. The regional tournament was held on the James River in Richmond, Virginia. The pair finished 12th out of more than 70 teams.

Following the recent shooting in Orlando that left 50 dead and more injured, Dr. Rev. William Barber’s keynote address to the crowd at the Mountain Moral Monday rally in Sylva was a bit different than expected, but the message was the same.

Each year the Haywood County Chamber of Commerce honors local businesses and leaders for their contributions to the community during its annual dinner and awards ceremony.

To the Editor:

This is a critical time for our community and all North Carolinians. Decisions being made right now by lawmakers in Raleigh could have an impact on our communities, customers’ pocketbooks and the safe management of coal ash for years to come.

Fortunately, elected officials in the North Carolina General Assembly are considering common-sense legislation that would strengthen the 2014 Coal Ash Management Act. Those revisions would help make sure decisions to close ash basins throughout the state protect the environment, people’s water supply, our economy and household budgets.

 There is broad, bipartisan support in the General Assembly, as well as from community leaders, neighbors, businesses and many environmental advocates. The proposed legislation would reestablish the Coal Ash Management Commission, which has a vital role in making sure closure decisions are based on the full range of considerations, including sound science and engineering, potential impacts to customers’ bills and disruptive truck and train traffic.

Since 2014, Duke Energy has made significant progress, moving millions of tons of ash to safe, lined disposal sites. We have a lot more work ahead of us in the months and years ahead.

There is much at stake. It is important that we get it right. We hope lawmakers and the governor will continue down a smart path for North Carolina when it comes to deciding how ash basins will be closed and how those plans affect our community and others throughout the state.

Jason Walls

District Manager, Duke Energy’s Asheville Region

Editor’s note: Gov. Pat McCrory vetoed the measure passed by both the state House and Senate that Walls is referencing. Legislators are currently said to be considering a vote to override the governor’s veto.

To the Editor:

I am seeing and hearing various opinions about the need for a new animal shelter in Haywood County. It is certainly understandable for there to be misunderstanding, even resentment, about an expenditure of this magnitude, supposedly for the benefit of homeless dogs and cats. Please consider, though, that many of our citizens find animal welfare a very worthy cause, and are proud of the advancements made over the past few years in this county. 

However, it isn’t just the animals in need of Animal Services’ protection, but also the general public. This county department also investigates potential rabies cases, investigates cruelty cases, deals with vicious animals, rescues stray animals and returns them to their owners, and houses privately owned animals in bite quarantine. A facility is needed that can accomplish these goals efficiently and effectively. The current shelter cannot. Perhaps some folks just are not “animal people”, and they may not realize how much the services of this department benefit them. 

It is a waste of time and  money to build a barely adequate new shelter — if we’re going to do it, let’s make it state of the art and a building our county can be proud of. Most importantly, let’s give this county department the tools they need to do their jobs.

Nancy Bulluck

Canton

To the Editor:

For one who has never held an elected office, Donald Trump is a brilliant politician. His TV persona and his high profile media ventures have served him well. No one should be surprised, it was all laid out in his best seller, The Art of the Deal.

But, make no mistake, what he is selling is why he may be our next president. Historians call this view of the world “nativism.” Its core message is simple: America first. But the America he is referring to is very limited. That America belongs to those who consider themselves here first, and whose culture is dominant. Every other race, ethnicity, sexual preference, or religion is considered inferior. This is a powerful message to those of the dominant culture. Many of them feel economically left out; threatened by cultural changes, or betrayed by our government and our political system.

Dictators and totalitarian leaders throughout history have used this message to consolidate their power. Putin with his desire to bring back the glory of old “Mother Russia” is a classic example of the power of nativism.

Many politicians and public figures throughout U.S. history have railed against immigrants, and those that are different. The Catholics, the Jews, and now the Muslims; all whom, at one time or another, have been labeled as a threat to our “American way of life.” The Blacks, the Asians, and now the Mexicans have all been seen as a danger to the purity of the dominant culture. And now the LGBT community is in the bull’s eye simply because their very existence calls into question some of the most sacred religious beliefs of the dominant culture.

All these “others” are convenient diversions from the real challenges we face today. But as any good politician knows, it’s not your policy positions that really score votes, it’s the emotional appeal that drives people to the poles. Those in the dominant culture are deeply troubled by the future they see. Mr. Trump has tapped into that fear and anger.

I doubt that Donald Trump has any idea of the historical context for the movement he now leads. I doubt that he is a racist or he even cares about these issues. As he has said many times, it is all about winning. If he wins, all the “others” may lose.   

Louis Vitale

Franklin

The Lake Logan Multisport Festival will bring in athletes galore for the 11th year running with its lineup of events Aug. 6-7.

While it may not be an immediate need in the upcoming budget, the swimming pool at the Swain County Recreation Center will need some extensive repairs in the coming years.

Celebrating the lore and legend of the “Boojum,” the inaugural Boojum Festival & Hunt will be June 10-12 in Canton.

The Jackson County Visual Arts Association (JCVAA) will hold its “Grand Opening” gallery show from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday, June 10, at Gallery 1 at 604 West Main Street in Sylva.

To the Editor:

If you value honesty as an important trait for a Supreme Court justice, it should interest you to know that Justice Bob Edmunds — who is running for re-election on the June 7 primary ballot — has made false claims on his campaign website about his endorsements. He claims to have endorsements from sheriffs “all across the state,” including Haywood County Sheriff Greg Christopher and Jackson County Sheriff Chip Hall. 

In addition, an ad that ran in The Smoky Mountain News last week, paid for by local Republicans, listed Christopher and Hall as having made endorsements. Both Christopher and Hall have been contacted and they have no recall of making an endorsement. My speculation is that there are other false claims about endorsements on the candidate’s website since it appears that just about every sheriff in North Carolina is listed.

Wake County Superior Court Judge Mike Morgan is perhaps Edmunds’ strongest challenger. Judge Morgan pledges to “promote society’s well being through a fair and impartial administration of justice.” 

With 11 current years of trial bench experience as a Superior Court judge, combined with ten previous years of trial bench experience as a District Court judge and five prior years of experience conducting hearings as a State Administrative Law Judge, he is unusually seasoned and qualified to capably address the variety of legal matters which come before the Supreme Court.

For honesty in government, I urge you to cast your vote for Judge Mike Morgan.

Myrna Campbell

Hawyood County Democratic Party Chair

Waynesville

Dietetic Internship: In early June of 1996 I completed my nine month dietetic internship from Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington DC. As an officer and dietetic intern I had spent the previous months doing a variety of rotations to learn about the various aspects of being a Registered Dietitian.

By David Belcher • Guest Columnist

Voters in Jackson County will have the opportunity on Tuesday, June 7, to take an important step toward addressing some significant infrastructure problems being faced by Southwestern Community College and Jackson County Public Schools.

Every year, America’s hiking trails get their moment to shine with the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day. This year’s celebration is June 4, and on that day opportunities to explore Western North Carolina on foot will abound.