The Left Loop Trail of the Tsali Trail Complex in the Nantahala National Forest is closed for maintenance work. 

Local applicants are wanted for facilities management jobs in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

A search and rescue effort in the Shining Rock Wilderness area of the Pisgah National Forest had a happy ending last week when rescuers found missing hikers Kelly and Mark Kleinbrahm, as well as their son Noah, around 1 p.m. Tuesday, July 7. 

Discover the amazing diversity of life in the Pigeon River with an event on Saturday, July 25, at Jukebox Junction in Bethel.

Tour 10-Acre Garden and enjoy a wood-fired pizza Saturday, July 25, at the Ten Acre Garden in Bethel. 

With rising case counts showing that the Coronavirus Pandemic is far from over, a new round of cancellation announcements has emerged. 

To the Editor:

I am writing this to the Haywood County School Board and the citizens of Haywood County.

My name is Brandon Milan. I am a decade-long resident of Haywood County and the white father of two Black children, one of whom is already a student in the Haywood County School system. 

Artists in all disciplines are eligible to apply for grants to support their professional and artistic development through a partnership of the North Carolina Arts Council and Asheville Area Arts Council, Haywood County Arts Council, Arts Council of Henderson County, Tryon Fine Arts Center, Rutherford County Recreation, Cultural, and Heritage Commission, and the Transylvania Community Arts Council.

The Jackson County Department of Public Health has confirmed that two recent deaths in Jackson County residents are related to COVID-19.

Nantahala Health Foundation has announced a call for grant proposals directed at regional nonprofits and governmental agencies with immediate needs, especially those magnified by the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Haywood County Public Health received notice on July 10 of two new cases of COVID-19. This brings the number of cases recorded in Haywood County to 117. The individuals are in isolation at home. The individuals reside in Haywood County.

House Bill 1043 requires school systems to develop a Remediation and Summer Jump Start Plan for the 2020-2021 school year. Remediation and Summer Jump Start is defined as supplemental summer learning programs for students who were in K-4 in the 2019-2020 school year whose learning has been negatively affected by the impacts of COVID-19.

The search for missing hikers Kelly and Mark Kleinbrahm and their son Noah ended successfully Tuesday afternoon around 1 p.m. when the family were found safe in an off-trail area east of Ivestor Gap Trail and south of Graveyard Ridge Trail in the Shining Rock Wilderness area of Pisgah National Forest.

Haywood County Public Health received notice on July 9 of six new cases of COVID-19. This brings the number of cases recorded in Haywood County as of 4 p.m. July 9 to 115. The individuals are in isolation at home. The individuals reside in Haywood County.

Macon County Public Health has identified a cluster of 9 people who have tested positive at Norton Creek Farms. Employees who have tested positive are isolated from others. All of the farm workers who have potentially been exposed to these individuals have been contacted and will be tested for COVID-19.

The Franklin Chamber of Commerce recently held a ribbon cutting ceremony at Appalachian Growers located in the Cowee Valley.  

District Attorney Ashley Hornsby Welch announced Wednesday that Michael Macht has joined the 43rd Prosecutorial District as an assistant district attorney.

Western Carolina University Chief of Police Steve Lillard was named national runner-up in the higher education division of Campus Safety magazine’s 2020 Director of the Year awards.

Haywood County Public Health received notice on July 8 of two new cases of COVID-19. This brings the number of cases recorded in Haywood County to 109. The individuals are in isolation at home.

What is tempeh?

A new campaign from EmPOWERing Mountain Food Systems aims to make farmers markets safer for the public and vendors alike. 

Visitors to DuPont State Recreation Forest could have to pay an entrance fee in the future following Gov. Roy Cooper’s ratification of Senate Bill 390. 

Tree seedlings are now available from the N.C. Forest Service, with nearly 50 species of conifers, hardwoods and native understory plants in stock. 

A grant from the U.S. Forest Service will help the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians expand and connect the Hall Mountain Community Forest to the Little Tennessee River.

Liz Hall has been selected as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s first emergency manager.

The popular ArborEvenings after-hours series at the N.C. Arboretum will return this year with a toy-filled twist. 

To the Editor:

I hope every eligible North Carolina resident plans to vote in the November election; the opportunity to vote is both a privilege and a responsibility for all of us. As new residents of Swain County and a military family, we have moved 14 times. Now, Western North Carolina is our home. I am an unaffiliated registered voter.  

