To the Editor:

It sickens me — a 72-year-old, seven-year U.S. Air Force and Vietnam veteran — the depths to which this GOP administration and GOP members of Congress are descending. It has always been clear that their interests lie solely in personal power and personal gain. To believe in this GOP administration, and to support their actions and goals, requires massive ignorance or nefarious calculation of personal benefit. This GOP administration and GOP members of Congress constantly display lack of character and amorality. This GOP administration has no interest in the progress of America and the world, and seeks simply and nakedly to ignore reality in favor of their twisted mindset, that only they are to be believed, that every fact illustrating their malfeasance must be fake news.

The most difficult part of governance is actual good management. America desperately needs our elected representatives to spend our money to good effect by employing personnel with provable expertise. This GOP administration has made no pretense, since the 2016 election, of having such a goal, similar to GOP administrations since the election of Reagan, who in his initial inaugural address of January 20, 1981, said, “Government is not the solution to our problem, government is the problem.” In fact, bad government is the problem, and the GOP excels in bad government.

This GOP administration and Congress are now engaged in tremendous lies about the American election with no apparent goal except diversion and distraction, as well as fund-raising to help pay the President’s massive debt, and firing up their base at whatever cost to America. Attorney General William Barr has unleashed his Justice Department minions in support of this farce, and Emily Murphy, a Trump appointee and former Republican staffer on Capitol Hill, now the General Services Administrator, refuses the obligations of her office to the incoming President. Meanwhile, they continue, under the radar to most people, their destruction of protections of the American commons, so their overloads are free to extract and abuse as they see fit.

We are better than this. I’m probably misquoting someone, but we all do better when we all do better. That can only happen when the GOP drastically changes its mindset, and begins to work for their boss, the American people, who hired them.

Bil Aylor

Bryson City 

To the Editor:

I hope all the idiots who voted for Biden are happy. Our country is going down the tubes.

Welcome to socialism: all our taxes will be higher, unions will take over, small businesses will close, we will have open borders, and all of our jobs will be shipped to China.

Then they will declare Biden unfit to be president and then Kamala Harris will be president and she will pick Hillary Clinton as vice president. The country will be in a shambles and it won’t take four years for the Democrats to do it.

Greg Brom

Waynesville

The fourth annual Cades Cove Loop Lope has raised $70,000 for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park despite having to take place virtually this year to prevent spread of COVID-19. 

Friends of the Smokies and its supporters have raised $89,000 this year to fund search and rescue efforts in the Smokies.

This year Junaluska Woman’s Club members have crafted plans for wonderful, supportive projects and fundraising events that, during the pandemic, have had to be canceled again and again. 

By Todd Vinyard • Contributing writer | Each athletic season has its challenges, but the 2020-2021 season has more obstacles than usual as teams try to play on safely during a pandemic.

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer | There were many things I expected to experience as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic — stress, isolation, illness, etc. Absent from that list was what I had the pleasure of tasting this weekend — quite simply, the finest liquor I’ve ever waxed poetic about. 

The new Hayesville Primary School opens Monday to students and teachers, providing a brand-new place of learning in Clay County for the first time in 40 years.

Haywood County Health and Human Services is reporting its 37th COVID-19 death. The individual died at home and COVID-19 was listed as the primary/immediate cause of death. 

Emergency personnel were called to a residence in the North Hominy/Canton area in reference to a structure fire with entrapment around 3:48 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 15.

By Tom Fiedler • AVLWatchdog.org | For the Rev. Franklin Graham, the scathing editorial in Christianity Today last year calling his friend Donald Trump “a leader of grossly immoral character” and urging that Trump be “removed from office” was heretical.

Haywood Community College (HCC) and Lees-McRae College (LMC) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding to establish a Guaranteed Admission Program for all HCC students who meet certain academic requirements to transfer and complete a Bachelor’s degree at LMC. In addition, HCC students who qualify will receive New Horizon Transfer scholarships in amounts up to 60% off annual tuition.

Melissa Metcalf Le Roy believes her father, the late Oscar William Metcalf Jr., would have been the first to apply for membership in Western Carolina University’s new Veterans and Military Alumni Society. 

By Naema Pierce

When we hear the words birth control, usually the mind goes to The Pill. Somehow the term birth control has become synonymous with any hormonal birth control, when in fact birth control reaches far beyond that of hormonal methods. It also consists of condoms, diaphragms the copper IUD and fertility awareness methods. And let me just say, these are perfectly reliable methods even if you have been told your whole life otherwise.

The Haywood County Commissioners have decided to move forward with a long-term plan to expand the existing jail at the cost of $16.4 million dollars with an added 145 new beds.

It is incredibly frustrating that our commissioners are more than willing to greenlight millions for incarceration but flat out refuse to discuss harm reduction, homelessness or treatment programs for community members. As a matter of fact, a former commissioner who is now a state representative made it his mission to degrade anyone who inquired about these issues.

By Dr. Tara Hogan D.C.

When I was in college getting my period meant I was about to lose all my energy, become an anxious basket case, and generally feel like crap. This was not convenient, especially as an athlete. I can remember trying to sneak naps in between class and practice only to wake up more tired.Then it was off to sprint practice to feel utterly…slow…

Question: What Can you do with a Can of Pumpkin?

North Carolina has launched a new initiative to help the state prepare for the impacts of climate change while reducing damages from future natural disasters. 

