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.

More than six years ago, Southwestern Community College officials started looking into making necessary safety improvements at their firing range in Dillsboro. 

Tuesday night at approximately 5 p.m. Haywood County received notice that a local bear hunter, Richard Warren, had been injured in a fall above Sunburst campground off of Lake Logan Road. 

The Jackson County Department of Public Health has identified a COVID-19 cluster at a child care center.

By Ethel Klein —

In the past four years, Americans have experienced a series of large-scale events and shocks to our political system. The day after the Trump January inauguration, the massive 2017 Women’s Marches brought together over a million people in the nation’s capital and 5.6 million worldwide.

George Vanderbilt first opened Biltmore, his magnificent private estate, to family and friends on Christmas Eve 1895. Today, 125 years later, his descendants continue welcoming guests with that same spirit of gracious hospitality.

As we age many of us want to remain independent ("free-range") and healthy for as long as possible. Our nutritional  and physical status play a big role in this. If you are elderly or if you have elderly friends, relatives or neighbors - here are some things to think about and watch for. Talk to your health care provider about: 

To the Editor:

Of all the childhood films I can still bear to watch as an adult, I love “Superman.” There’s something about an awkward corn-fed kid from Kansas who becomes an almost omnipotent yet benevolent alien being known simply as Superman. When tragedy strikes, and it often does, Superman is there to save the day.

To the Editor:

In most professions work experience is a major factor as to whether you get the job or not. I believe experience in the courtroom is especially important for a judicial position and that’s why I cast my vote for Justin Greene for District Court judge.

To the Editor:

I’m writing in response to Ted Carr’s letter in the October 21 edition of your paper. Unlawful, destructive acts by Trump supporters are at an unprecedented level and, true to form. Carr’s reference to “rioting and destroying property in Seattle, Portland and other cities” was right out of the Trump playbook. 

To the Editor:

I support Randy McDowell for a seat on the Haywood County Board of Education.