 Today, downloading the request form from the N.C. Board of Elections website (NCSBOE) is easy. Go to: https://www.ncsbe.gov/voting-options/absentee-voting   

When I was active duty, absentee ballot was how I voted. I never wondered if my ballot was counted; I trusted the system. In North Carolina you don’t need a reason. Five states — Colorado, Hawaii, Oregon, Utah and Washington have all-mail voting. In these five states every voter receives a ballot by mail. Study after study has debunked any claims of fraudulent voting. Voter fraud almost never happens. Voting by mail is necessary to safely allow increasing voter turnout during the time of this pandemic.

Recently, North Carolina’s Legislature passed an election reform law. It expanded absentee voting and made in-person voting safer amid rising concern over the ability to hold smooth elections during the Coronavirus Pandemic. The law requires an online absentee request option for state voters, who formerly could only request such ballots by mail or in person. The law also reduced the number of witnesses who must sign a voter’s absentee ballot from two to one. Just because you request an absentee ballot doesn’t mean that you can’t still vote in person if you choose.

A significant number of people will be requesting absentee ballots this year. It is a sound decision knowing the lines may be long and social distancing during these times is so important; the convenience is obvious. Don’t wait until the last minute to request your ballot — do it now! If you don’t have computer access, you can request the application for an absentee ballot at your county Board of Elections. Voters need one of the following types of identification: N.C. driver’s license, N.C. special identification card for non-operators, or the last four digits of your Social Security number. 

Every position on the ballot is important — at this time our world is particularly stressed and sound leadership at every level of government is important. Everyone has a role to play in good governance and protecting each other as best we can. Our local governments are stressed and budgets require creative utilization of dwindling resources. That is another reason to pay attention to the local elections. Local elections are vitally important.  

My request form to Swain County Board of Elections will be mailed today, giving plenty of time for it to be processed for the November election. It’s not too early to request it. The request must be received by 5 p.m. Tuesday, October 27, 2020, one week before the election. Let’s keep each other and the people who work the polls safe and get it done!

Mary K. Buranosky, CDR USNR-Ret

Whittier

To the Editor:

Major news sources inform us that Russian operatives have paid mercenaries to kill American soldiers in Afghanistan. What does the Commander in Chief have to say? His knee-jerk response is that he had not been briefed. Not responsible. Will Trump fire those officials who failed to call it to his attention? Should the Commander in Chief be held accountable? Or will congressional Republicans blame it all on Putin? Does the buck not stop at The Resolute Desk anymore?

I have never been the president. Never boasted that I don’t need daily briefings. Never claimed to be the only person who can fix things. Never said I was “the chosen one.” Never said I know more than the generals. Never belittled an American war hero. Never dodged the draft with “bone spurs.”

This latest troubling news has cast an even darker cloud over Trump’s ability/intent to protect Americans. Indeed, what are his basic motives? Perhaps, it is now time for Republicans in Congress to listen to what former National Security Advisor John Bolton says: Trump is “unfit for office.” Bolton is a staunch Republican.

Dave Waldrop

Webster

By Peter H. Lewis • AVL Watchdog | By 1860, about 15 percent of the population of Western North Carolina was enslaved. Only a small percentage of the White settlers, who had pushed out Indigenous Native Americans, owned slaves — about 2 percent of households, according to Katherine Calhoun Cutshall, collections manager, North Carolina Room, Pack Memorial Library — and of those, most owned one or two. The majority were owned by a handful of elite families, whose names are commemorated throughout the region. 

On Monday, June 22, Southwestern Community College hosted Nantahala Health Foundation representatives as they set up a mask distribution site at the Burrell Building on the Jackson Campus.

The Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified its second COVID-19 cluster in a single day, announcing that 11 employees at Mountaintop Golf & Lake Club tested positive for the disease so far.

Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster in a local medical provider’s office.

Knoxville, Tennessee-based Johnson Architecture, along with project partner IBI Placemaking, recently earned an award in North Carolina for the Cherokee Cultural Corridor Master Plan.

The Cashiers Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with the Highlands Cashiers Health Foundation to provide valuable Personal Protection Equipment to small business members in need. 

By Peter H. Lewis • AVL Watchdog | Vance, Patton, Woodfin,  Henderson, Weaver, Chunn, Baird — their names are familiar  to anyone living in Asheville and Buncombe County today. All were wealthy and influential civic leaders honored by having their names bestowed on statues, monuments, streets, schools, parks, neighborhoods, and local communities.

Haywood County Public Health received notice July 2 that another Haywood County resident has tested positive for COVID-19.  This brings the number of cases recorded in Haywood County as of 5 p.m. on July 2 to 93.  The individual is in isolation at home.