Usually, the K-8 Trailblazers group at Mountain Discovery Charter School in Bryson City can be found venturing out to trails and canoes on group wilderness expeditions. COVID-19 has made such expeditions challenging, so the students are going to space instead — virtually, that is. 

The annual Winter Lights event at the N.C. Arboretum in Asheville will be a drive-thru experience this time around. 

Approximately 689 acres of fields in the Cades Cove area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park will be burned between Nov. 7 and Wednesday, Nov. 25. 

A $4,000 grant from the Appalachian Trail Conservancy will help the Great Smoky Mountains National Park practice proactive bear management in the year ahead. 

Haywood Community College registration for spring semester is now open for both new and continuing students. 

Families observing Thanksgiving this month will be following a tradition that arose several hundred years ago from events in Plymouth, Massachusetts. The “First Thanksgiving” took place in the fall of 1621 as Pilgrims celebrated their successful first harvest with local Native Americans.

By Boyd Allsbrook • Contributing writer

Before the Coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns gutted U.S. commerce back in March, the Canton Consolidated Metco manufacturing plant was thriving.

By Quintin Ellison • Special to SMN

John Hindsman Jr. leaves his civilian job this week for his military one, transforming from local assistant district attorney into Maj. Hindsman, U.S. Army Reserve judge advocate.

Do you want to make a crafty project with friends, but don’t have the materials, space or know-how? CRE828, a new workshop and studio in Waynesville, will allow you to do just that.

The town of Franklin will soon be home to SECU Hospice House of WNC. This new facility will provide hospice inpatient and respite care, helping to ensure the people of our rural mountain region receive compassionate, loving care during their final journey and their loved ones receive the help they need to stay well.

November is Native American Heritage Month and events adhering to pandemic protocols have been scheduled for Western Carolina University. 

By Elizabeth Doone: 

Your article was an inspiration and a reminder of the love and attention we received throughout our childhoods: time around the table. 

Dear everyone that does or does not like exercise, 

Are you too tired to exercise? Not sure how to navigate through this pandemic? Feel like you can't keep your shiFt together? Or are you doing well, feeling strong and would love some validation of why you keeping up with your exercise regimen is so critical to fight off COVID and feel mentally strong? 

Check out this week’s Truth with Dr. Dara's Covid Chronicles question...

Part of our goal here at Rumble is to start and continue conversations among women. We want to know what’s important to you, what’s weighing heavy on your mind? What problems can we help each other solve? What questions can we help you answer? 

The Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina has purchased 322 acres in Burke County, completing the second and final stage of a 652-acre conservation purchase.

Picture-perfect fall weather drew countless numbers of people to embark on outdoor adventures during the month of October, but some of those adventures went awry. Rescue teams responded to several emergency situations in the backcountry last month, one of which involved a fatality. 

An Oct. 27 letter signed by 24 Democratic U.S. Congressmen is asking federal agencies to take urgent action on behalf of the critically endangered American red wolf. 

Hurricane Zeta has washed out a significant portion of a road used to access the Salt Rock Gap Trailhead at Panthertown Valley. 

Work has begun to replace seven bridges in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and repair seven others, improvements made possible due to two construction contracts recently awarded by the Federal Highway Administration. The work will continue through Jan. 19, 2022, and requires several single-lane closures and a few full road closures to safely accomplish the repairs. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission wants to hear about hellbender sightings, part of agency biologists’ ongoing effort to learn more about where the giant salamanders live and how their populations are faring. 

The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission is asking for help to monitor the spread of a deadly rabbit disease known as rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 2, or RHDV2.

An exhibit featuring the work of more than a dozen regional and local artists who have rendered William Bartram’s 18th century artwork into a modern context will open with an outdoor ceremony 4:30 to 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at the Macon County Public Library. 

To the Editor:

Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark Supreme Court decision on women’s reproductive rights, has been in the news related to the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court of the United States. I am not alone when I worry that her record of supporting anti-abortion actions coupled with ultra-conservative social and religious beliefs could result in a vote in favor of repealing Roe v. Wade. I support a woman’s right to choose a safe and legal abortion. Here’s why.  

Question: My doctor has told me I have "prediabetes" - what does this mean?

What began as a traffic stop ended with a jury finding a Waynesville man guilty last week on methamphetamine-related charges, Chief Assistant District Attorney Jeff Jones said. 

This year’s Open Enrollment for Affordable Care Act (ACA) health insurance may very well be the most challenging yet, with millions across the U.S. in need of health care after losing their job-related health insurance during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Vecinos Farmworker Health Program was honored to receive a $10,000 grant from Nantahala Health Foundation, which partners and collaborates with local organizations to improve the health and well-being of Western North Carolinians, to fund a new vehicle to safely transport farmworkers to-and-from medical appointments.

Haywood County Public Health received notice of 33 new cases of COVID-19 since Oct. 23. As of 5 p.m. Oct. 29, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has recorded 726 cases in Haywood County.

Macon County has identified that a sixth Macon County Public Health employee has tested positive for COVID-19.

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch’s office intends to seek the death penalty against a Haywood County man accused of killing his girlfriend’s 10-month-old child.

By the Officers of Digali’i

As enrolled members of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the officers of Digali’i, Western Carolina University’s Native American student organization, we take great pride in the culture and history that make us Cherokee.