The Second Blessing Thrift Store, located in Waynesville, is open, expanding operations and in need of donations and volunteers. 

To the Editor:

The Nantahala and Pisgah national forests are the headwaters of seven major river systems, providing drinking water for millions of people in four southeastern states and wildlife habitat for a bewildering array of native species such as the hellbender and native brook trout. Right now, the U.S. Forest Service is drafting the next forest management plan for these forests — a blueprint for how our forests will be managed for the next 15-20 years — and, unfortunately, the current draft is inadequate in a few very important ways when it comes to protecting water quality. 

First and foremost, the Forest Service needs to meet or exceed the stream protection standards that they’ve set for other Southern Appalachian National Forests such as the Chattahoochee, the Cherokee, and the Jefferson. While the 100-foot buffer on perennial streams is good, the draft plan only affords intermittent streams a 15-foot buffer, and provides no protection at all for ephemeral streams — the type of streams that make up the very beginning of the watershed networks we depend on.

 Compare this to Cherokee National Forest, across the border in Tennessee, which has a default riparian buffer of 100 feet on perennial streams and 50 feet on intermittent streams, as well as some protections within 25 feet of ephemeral stream channels. Cherokee National Forest also allows buffers to be increased to 264 feet in areas with steeper slopes, although limited harvest is allowed.

 These buffers prevent stream banks from being degraded, provide shade, and reduce sediment pollution due to timber harvesting, road building and other development. When these protective buffers are removed, water temperatures increase and sediment makes its way into streams and rivers. That excess sediment suffocates aquatic habitats and reduces populations of species such as trout, freshwater mussels and hellbenders. 

The Forest Service should also adapt better timbering practices and improve road and trail maintenance to reduce sediment pollution. Forest roads in backcountry areas that will be passively managed should be decommissioned or repurposed for trails. This would help prevent erosion and sediment pollution and extreme flooding in forest rivers and streams due to the heavy rains and storms and stormwater runoff.

 Finally, there are nine Outstanding Resource Waters in the Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. These are watersheds that are determined to have excellent water quality and exceptional ecological or recreational significance, and the Forest Service should make sure they are named and protected in the final plan. 

The Forest Service’s deadline for public comment is June 29 and this is our last significant chance to have our say. Submit your comment today at mountaintrue.org/forestplancomment, through the Forest Services CARA portal, or by US Mail addressed to Plan Revision Team, National Forests in North Carolina, 160 Zillicoa St, Asheville NC 28801, and help us win better protections for the 1,200 miles of streams and rivers of Nantahala and Pisgah National Forests. 

Callie Moore, MountainTrue Western Regional Director 

David Caldwell, Broad Riverkeeper

Hartwell Carson, French Broad Riverkeeper

Gray Jernigan, Green Riverkeeper

Andy Hill, Watauga Riverkeeper

To the Editor:

The Appalachian Trail, spanning nearly 2,200 miles from Georgia to Maine, maintains a natural mystique that cannot be found anywhere else on earth. It attracts over 3 million visitors annually and is the longest hiking-only footpath in the world.  

Regrettably, this national treasure is imperiled by the Atlantic Coast Pipeline, which is set to pass through the George Washington and Monongahela National Forests and bisect the Appalachian Trail and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 600-mile pipeline begins in Harrison County, West Virginia, travels through Virginia, extends into southern and eastern North Carolina, ending in Robeson County. 

In a dispute between the National Park Service and the United States Forest Service, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in 2018 that the Appalachian Trail and the 600 feet below it, which is necessary for the construction of the pipeline, fell under the jurisdiction of the National Parks Service. On June 15, 2020, in a 7-2 reversal of the 4th Circuit decision, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the 1968 Trails System Act to mean that although the National Parks Service may run a footpath over the land, the land underneath belongs to the National Forest Service. In their dissent, Justices Sotomayor and Kagan asserted that if the National Parks Service administers the trail, it must also administer the land underneath, as the trail cannot be separated from the underlying land. As a result of this ruling, the U.S. Forest Service has the authority to issue a permit to pipeline developers. 

The preservation of the Appalachian Trail is of considerable significance to many of us, and I’ve spent countless summer days mesmerized by its beauty, awed by its challenges, and felt the sense of wonder that arises when hiking through these mountains. The Atlantic Coast Pipeline is destructive, dangerous, and unnecessary. Its negative impacts, which include restricted access to clean water and breathable air, disproportionately fall on low-income workers and people of color. Corporate greed should not take precedence over the livelihood of entire communities.

Grace Feichter

Waynesville

To the Editor:

I moved to Jackson County in January of 2013 and have been in love with everything about this area until recently. Increasingly, I wonder if this is home anymore. Home is often a place that you feel safe, secure, and loved — those haven’t been my feelings lately as I have spent time in town and seen armed men guarding the statue of the Confederate soldier known as “Sylva Sam” that stands overlooking our beautiful town.

I inquired with Town of Sylva board members and learned that three board members voted to ask the Jackson County Board of Commissioners to remove the statue solely based on public safety and the request was denied. I have read statements from county commissioners who seem to either be in support of keeping Sylva Sam in his present place, would like to remove Sylva Sam, or would like to create a task force to provide commissioners with some direction on Sylva Sam.

I find it concerning that our elected officials aren’t listening to those who recently spoke at a board meeting in favor of replacing the statue since no one other than the chairman of the board of commissioners provided support for keeping Sylva Sam in its current place. The idea of creating a Task Force is just as unsafe as keeping Sylva Sam present overlooking our community. I assume this task force would be made up by a diverse group of individuals in our community that aren’t in support and that are in support of Sylva Sam. This task force would put black and brown individuals in our community in an unsafe position, putting them in direct contact with the same individuals who stand armed to guard Sylva Sam. This task force would slow down the progress that is being made regionally, state-wide, and nationally to address these racist monuments. 

While I applaud the effort to include community members in the conversation, I believe this is best left to those who myself and many others have elected to make decisions on my behalf in this community. Now is the time for our local elected officials to provide us with the leadership that you agreed to provide and anything other than that leadership is negligent on your part. This lack of leadership shows that you don’t represent all of the individuals that voted for you. 

As an African American voting member of this community I would like to feel safe at home again and hope you will hear me in asking you to do what is right for someone that voted for each of you! The way forward may be hard and require you to be uncomfortable and to confront your own biases, but it is right. I hope that you will be able to proudly tell your grandchildren you were on the right side of history in deciding to remove a statue that depicts racism and hatred in our region.

Kelly Brown

Sylva

To the Editor:

Giving in to the misguided desire to remove statues and monuments, which Black Lives Matter admits is just the beginning of their quest to erase history, would be a monumental (no pun intended) mistake. This isn’t about being against “racism” or feeling “welcome” in the U.S. It’s about power and control. It’s about anarchy and Marxism.

Reinforcing the idea that people are “victims” will lead to nothing good. And who of these protesters is perfect? Who of them would like to have their entire lives judged by the mistakes they’ve made? Everyone has good and bad aspects to their personalities and no one wants to be judged or have their life boiled down to one belief or action. This is why judging historical figures in light of today’s political environment is morally wrong.

We are all struggling every day to survive and hopefully thrive in this world. Life is difficult. We have setbacks, anxieties, obstacles, and whatever else life throws in our path. We need to be kind to each other, not make demands. Not march with fists raised in anger, calling people “racist” and trying to destroy their businesses and lives. Not demonizing law enforcement. Playing upon “white guilt” and making people apologize for their so-called “white privilege” is a horrible way to treat people. It’s a window into what life in this country would be like if things continue on the current path. 

Aimee Stein

Waynesville

To the Editor:

In today’s America, we find ourselves facing the continued onslaught of biased reporting and erroneous “expert” advice relative to a virus no more significant than a severe flu outbreak. And to add suffering to misery, we have continuing protests and their accompanying riots and looting with a professionally coordinated effort by Black Lives Matter, Antifa and other supporting subversives. Indeed, a new American conflict.

We have state and federal health officials and government leaders exaggerating the fatality numbers from the virus as well as making an all-out effort to convince the uninformed that “catching the virus equals death.” They are fear mongers of the worst kind, using the opportunity to garner more power for themselves over the people for as long as they can. And in the process they have substantially harmed the nation’s economy and the lives of millions of Americans.

Our leaders on both sides of the political aisle have done their part to demonstrate that in today’s America, we have the worst leadership in our nation’s history. Leaders characterized by dishonesty, cowardice, apathy and gross incompetency. The nation’s “flock” has seen the departure of its leaders, leaving the flock to be devoured by wolves, coyotes and wild dogs.

 What will it take to stop the growing assault on our nation, its freedoms and its history? A Black Lives Matter leader has now pointed its attention to the American churches. What will that mean?

These forces at work in the land today are as evil as any we have seen in recent times, anywhere in the world. Their intent is clear, take the nation down and turn it in to something few would want. These groups and their adherents and supporters are demonic. They are active extensions of the kingdom of darkness and they will have to be stopped. And rest assured when the time comes, we will stop them!

Rob Rich

Waynesville

To the Editor:

An early lesson that a child hears is “tell the truth” and “honesty is the best policy.” When siblings or playmates fight the adult in the room usually figures out where the truth lies. Most of the time, facts become apparent as the situation becomes clear. 

So where have those honest children and adults in the room gone? What has happened to the children that were raised to tell the truth? We are hearing stories, tall tales, elaborate storytelling, and creative writing with a new label called conspiracy theory. It seems this new story spinning has taken a giant leap into political life and explodes into social media, growing with shares and likes. And worse, it gets repeated over and over like a giant game of “telephone.” It is told so many times, gaslighting, by those that should be credible. What makes it even more frustrating is that the ignorant, vulnerable and weak critical thinkers turn into perpetuators of the lie.

There is no better conspiracy theory than the flat out lie circulating that China created Covid-19 on purpose to disrupt the world economy for their advantage or evil. Just last week, while shopping in Sylva, a storekeeper asked me if I thought this ridiculous tale is true. Obviously, she thought it true. There seems to be a need for a reliable clearing house, but trust of anyone, anything, any information has become suspect no matter the source. Certainly, our politicians, particularly the president, his cronies, hired help and followers, when the facts do not fit the desired narrative, resort to conspiracy theory. It is repeated, endorsed, and eventually the naive shopkeeper becomes victimized by this fabrication. 

A healthy dose of critical thinking and honesty would help all of us survive the critical life and safety risks that we face. The message to Mr. Trump needs to be just “tell the truth.” It certainly is a challenge for the president that has struggled with this concept.

Pam Krauss

Sylva

To the Editor:

By leaving households without reliable internet access, the marginalization of Southern Appalachia will perpetuate. Without a good connection to the World Wide Web, Western North Carolina will continue to be behind on matters related but not limited to: education, healthcare, job opportunities, etc. 

The majority of my high school career was spent loitering for internet during after school hours; and I am still loitering for a good connection, well into my college years. It is just plain sad when the Bojangles has better internet than the public library. By no means am I shaming the library, for they have been there for me and others and I will be forever indebted.

Shame on the “powers that be” that have allowed this monstrosity to continue. Time and time again they put profits over the well-being of us locals. By investing in your local populace, environment, and infrastructure, you also strengthen other sectors, such as the tourism industry. It is imperative, now more than ever, to start thinking sustainably and that starts with putting first the well-being of those who have and will continue to make these mountains our home. 

Laura Booth

Swain County

To the Editor:

A reader’s letter in the last issue complained about mainstream media and a limited view of events that he described as “The Frame.” Mainstream media is identified that way because the vast majority of Americans recognize that the main media sources are honest, reliable and mostly unbiased. Mainstream media includes ABC, CBS, CNN and NBC, and locally the Asheville Citizen Times, The Sylva Herald and, of course, The Smoky Mountain News. It does not include FOX, the president’s favorite network, but even that network has recently complained about the president’s actions.

I regularly watch CNN, ABC and NBC and also read The Week, a Newsweek/Time type of weekly magazine that usually provides reprints from various media, including Fox.com and the Washington Examiner, both of which are very conservative.  CNN often interviews Trump supporters, including Trump spokesperson Kellyanne Conway and Rick Santorum, formerly a Republican senator from Pennsylvania and Trump supporter, as well as members of the president’s cabinet. Those interviews definitely present views from the president’s point of view.

As a Christian, I can’t support a sexist and racist liar, and have a hard time understanding how other Christians (or other people of faith) could support him, either. I am not a liberal Democrat. In fact, I was a moderate Republican for over 50 years, but I became an unaffiliated voter shortly before the current president was inaugurated. I never voted for a Democrat for president until 2016. I did not leave the Republican Party; it left me. Lincoln and Reagan are spinning in their graves.

I have lived in the South for well over 60 years. An old Southern saying expressed to someone who doesn’t “get it” is “God bless you.” So, to that letter writer: God bless you.

Clark Pearson

Sylva

A motorcycle fatality occurred on Newfound Gap Road in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park shortly after 5 p.m. Monday, June 22. 

A visitor to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park perished last week when he tried to save a younger family member from drowning. 

The arrival of the N.C. Arboretum’s newest exhibit was delayed due to COVID-19, but Nature Connects: Art with LEGO Bricks has now opened at the public garden in Asheville and will remain on display through Nov. 1. 

Four larger-than-life butterflies now greet visitors as they enter the Cullowhee Community Garden, each representing a species that helps pollinate plants in this region.